Broken Heel

Last Tuesday I broke my heel, I don't recommend it to anyone its a total drag. Luckily it was a 'good' break' and I did not need surgery or even a cast. I was given a removable boot, which I can take off to sleep and shower. The doctor says I will have to use crutches for 8-10 weeks, the first four of which I can't put any weight on the foot. I guess I am pretty fortunate with the timing since on March 24, almost 4 weeks from the break, I leave for Jordan and Israel for Spring Break/Easter Holidays to visit my sister and sightsee. The timing allows me to at least have some weight on the foot, which will make getting around easier. At least I didn't break my heel a week or two later.

Well I didn't come here just to complain. I did a bit of reading on the internet and most sites seem to say that when I recover, I will never really be 100% again and will have pain/limited range of motion in that foot. Anyone here ever break their heel and what has been your short/long term recovery?

Ouch!

Well, I broke mine in 1972. It has been a bit more prone to tenderness, and now I have a bit of plantar fascitis (SP) in that foot. I spend 10 hours a day on my feet in work boots, so its not the end of the world.

Woody wrote: Ouch!

+2

Definitely hurt at first, there is not any pain now though. What I am most concerned about is being able to be as active as before. I am not okay with limited motion/ability in my foot. Will time and exercise allow me to do everything as before?

A few years back, I broke a bone in the side of my foot getting out of bed. I had to wear a boot as well. Yours sounds significantly more serious, but I was able to run on it again once it healed without a problem. Just wait for the doctor's orders regarding both wait period and intensity.

Never broke mine but have limited motion and strength in the right ankle due to nerve issues. I suffer from drop foot too. I use a soft brace in my hockey skates and have a Blue Rocker for just around walking. I Mountain bike, play hockey goal, and generally just adapt. Doesn't sound like you'll be as bad off as me however.

Blue Rocker AFO:

It's carbon fiber. Very light weight.

Mitchell wrote: A few years back, I broke a bone in the side of my foot getting out of bed.

Do you sleep way up in a tree like the aliens in Avatar? Or was it at least a bunk bed?

Well I guess I shouldn't make fun, I hurt my knee badly getting into bed once. There was a mat next to the bed that was frictionless against the floor.

Broke both of my feet (one at a time, 5 years apart). Unfortunately mine required surgery for fusion and bone grafts. My injuries have resulted in a decade of pain, soreness, and eventually led to back and hip problems.

The calcaneus(sp?) was broken or fractured in both of those injuries. I think most of my pain and problems is due to the fused joints though. So hopefully you'll end up better in the long run. I get great parking with my little blue placard though

I'm starting to think I broke my right ankle a while back. The knobby dealy is a lot bigger than the left one and it aches often - especially when walking on uneven ground.

It's not swollen, the knobby is hard as bone, but big and more of a cube than a knobby dealy.

I see the shaman tomorrow...

I broke my left big toe two weeks ago. That was unpleasant.

I also seem to have some deep bruising on my shins that doesn't go away.

GameboyRMH wrote:

Mitchell wrote: A few years back, I broke a bone in the side of my foot getting out of bed.

Do you sleep way up in a tree like the aliens in Avatar? Or was it at least a bunk bed? Well I guess I shouldn't make fun, I hurt my knee badly getting into bed once. There was a mat next to the bed that was frictionless against the floor.

It still boggles my mind... All I know is that I half leapt out of bed, and it hurt. I didn't think much of it until late in my work shift that afternoon, when my foot began throbbing. naturally, i took my shoe off to check it out.. My foot was so swollen that I had to loosen my laces way out to get the shoe back on.

Ah shoot...I think my other foot is broken as well. Using crutches this past week and putting all my weight on the foot has caused it to start hurting a bit more and more. Its also still swollen. It never hurt anywhere near as bad as the other broken heel so I think it is just a minor fracture as I can still put weight on it relatively fine.

What did you do to break the heel? Was the other foot injured in the same incident?

Yeah the other foot would have been injured in the same incident, I jumped from a wall that was around 15 or so feet high and landed on stone. I can still stand and put pressure on it though. Put there is definitely discomfort if I squeeze the heel and also when hobbling about.

Get thee to thy doctor -- and then ask about physical therapy.

That's all I got. The earlier you catch these things the quicker they heal and the less pain you have. I broke a bone in the bottom of my foot when I was a teen. Told the 'rents and they basically told me to man up...."It's growing pains, son" they both said. Well, after a summer of my protestations they took me to a podiatrist, you know, just to shut the kid up. Mom wasn't too happy when the doc said yep, sounds like a sismoid bone fracture and showed her the x-rays to back it all up! Then we got the bad news that since 3 or 4 months had gone by, scar tissue built up to the point that the bone would never heal. Had to have surgery to get the bone fragment removed. Then had more surgery 4 years later to correct the acute tendonitis that occurred because the geometry of my foot had changed. Lots of foot pain in high school.

Get that thing checked out! You now know that jumps from that height are bad, mmmkay?