# Broken ankle 2yrs down the track... still a problem



## ponylover1 (Sep 18, 2013)

Two years ago I broke my ankle in 3 different places, not sure of the names of every bone in the ankle... but I chipped the inside bone, fractured the outside bone and fractured the back of one of the bones. (Was only 16yrs at the time so I therefore fractured the outside growth plate of the ankle too). 
I did this while showjumping, horse took off... rider stayed behind and landed awkwardly :icon_rolleyes:.Thankfully at the time I had my tall boots on, that had a zip in them, so we were able to get the foot out of the boot without displacing anything!!! So therefore did not require any surgery, as the ball of my ankle was still in place! YAY!

I was in a cast for 6 weeks afterwards, then a moon boot for 3 weeks after. I went to physiotherapy for my ankle straight after for about another 5 weeks...
But now, when I ride, I get an extreme pain on the outside of my leg just above the ankle. The longer I ride, the more painful it gets. After about 20mins the pain is very strong and I often have to give my ankle a rest and take it out of the stirrup, I am not sure what it is, it feels like something wants to snap! I think it has something to do with having my leg on, and toes in (not pointing out). When I press on the part of my leg/ankle it is tender, and I cannot press too hard otherwise it hurts too much.

I went to physio at the beginning of the year for it, but they couldn't pick up on it, and therefore picked up on another fault in my ankle. The back of my calve is too tight and therefore my ankle it actually too far forward (if that makes sense), therefore I can not bend it as much, as it reaches a limit and just stops/become to painful to keep bending as the joint is at its limit. I had another 3 weeks physio on this, but the pain in the outside of my leg is still there and just as strong! :sad:
It only hurts when I ride, which is 3 times a day, everyday. It has never hurt whilst running, or walking up or down hill (although I can not sit on top of my ankle with my legs underneath me - too painful).
The balance in my broken ankle is actually better than my good ankle, so no balance problems.

Any ideas of what it could be? Should I got back to the physio? Should I go back to the doctor? 
Could I strap it in the meantime to help support it and hopefully reduce pain when riding? If so, how would you strap it to support the lower outer leg?

THANK YOU FOR READING!


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

First step is the Dr.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I'd try either a doctor or a different physical therapist. I'd expect them to want to xray the area to see if anything is visible there. If nothing shows up on xrays, they may need to do an MRI or something else to look for soft tissue damage. 

I broke my ankle this summer (and had surgery to put everything back together!) and am still not sure if I'll ever be quite 100% like it was before... :-|
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

In my limited experience, when pain is experienced after a break such as you are describing , its usually an indication of injury related arthritis setting in or the bones healed just a little out of place such that it is only troublesome when you change the pressure on your ankle (ie riding that is putting the ankle in a different position). Xrays would be a good place to start. That should show if either is the case and would be the first step in what you can come up for developing a plan to handle it.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Try riding with your toes turned out a bit. It is more comfortable for most people especially women. It's the way we're built. I have the same issue when riding English after dinging my knees in a car accident at 16. The pain begins in the ankles and I too need to get my feet out of the stirrups for a while. I'm always told I ride with too long a stirrup when western but hey, it works. The long stirrup doesn't work with a jump or a/p saddle, dressage only.


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