Michelle Menhennet
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Plan to walk around 2022
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So my Camino is still a long way off, but last August I badly dislocated and complex-fractured my ankle, which has turned out to be a bigger deal than I ever expected. I’m told it will take at least a year to recover completely, and that some people never fully recover from pain and swelling. I’ve had my first airplane flight and heavy walking trip since the break, with disastrous results - heavy swelling, neuropathy in the foot (numbness, tingling), and pain, to the point that I spent my trip using an electric scooter and needed a week of bed rest to recover.
I am hoping that a couple years in the future things will be better, but wondering if anyone else has walked the Way after an ankle fracture and what worked and didn’t work for you.
Thank you!
oh my goodness! I have nothing to offer, save that I am six weeks into recovery from a similar fracture. Now 71, maybe I have to give up hopes of another Camino, but I'm still aiming to recover. Prayers for your future!So my Camino is still a long way off, but last August I badly dislocated and complex-fractured my ankle, which has turned out to be a bigger deal than I ever expected. I’m told it will take at least a year to recover completely, and that some people never fully recover from pain and swelling. I’ve had my first airplane flight and heavy walking trip since the break, with disastrous results - heavy swelling, neuropathy in the foot (numbness, tingling), and pain, to the point that I spent my trip using an electric scooter and needed a week of bed rest to recover.
I am hoping that a couple years in the future things will be better, but wondering if anyone else has walked the Way after an ankle fracture and what worked and didn’t work for you.
Thank you!
Good to hear this. I am beginning to recover from exactly the same (labrador/poodle cross - v heavy fast dog). I am six weeks in! really worrying about future walking. Thanks for posting.Ankle fractures and recovery are different for each individual; the complications and extent of the injury can be extremely varied.
As an example, my wife's best friend broke hers over 15 years ago, but developed RSD which has been a horrible complication that won't resolve.
Five years ago, while playing fetch with my 98 pound Giant Schnauzer/ Black Lab mix (OK, he's a mutt), he ran headlong into me at high speed which caused a compound fracture requiring open surgery for reduction and the installation of plates and screws, which still remain.
I recovered nicely, and was backpacking again within 4.5 months. I was scrupulous in following recovery guidelines, going to physical therapy, and keeping the ankle increasingly mobile as recovery protocol allowed. I have had no complications, although every once in a while, I feel soft tissue pressure (not pain) from the hardware that's still in there. If that ever becomes too bothersome, I can have it removed.
Since that injury, I have backpacked the entire PCT and Colorado Trail, and have done hundreds of other backpacking miles. No special braces or supports. I walked the Camino Frances from SJPdP to Burgos last September, and will go from SJPdP to Roncesvalles again, then on to Burgos and walk to Leon where I will meet my son. We will then walk together to SdC (God willing).
As I said, each recovery is different, and my story is just one possible outcome. But my prayers and encouragement are with you; be assertive with your provider to have your concerns answered, be consistent with your physical therapy, and make sure your surgeon lets you know what is normal discomfort as you are becoming more physically active, and when you need to back off from exercise and weight bearing and to contact him.
Hi Michelle, I'm 65 and broke my ankle about 20 years ago - shattered I should say. I have a plate and 9 screws. My cartilage was severely shredded. I was living in Germany at the time and started volksmarching weekly 10K about a year after my surgery. Since then I have walked in the Austrian Alps, along the Rhine Valley, and closer to home in the hills of the Monadnock Region of Southern NH. My ankle has succumbed to arthritis and I am going for joint replacement in a couple of months. I felt the call to go on the Camino in April of 2013 but was hesitant. It kept calling. I did my research and obtained a credential - preparing. I finally made the decision to go April 2018, booking my flight for the last week of September to return after 2 weeks. I decided because I was solo and a little handicapped to just go from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. It was the best decision I have ever made. Not just for the walk but for the experience of meeting so many wonderful people. My surgery will take from 6 months to a year to recover. I am setting a goal to do another section of the Camino in 2021. God bless. you can do it!So my Camino is still a long way off, but last August I badly dislocated and complex-fractured my ankle, which has turned out to be a bigger deal than I ever expected. I’m told it will take at least a year to recover completely, and that some people never fully recover from pain and swelling. I’ve had my first airplane flight and heavy walking trip since the break, with disastrous results - heavy swelling, neuropathy in the foot (numbness, tingling), and pain, to the point that I spent my trip using an electric scooter and needed a week of bed rest to recover.
I am hoping that a couple years in the future things will be better, but wondering if anyone else has walked the Way after an ankle fracture and what worked and didn’t work for you.
Thank you!
But just to add, 18 months on, that the recovery from double displaced ankle fracture has been COMPLETE.oh my goodness! I have nothing to offer, save that I am six weeks into recovery from a similar fracture. Now 71, maybe I have to give up hopes of another Camino, but I'm still aiming to recover. Prayers for your future!
Hello! I’m just wondering if any of you with similar injuries still have circulation problems. I earned an open, compound ankle fracture late June ‘23. Even doctors have gasped at the X-ray. I know I need at least a year, but my big concern at the moment is circulation. I can’t do much without swelling. Have you seen circulation improvement with time and increased activity? I’m trying not to be discouraged, so I’m heartened by everyone’s stories. Thank you!Just an update to this post and a thanks again for your encouragement: it’s just about my one year anniversary of the accident, and I’m feeling much more confident about my future Camino. I was diligent about physiotherapy, and I still “draw the alphabet” with my toes every chance I get.
I’ve purchased a really good treadmill, since I’m a fat girl to start with and gained lots more since the accident. Now on a mission to reduce that weight over the next 18 months and build muscle strength. Walking 3-5 km feels good and the foot aches a little sometimes, but nothing major.
I can definitely see the Camino in my future!
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