Broken Ankle: When Will I Feel Normal Again?

This video goes out to the hundreds (thousands?) of you who have asked me when I started to feel normal again after breaking my ankle.

Can I do all the things I need to do in life in totally normal ways? YES. Does my ankle *feel normal*? No.

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Want way more broken ankle info? Head to my site for:
— Almost 2 hours of exclusive interviews with: An ortho surgeon, a physical therapist, and a massage therapist. And yes, we talk about everything that's on your mind.
— A complete list of tips & tricks: All the things you should buy, do, and eat to heal faster and easier.
— Answers to literally every question I've ever been asked.

Also on IG: @brokenankleclub

[LindseyLane-iv]

Thank you for making these videos. I recently broke my fibula. I am 37 years old and my first broken bone. I am 2 weeks post surgery. It has been very difficult and you have helped me by making these videos

[joyous]

Spiral fracture of my fibula & my ankle in August .. had surgery .. cast off & back in a boot & still in my boot !!! It’s physically painful in beginning & still struggling in PT . Psychologically it’s affected me .. prayers for all 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[themat]

I'm presently going through my ankle injuries....It is such an emotional journey..Pain physical and emotional...I'm hoping for the best

[victoriagaray]

Thank you so much for your videos and the community you’ve brought together, it’s nice to not feel alone. I’m a year and 4 months out from a fibula fracture. I had surgery with a plate and 12 screws and have accepted this is my NEW normal. Yes it can be disheartening but to know I can walk/ run again after all the trauma and losing your independence, makes one realize we can overcome intense struggles. I get sad bc there’s a lot of things I probably won’t ever try due to the fear of breaking it again but I guess I’m just more cautious now.

[stevenreznick]

I had a trimalleolar ankle break a few years back. Broke both sides of the Tibia at the ankle tore the inside ligament. Surgery once. No mandatory therapy actually, did it myself. Had the hardware out and everything finished fine. They say you'll never feel normal and things still feel a little different but not much. Everything came back including full balance and range for martial arts. Have faith..you never know.

[cheneyvangraan]

Broke my ankle a week ago. Had surgery last week. I feel like I’m loosing my mind. I’m frustrated, I just want to be able to walk again😭

[carrenellis]

Thank you for your dedication to doing these videos, Mihal, even many years out! Hearing others’ stories helps so much during the early stages of uncertainty, and your updates do bring a sense of comfort. I know without a doubt my ankle will never be “normal” ( 5 months out, trimalleolar break, plate & 10 screws) but I am settling into a feeling of “new normal, ” and this week I have noticed actual moments that I DON’T think about my ankle. This is progress. PT has been good for me and I hope to get back into yoga when I can bend a little more!

[.Treehouse]

Thank you for this. It’s been 4 years and I keep having to ice and elevate. Thought this would go away at some time…but nope. When it’s cold it hurts, when I stand on it too long it swells and hurts, when I drive too far it swells and hurts… so frustrating can’t go back to long hikes my ankle won’t let me. It’s nice to hear that I’m not alone 😊

[xCarlosxD]

You brought up a good point. I broke my ankle on July 7th and had to get surgery. 14 weeks later. Do I feel normal? I’m better. But is my ankle the same? No. It’s like breaking a car, you can fix it, but it won’t be the same.

[popculturewatchtower]

3 months post surgery, broke both ankles, shattered my right and broke both sides on the left, have screws and plates in both, just now weight bearing on both and ok to walk with a walker. I’m pretty sure my ankles will never feel the same again and will always swell really bad if I’m on them to long. I just hope I’ll walk normal again one day, I’m working on it and I have good PT’s.

[keshalpatel]

Definitely needed this! Had a bimalleolar equivalent fracture and got surgery in February and I'm finally starting to feel like I can do most things in my life in a normal way, but my ankle is irritating the heck out of me because it tightens up so quickly. I'm supposed to graduate from college in a month and move to a new city this summer, and your videos + blog have been so helpful in making it through this recovery process.

[Starrcrumb]

I had trimalleolar surgery 1 month ago, i can relate how its not only physically a problem but mentally too because u want to walk again. I have a question, when the bone grows again does everything with that ankle get back to normal or its never the same again?

[smartypants]

I broke my right ankle 8 months ago. I can walk to the pub again. I can't use the injured leg going up to my house on the second floor. My ankle always feels cold and itches and makes clicking feelins. The link on the inside of my leg doesnt allow me to turn my right foot inward. I can not step off the curb crossing the street. I fear gettijg on and off the city bus. I bought soje military boots but cant put my foot in them now. My bank is 5 blocks away ajd still walking that distancecrequres a next day to not have much walking. My favorte thing is that my back of my knee stopped freaking out. And I can use a blanket now. I still have issues gettijg on ajd off the bar stool. And getting out of ky brothers truck is very hard so I go very slow.

[markpease]

10yrs out with hardware removed. Very active... No it will never be 100% back to normal. But there are many things you can do. Ice boot helps alot. Exercise, stretching, alphabet signing, epsom salt soaking. Staying away form ice and always keep a shower mat!😅

[marciacellophane]

Thank you. I needed to hear everything you said. Surgery is Tuesday, broke last Sunday. Both of my ankles need extra love. ❤ I'm a retired massage therapist, so yep, scar tissue is a B. I am glad we connected on Insta. Thanks again for your videos.

[Glennhairston]

Broke fibula, stable fracture no surgery needed (lucky in that regard) six weeks ago still in a boot use to being extremely active very difficult being down I'll probably do therapy to get the best outcome possible hopefully ill feel normal after all is said and done best wishes to everyone who has it worse than me hang in there and stay positive

[hdtff]

I am post op 11 weeks
I had a trimalleolar ankle fracture. I was so eager to get back to walking, i was told to start walking with a boot 7 weeks with crutches, not full weight bearing. I know i shouldn't have but on the first day i was so eager i slowly tried to walk without the crutches with the boot. After doing it, i could walk full weight bearing in the Boot, no crutches without any pain! (Keep in mind my doctor said crutches and boot) I was so confident around 5 days before my doctors appointment i walked around my house barefoot! Not all day though. I still had no pain, unless i started to do stuff I didn't have to with my legs or unnecessary exercises. My doctor said my xrays were great, i informed him of my doings against his words, he told me to keep doing whatever i was doing before because i was doing better than expected. Surprisingly he told me if i felt like i could, i coild probably start jogging in a few weeks (around the present right now) i stumbled upon your videos on your journey the same day of the doctor! I have to say your channel helped me through this rough time! What you did and the motivation of seeing you! Upon 11 weeks now, i can jog at a very slow pase, a few times a day. I have a doctor checkup in 4 more weeks! The only trouble i have is my foot arch, i would say a lot of pain but if i raise it too high it starts to burn, if i lower it too low again starts to burn. My balance is deficient however good enough. Another fun fact, through this journey i found out that i have a condition where my body produces extra calcium, my doctors say this might be the reason for my fast growth but not best thing. Now my body needs the calcium to repair my bones. But when my bones fully heal my body will start to feel fatigued from the mass production of extra calcium. Although im just here to say thank you! For everything youve marked on your jouney helping me! If i have any big news on my 4 week check-in. I will be sure to edit my comment!

[RooRassy]

I broke my fibula on the 7th Jan and have a hardwares surgery next week on Tuesday. I am miserable and I feel stupid for being so clumsy with my fall. This is my first break. I searched ‘depression after broken ankle’ to see if there’s anyone else who feels like this.

[Zenlife]

I broke my ankle around Christmas and still can't walk on it. Going to P. THERAPY next week. I hope this helps. I just wanna walk normal again. My doc said I should be walking by now. 😔 didn't have surgery thank gosh.

[stevekrause]

Hi Mihal, thanks for all your helpful videos on this topic. I broke mine in mid July -- a bimalleolar fracture of left ankle. The doc decided on a conservative approach, so no surgery, only a boot for 8 weeks. After that, I had about 8 weeks of phys therapy. And while I have little pain, I'm a bit disappointed that I still have a limited range of dorsiflexion range and a noticeable limp. So, I don't know how to correct those problems at this point. I have a follow-up appt with my doc in about a month to discuss this, so we'll see. In the meantime, a new wrinkle has emerged: I'm now getting a clicking/rubbing sensation in the ankle that occurs with every step I take. After a little online research, it seems to be what they call peroneal tendon subluxation, where a tendon is rubbing across the outside ankle area. It's not painful (yet), but is obviously concerning to feel that clicking feeling whenever I walk. I'm assuming that the tendon was damaged when I rolled my ankle in July. I just hope it doesn't require surgery and more time in a boot. I'd like to hear from you or others who may know anything about this condition. Thanks again for your very helpful videos. I don't feel so alone in this struggle.