Ankle surgery?!

Ankle surgery?

ok so i am 15 years old and have hypermobility i play soccer and so my ankles seem to have a hard time holding up they are pretty much in constant pain and i dont really sprain them(like little sprains) often because they are so loose but every once in a while i get a real bad sprain that partially tears a few ligaments. this has been going on for a year now and we have tried everything that there is too try as far as helping my ankles my orthopedic surgeon says that anytime now is a good time to do a brostrom (pardon my spelling) surgery to repair the ligaments it wouldnt be right away but in a few months so my question is has anyone had this done or does anyone know anything about the surgery? any suggestions or recommendations of any kind would be appreciated! i have talked to my parents and they say that whenever i need the surgery it is up to me to decide but i think i am going to try to hold it off until the end of soccer next summer is this a good idea?any help is great! thanks!

Hi,

I am 16 years old,and just had a Brostrom done on Monday.

Before this,I have had many,many problems with my ankle.I sprained it all the time,the ligaments became looser (and eventually got torn which is why I finally had the surgery).

Before I had this surgery done,we had tried absolutely everything:

- Physical therapy
- Walking boot
- Braces
- Taping my ankle
- Taping my arches
- Arch support insoles
- Complete rest

...You get the picture.While these things helped some,my ankle finally got to the point that it was completely unstable.

I went to a sports doctor who told me that I should see and orthopedic surgeon,and the surgeon (who is actually quite conservative with treatment) said almost immediately after looking at my ankle that I should have the Brostrom done.

Anyway,here's what a Brostrom is:

The ATFL (anterior talo-fibular ligament,the main ligament on the outside of your ankle) is either cut,and then reconnected to a shorter,stronger form,or if it's already completely torn,it is reconnected as is into a shorter,stronger form.You can check out http://www.ankleinstability.com... for more information on the procedure.Also,two other websites that have quite helpful people,and search functions that you can find threads on are:http://www.healthboards.com/boards/forum... and http://myfootshop.com/discussion... .

My experience with the Brostrom (so far) has been great.The last thing that I remember before the surgery was moving onto the operating table and them saying that they were going to start the anesthesia.I would suggest general anesthesia because I had a great experience with it.I could have chosen spinal,and being numbed from the waist down,also being sedated,but the surgery is done while you are lying on your side,and you have to be completely still (this is what the anesthesiologist told me).After the surgery was done,I was barely in any pain at all...Probably a 2 on a scale from 0-10.

Home has been pretty good with pain too.My surgeon gave me two things that have really helped,and I suggest that you as your surgeon about them too.

1. ON-Q PainBuster.This is a device that has little things inserted underneath your skin that sends a local anesthetic to the site of the surgery for a couple of days post-op to help with the pain.You can read all about it at http://www.askyoursurgeon.com .
2. Breg Polar Care cooler.This has a pad that is wrapped around your ankle and there is a pump connected to it and a cooler that constantly sends cold water circulating around your ankle.This helps with swelling a lot.You can check that out here:http://www.breg.com/products/cold_therap...

Personally,I think that you should get the surgery done as soon as possible,and just get it over with.Because the sooner you get it done,the less time you have to do more damage to your ankle,and the sooner you'll actually be able to get back into sports and other activities.

Recovery time after surgery is different for each surgeon,patient,and conditions,but generally here's the protocol:

2-6 weeks in a cast,non-weight-bearing.
3-5 weeks in a walking boot,partial to full weight-bearing.
Starting at about 6 weeks,start physical therapy
No running or impact for 3-5 months

I hope this helps you out,gives you some more information,and helps you make your decision.

Email me if you want any more information or anything!