Dr. Timothy K. Durnin - 8/9/2007

Question
Hi
I recently had a broken ankle and has ORF surgery on both sides. I have been out of my plaster cast for around 5 days but am experiencing extreme pain in the heel of the foot. Its is similar to walking on sharp rocks and doesnt seem to improve no matter what I do. It is affecting my rehab as the ankle itself is not too bad but I still need two sticks due to this heel pain. My physiotherapist seems a bit purplexed and other people I talk to in a similar situation dont mention any heel pain.
The only other thing to mention is that I had Plantar Fasciitis in both heels this time last year and although I pretty much cured it with orthotic shoes and inserts I wondered if it was this that was causing my heel pain now? I have to return to work on 22nd August and need to be fit to go by then really, but I am struggling! Can you help?
Thankyou for reading.
Regards
Jackie Leyland

Answer
Hi Jackie,

This pain is common after open reduction and is caused by disuse, it goes away usually in a week or two. I would get new orthotics (leather soft not plastic) since the weight bearing load sites have probably shifted after surgery. Without looking at your x-rays post-op I can only speculate, but I run into this often in practice and find changing to new orthotics from a new cast works well.

Thank you for your question Jackie, I hope this helps!

Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com