Question
I had ORIF surgery done on my ankle about 5 years ago. Recently I woke up with tingling pain and have now started having trouble rotating my ankle along with continuous mild pain. My ankle looks different than it did before I really don't know how to explain it beside that there was a dip where they put the plate in and the sutures healed over it and now there are two dips. The main thing that is bothering me is that I was back to normal in a decent amount of time and have not had any problems till now. Is it possible that I may have to go in for a revision or should I wait it out a bit to see if it goes away?

Answer
This Chicago & Elmhurst Podiatrist says.......

Dear Kelly,

Go in and have an x-ray taken and see if the screws have moved or there is another issue if the discomfort does not go away in 2-3 days.
Try PRICE & some max dose of anti-inflammatories-if they won't bother your stomach.
Protect-perhaps an ace wrap around the area of pain and limit the movements that aggravate it-Find a gym shoe that seems to decrease the pain in the ankle
Rest-Speaks for itself.
Ice- As much as you can tolerate. Pros put the injured area into an ice bath for 15 minutes! Try ice packs instead.  
Compress-If it feels swollen-Ace wrap or foot sleeve around the ankle
Elevate-Will help if it throbs at the end of the day.

Don't be afraid of a "revision". Usually whatever may need to be done is not even close to the original surgery in post-op pain and recovery.
Go see a good Board Certified Podiatrist-they are very good in minimizing pain and disability in these situations-even if the screws were put in by an orthopedist.
We do these kinds of second opinions and are located within 35 minutes of both Chicago airports

Hope This Helps
Good Luck!

Dr George Tsatsos & Svetlana Zats
Podiatrist Chicago 60618 & Elmhurst 60126 Podiatrists
Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery & Orthopedics
New South Loop Location-Chicago 60661
AnkleNFoot.com
Runnersdoc.com
BabyFootDoc.com

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