Major broken ankle

[tamirra]

Hi, can anyone help with my question please... 10 years ago while we were in Gibraltar my mum slipped badly and broke her ankle so bad that she had to have plates and screws to hold her ankle together, but for the last year or so she has been getting severe pain in that leg mainly at night but she suffers with the pain constantly, she has just thought that maybe its something to do with the titanium plates she has in the leg thats causing the pain, does anyone know if this could possibly be the cause, when she was operated on the surgeon told her that she will never be able to have them removed. Any help appreciated. Thank you

[ummmm]

How old is your Mum?

Has she seen a doctor?

[tamirra]

She is 70, and she has seen the doctor about the pains but they have not given her any answers to why she is getting them, originally she thought it was the statins she was taking, she stopped them quite a while ago as the pains were getting so bad and we understand statins can cause muscle pain, and its only been today she thought it could be the plate in her ankle, as the pain is worse in that leg than the other one.

[Sqad]

The pain could be caused by many things, but after ten years, I would suggest that there would be a osteo arthritic change.

She needs an X-Ray as a first step.

[tamirra]

Thank you Sqad

[Sqad]

tamirra.......;-)

[tamirra]

Sqad you say it could be a number of things can you possibly tell me like what please?

[Sqad]

Well as I have said osteo arthritis is the main contender, but the pin and plates could be a cause of severe pain and only an X-Ray would either confirm or exclude the aforementioned conditions.
I would have thought that statins would be a rank outsider for the cause of the pain.
Other conditions would depend upon any underlying medical problems such as diabetes.

[tamirra]

Update on mums pain, last night she was in so much pain she wanted my dad to go and throw her off the cliff, my dad is thinking blood clot?? he explains it like when she is in bed at night when the pain is at its worst the heart slows up and if it is a clot then it may just rest in the leg as the heart isnt pumping hard enough to move it around the body, because during the day when the heart is pumping normally the pain isnt as bad so the clot wiould be moving around the body, does this make sence and could it be a clot, as she does get little ones on the inside of her fingers. Thanks

[Sqad]

\\does this make sence \\

Not really

\\\could it be a clot\\\\

Extremely.....extremely....unlikely.

[douglas9401]

I have an uncle in a similar siuation (although not a the swan dive point yet).
He's had long term pain going from mild discomfort to sweating with the pain. He's going in for X-ray examination with a view to possibly having plates fitted to the opposite side of the ankle. He has been warned though, that even if the procedure goes ahead, the pain may remain. Seems it's one of the more complicated areas when damage occurs.

[tamirra]

I didnt think so but thought i would just ask, do you know why the pain is so much worse during the night than in the day, i know im probally asking the impossible but ive looked online and cant find much and she is petrified of hospitals, so she has it in her head that if she goes to the doctor they will send her to the hospital.

[tamirra]

Why would the be worse at night tho than during the day, i saw her today and she looks so ill.

[looby1914]

I had major break in my ankle and leg in 2010.. since doing that I delevoped something called "complex regional pain syndrome" http://en.wikipedia.o...egional_pain_syndrome

Not sure if it's a possibility for your mum or not..

[tamirra]

Thank you for that Looby but it dosent sound like what mum has. x