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Hi Guys
Just wondered if anyone else here has broken and dislocated their ankle and how long it took them to get back to work?
I’m 8 weeks post op – pinned and plated. I was in plaster for 6 weeks and been in air boot for 2 weeks so far. I work in an office but it’s quite a busy office and I’m terrified that if I go back too early I will set myself back – which seems to happen quite easily atm.
At what point did you decide that you were fit for work?
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My break wasn’t nearly as bad as yours. When I was working I found I had to give myself a bit more time and space to get around, raise that leg when I could, and wear shoes with flex in the fit.
My foot wouldn’t work properly and I had issues with stepping up and down kerbs. Asked on MFP and they pointed me to exercises for runners / dancers, including using curled toes to lift up the edge of a towel. Helped immensely.
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I had 12 weeks off, including the school summer holidays and didn’t have a phased return, which in hindsight, I should have done. After I had gone back to work, I found that the reason I was so tired was that I had an infection in the stitches which hadn’t come out and had to have another 2 weeks (including October half term) off work.
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My work won’t offer me a phased return which is making the return that bit more daunting, they aren’t pressuring me to go back so I guess that’s good. 12 weeks sounds like a long time but I feel like another 2/3 weeks and it will be a bit more stable so that would be about right for me too. Thanks you
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I should have had a phased return because I had an infection in the ‘self-dissolving’ stitches, which were still in place over 12 weeks after the op. As a teacher, I certainly couldn’t just sit with my foot up. My employer now recommends a phased return for any-one who has been away from work for 3 months, as I was.
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When I broke my ankle, went back to work the next day, on crutches and an air boot. Sometimes being self employed sucks
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I worked from home the day after my op, and went back to work properly as soon as I could drive. Not sure why you would need a phased return, if you are office based and able to get to work, why would the ankle not allow you to do your job if it’s not a physical one? Apologies if I’m missing something!
EDIT: Sorry just read your latest posts. Is your job a desk job? Can you not simply elevate it when it needs resting? I had no issues doing that during lengthy board meetings
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Yes it’s a desk job but it’s quite high pressure and a busy office, I would be able to keep my leg elevated but wouldn’t have time in the day to do my physio exercises. I’m having to rest my leg a lot at home, unable to make dinner without having to rest it with ice on it for the next hour or so. I don’t want to set back my recovery from going to back to work too soon, just trying to establish some bench markers really.
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Yes, I was doing really well making good progress and doing a bit of walking in trainers with 1 crutch but on Friday it gave it up on life and I’ve been struggling to control the swelling and pain since then. I’ve gone back in the boot for all walking and back on 2 crutches. 2 steps forwards and 1 back I guess is just the nature of being injured.
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Just make sure you don’t overdo it.
I kept working. I was in an airboot as have wonky blood so they didn’t want to put a cast on, and with all the exercise I made the break worse. The appointment that should’ve been the ‘get rid of the boot’ became an ‘Eep!’ and I was welded to a sofa for three weeks.
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I was back at work 4 weeks after having all the ligaments in my ankle reconstructed. I started a new job 6weeks after operation.
I only stayed off for 4weeks as i hated my job so took every sicknote the doctor was willing to offer me!
For my current job I would have been back in work as soon as they were willing to let me back on site.-
I’m shocked at people having months and months off if it’s a sedentary job- don’t companies just ask you work at home if feasible? It never occurred to me not to at least be working from home (appreciate not everyone can but in this era most are able to do “something” at home) straight away… it’s a broken ankle, not an illness!
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I work in a lab so can’t do much at home, at the time my work was hell, I was super stressed, my head was all over the place and I’m fairly sure it was a large part of the reason I fell down the stairs in the first place. I was actually offered the new job the day after my operation so asked to start after 6 weeks instead of the normal 4.
When I returned to work they had already had my notice for several weeks and I went in for only a week. I was desk bound and basically doing a handover. I did very little actual work in the 1 week I was back in the office, then I used the last of my holiday to get the next week off.My new job I absolutely love, it is factory and lab based so not sure how much is practically doable on crutches but you can bet I wouldn’t have taken 4 weeks off!
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There could be all sorts of H&S/insurance considerations.
Is the office on the ground floor, is there a lift, are the toilets accessible to someone on crutches (some are too small) etc,etc? There is also the question of painkillers, in some jobs your judgement would be considered to be impaired if you were taking codeine or similar strong painkillers, so you could be a liabliity to your employer.
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You wouldn’t be allowed to do lab work on crutches, I don’t think. I’ve just broken my ankle, but it’s a straight forward break, so just have an air boot. I plan to go back in once I lose the boot, as H&S won’t let me in the lab before that and I can do non lab work at home (on the sun lounger, obvs😁).
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I suppose it would depend on the lab set up and what you were working on.
In my last company I was not allowed back in the lab in the 1 week I was there, sensible and expected given the stuff we worked with and the nature of the testing.
My new company i think it would be much easier due to what we work with, the set up of the lab (wheelchair accessible) and the nature of our testing. -
I’m shocked at people having months and months off if it’s a sedentary job- don’t companies just ask you work at home if feasible? It never occurred to me not to at least be working from home (appreciate not everyone can but in this era most are able to do “something” at home) straight away… it’s a broken ankle, not an illness!
Unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to work from home and because it a busy office it wouldn’t be suitable for me to go in until I’m fully fit. We have a fire dril once a month and I’m likely to me caught up in it, they deem me a high risk as I can’t move as quickly as everyone else and risk injuring myself in trying to keep up. A phases return would be good for me but due to the nature of the job it’s not something that you can just do morning or PM as by the time the next morning comes round it will have all changed and I will be out of the loop, spending my time chasing my tail to catch up. That’s then counter productive to the work. Everyone is different and all jobs require different things from us, just trying to establish what people could do when they decided they were ‘fit’ for work.
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Sorry but that sounds utterly bizarre. Do they not allow disabled people to work in their office then because they are “high risk” and not as quick moving as others in a fire drill?
If you need to work because of the money (don’t we all) then you have to just crack on with it unfortunately. I cannot see how a desk job is much different to sitting at home but maybe I’m being narrow minded. Assuming you are weight bearing, being a bit savvy about when you have lunch etc should help mitigate the busy periods where people are moving around much. I went through London, on the tubes on crutches non weight bearing and found everyone extremely helpful and considerate even at rush hour.
I’m sure if you were upfront with your work and said I need 15 mins mid morning and mid afternoon for physio and I need a desk near the kitchen or bathroom etc etc they would accommodate you.
I’m not suggesting you set back your recovery but I don’t think there’s much that you can’t do at work that you can do at home to aid it in your case.
Sorry to be blunt!
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Because I am recovering from an injury i’m Not 100% fit, someone with a life long disability could be deemed 100% fit with what their condition allows.
The issue is if I return to work and make a costly mistake (all mistakes cost money no matter how small and it’s heavily monitored and accountability enforced) and then say ‘I’m tired because I’m still recovering’ they will say well then your not fit to be here.
It’s a large company and we work as part of a team who sit together as we need to be able to discuss easily so moving desks etc wouldn’t work. Taking breaks is not an issue but the role is high pressured and demanding on attention and skill. This would take all my energy thus could hinder my ankle recovery if I was to go back too early.
Just trying to establish when people though they were full fit for a full days work in a demanding role.
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I cannot see how requiring your attention and skill will take all the energy needed for your ankle to heal. Sorry. Sounds like you don’t really want to go back to work, which is fair enough.
My job is incredibly pressured hence why I barely took a day off so I do understand but equally, sometimes you just have to get on with it.
If you are committed and want to be back at work then there’s a way.
If your company deem you too “high risk” to be in the office then it’s up to them to set the standard as to when you are allowed back- surely? So best ask them the rules. Sounds like you’ll need to be able to walk a certain distance in a certain time frame….
To be honest, it sounds like you are milking it a little. That’s fine, but then you have to bear the consequences re pay. I cannot get my head around your company deeming you too high risk for work. I have worked for small companies and massive corporates and plenty of people have been in and around the offices with various ailments.
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I still fail to see how, unless your up to the eyeballs on painkillers, a mentally demanding role has got anything to do with preventing a broken ankle from healing.
Taking aside, as you’ve said, any issues with mobility etc.
You are contradicting yourself. Is it that your job won’t allow you back due to your physical limitations or is it , as you’ve said previously, that you feel the mental demands of your job will somehow stop your ankle from healing.
Sorry but if a member of my team came to me with the above reason I’d not be too impressed.
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@finn I think you’re being somewhat sympathetic but also lacking in knowledge of how life-changing an injury a broken ankle can be. It can also cover a wide range of injuries. 3 years ago I fell down my stairs, smashing both ankles into a kitchen cabinet. After letting out an almighty howl I looked down to see an obvious break and dislocation. Oh dear, I though, I’ll be in plaster for 6 weeks.
Got to A and E, no chance. I’d snapped tib and fib clean in half and broken the talus as well as dislocation. Not to mention the soft tissue and nerve damage. I had several ops to stabilise before the plates and pins were put in. I was told I should expect to walk on crutches within 6 months and be fully weight-bearing in a year. They impressed upon me that this was a major trauma; ie life-changing injury. During this time and for several months after I was drugged up on tramadol and morphine with my leg raised to prevent swelling. I’m not sure how you’d expect someone to work at anything in these circurmstances.
Now for the good news. I insisted on having a boot rather than cast so I could take it off and do physio. I was cycling before I could walk, probably not a good idea but the surgeon is now astonished with my range of movement. Push yourself OP, but not too far. Your employers have a duty to accommodate you as best they can.
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I think that you have answered my original question in your first post. You attended your usual place of work as soon as you could drive. Which is also what my manager has said that they would deem me fully fit when I can drive, so that’s something to aim for. Thank you for your input.
Sorry but if you are up and walking with a boot then you should be able to go back to work, it may take some minor adjustments from your work place but they need to manage those.
From Injury to operation for me was nearly 15 months, most of that time was spent on crutches. After the initial injury I had 2 weeks off and then returned to work on crutches. I used my phone and email a heck of a lot more than I had previously, colleagues were good enough to bring cups of tea to my desk (cant carry them with crutches), printing was picked up by whoever was about and brought to me, I skyped into meetings that were on floors above where I was allowed to go, if someone from a different building needed a meeting they either came to me or we managed via skype, H&S made adjustments to their fire evacuation procedure to aid me in getting out safely and I was restricted from the lab (still managed to train someone on some equipment via skype though). Heck I even managed to attend a meeting with a test house at thier testing facilities, travelling via train (normally I would have driven but was not allowed to due to it being my right ankle) with 3 changes and a taxi ride on either end all whilst on crutchesAs I said previously After the operation I was back in work after 4 weeks, still with stitches in my ankle, with a boot and crutches. I only took so long because I absolutely hated my job, had been stressed to hell and didnt want to have to go back at all.
I started my new job whilst still in the boot. -
I think that you have answered my original question in your first post. You attended your usual place of work as soon as you could drive. Which is also what my manager has said that they would deem me fully fit when I can drive, so that’s something to aim for. Thank you for your input.
If your walking boot is off why can’t you drive now? Once my boot came off I got an ankle brace (from here), bandaged it on and drove. The consultant knew, he recommended the make of ankle brace. I used the walking boot to get to and from the car and kept the boot on all day at work. When I had to walk I increased the air pressure to protect my ankle and when I could sit down I elevated and released the pressure and even took the front off some of the time. I gradually changed over to using the ankle brace rather than the boot when I felt confident enough. I always used a crutch or sometimes 2 not because I always needed them but as a safety measure as it reminded me to be careful.
I too had a desk job and none of this interfered with it. People brought me coffee, I took lunch to have at my desk to rest my leg. I worked 7.5 hour days in a job that was stressed. If I made mistakes then I would have looked stupid in front of the professionals I was interviewing. I didn’t find a broken ankle made any difference to my ability to work accurately to a high standard. It was my ankle I had broken not my brain. The clerical staff ended up running around after me a bit collecting printing, moving files for me that sort of thing. I mostly went to work in jeans cut at the side for the boot but when decent clothes were required for interviews I managed.We had a fire alarm, it was suggested that I was a guinea pig for the evac chair. Our office was on the top floor. I refused and told them I had no wish to break the other ankle as it looked risky. Once I established it was a drill I used the lift. The didn’t like it much but no way was I going to risk damage.
BUPA supplied a physio who was useless, I did the exercises at home and I chose to go to a chiropractor who was brilliant. There was no way I was going to stay off my horse so I rode with the ankle brace bandaged on with 2 bandages. I used the air boot when I was around the horses as support in case I got pushed about.I found it was all an attitude of mind. I just took every safety precaution I could and got on with it. I could have got signed off for ages but I went to work as I knew I would end up with months of work piled up otherwise as no one covered my work.
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I have a lifelong disabilty and will never be 100% fit. I cant manage a fire drill either. There are special arrangements for me. I have a buddy and wait until the crush is over and then I head out to a designated place for me and my buddy. If it was an emergency and we had to be out quickly they have a trolley thing, an evac chair I think its called that they could put me on.
My company insist I have a phased return when I’ve been off, and wouldnt even begin to listen to nonsense about it affecting my role.
You should have been referred to ocupational health who could have arranged all of this for you as well as meal and toilet breaks etc
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Sorry but that is bizarre! I had a year before my ankle operation where I was on crutches on and off and whilst extra measures had to be put in place for my safety in the event of a fire it did not preclude me returning to work. Infact after the initial injury, on my first return to work we had 2 fire alarms on my first day back. I was non weight baring on that foot entirely but there was a plan in place so that I was able to safely exit the building (including down the stairs). That was a building with 600 people in it.
It was an extremely busy, high pressured environment in a very very large company.
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I was back at work 4 weeks after having all the ligaments in my ankle reconstructed. I started a new job 6weeks after operation.
I only stayed off for 4weeks as i hated my job so took every sicknote the doctor was willing to offer me!
For my current job I would have been back in work as soon as they were willing to let me back on site.The manager has said that they deem me fit when I can drive, I’m about 6 weeks from that but financially I need to get back before that. Just don’t want to set my recovery back by going in to work too soon and prolonging the recovery time then.
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I broke my ankle and wrecked all the ligaments the day before Christmas Eve, op that evening and home on Christmas Eve. Was back at sixth form on 3rd Jan and back at evening job in a shop on the 4th – had a chair behind the counter. Lots of hopping on crutches but couldn’t take time off although I was eating painkillers like sweets until early Feb.
A lady at work broke her leg a month ago and had a fortnight off until she could comfortably get in and out the car and balance going upstairs on crutches.
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OP you need to ask your employer for guidance from Occupational Health, as to when you will be considered fit to return to work.
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I took 6 weeks off after a bunion removal op. It was 6 weeks before I could spend all day with my foot on the floor without it swelling up. I wouldn’t be able to access the print room properly or sit at a drawing board or computer with my leg raised. After 6 weeks I was so bored I was begging to go back.
Possibly a younger person with a foot injury wouldn’t be so prone to the swelling – I couldn’t get my foot into a shoe or drive myself home if the foot was swollen. -
I’ve broken my left ankle twice.
First time I was back at work after 48 hours – on crutches and non weight bearing. My job was outside, working with coaches. My colleagues were good enough to swap jobs with me so that I worked in our control room until I was off crutches and able to walk for 15 minutes at a time. Oh, and even the control room was on the 2nd floor with no lift. Toilet was on the ground floor.
Second time I had one day off work. Worked from home 3 days per week, and went in twice per week. No car journeys – all train, tube and buses. Boss was good enough to let me commute outside of peak times.
Just follow the advice of Occupational Health – insist on that referral being made.
Keep doing what the physios tell you – if you have been discharged from the fracture clinic you are fit enough to return to work unless you work in a very high risk environment, which an office (no matter how busy) is not.
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If they are not hassling you to go back, then don’t go until you feel ready. Every injury is different. They are not paying you by the sounds of it so you have no need to feel guilty (in fact, they may even be happy about it if it is saving them money). However, you should find out if there is an occupational health person, because they should be managing your return. Otherwise, the driving goal sounds like something to aim for. Look after yourself.
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All these people who went back to work on crutches etc, I do wonder what would have happened if you had had a fall/injury at work. Would your employers’ insurers have agreed that it was safe for you to be at work? I can just imagine how a fire evacuation might go!
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Yes thier insurance would have covered it, occ health agreed to it, it wass a huge company and sporting injuries were quite common. Whilst I was on crutches one other lady in my office had her knee rebuilt and one of the guys broke most of the bones in his right hand. Fire evacuation as stated above is fairly easily managed with a few simple procedures put in place, I had 2 fire evacuations (not drills but triggered by dust from building work) on my first day back after initial injury, the procedures worked well, I was not allowed above the 1st floor due to speed of evacuation .
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Your employer had obviously worked out in advance what needed to be put in place for you, you had had occ Health input and you had been away from work long enough for these things to be worked out.
Some people are telling us that they went back to work almost immediately after the injury. I think that could have led to problems. I remember falling over when using crutches on a very smooth floor, one of the crutches slipped along the surface and took me with it, if that had been at work and I had banged my head on a desk corner and caused another injury, would the employer have been pleased that I was at work on crutches? Would it have been considered an industrial injury?
Being gung ho isn’t always a virtue.
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Not every leg break will be the same, and not everyone will heal at the same rate. There have been some very superior dismissive posts on here about how folk have returned to work very quickly.
Well, good for you. On going pain and discomfort is very debilitating. 10 years ago I had to have 6 months off work after slipping four discs in my lower back. It was boring, of course, but I simply couldn’t have coped in a work environment, and WFH wasn’t an option.
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I took about 4 weeks off then I first broken my ankle, office based but constantly on my feet and in central London so having to negotiate central line at rush hour was not going to happen I also couldn’t work from home at the time and they were happy for me to take the time, so I did!
I was back at work after my op about 1.5 weeks later. I went back to work on a Friday as it would be quieter and meant I had the weekend to rest if it was too much (It was very open that the Friday was a test day really and if I felt I needed to leave half way through the day/take next week off that was fine) luckily it wasn’t and I was back in work but with shorter hours basically missing rush hour for a few weeks.
Can you not work from home? If they are happy for you to be taking the time off and not wanting to phase you back in then why not make the most of it!
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When I broke my ankle 11 years ago, I was working in an office. I went back to work not the next day but the day after but our office was up some quite steep stairs and although I made it up ok, albeit slowly, my boss said he was concerned about the fire risk and promptly sent me home until I was out of my cast and in a boot.
When I broke my arm as a teacher, I didn’t have any time off, but I was obviously fully mobile apart from being in a sling.
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