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Original poster

Shoes after a broken ankle

25 replies

pippinandtog · 04/07/2016 20:40

I'm recovering from a badly broken ankle and subsequent surgery, and have just started to get out and about, practising walking short distances.
I bought some flat, plain navy lace up Hotter shoes , as I need something safe and supportive.
Do I need to hide them by wearing jeans and trousers, or would they look okay with a skirt or dress (with discreet trainer socks).
My priority at the moment is to learn to walk again, and to be safe, but I still want to look nice.

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 04/07/2016 20:46

I broke my ankle when I was 12 and have never really been able to wear heels. Wedges, yes, stilletos - no chance. I do like flat chunky shoes though, and veer much closer to
Dr Marten than Manolo Blahnik.

leadrightfoot · 04/07/2016 22:16

As a veteran ankle breaker with multiple sets of surgery behind me and it's summer go supportive sandal like Birkenstocks or Fly Flot.

No style awards to be won but good robust shoes and are comfy.

I sold my awesome 140 plus pairs of high to sky scraper heels. Nothing above 3cm now. Sad day. Gabor or Van Dahl also good.

Do the Physio, religiously it makes a difference even years later

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 04/07/2016 22:20

Sketchers!

Original poster
pippinandtog · 05/07/2016 08:02

Thanks for advice.
Leadrightfoot, I'm sure you are right about physio.
Fourteen weeks after injury and surgery, I have still not been offered NHS physio. After initial poor care with NHS, I arranged private physio, to start the day after my plaster came off after six weeks. I have been doing exercises religiously, as you say, but it's such a long job and I am still on one crutch and an ankle support; I thought at the beginning that I would be back to normal by now. I feel that people might be thinking," Is she still off sick?"
I am a leadleftfoot.

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 05/07/2016 08:09

Sounds like you're doing really well actually, I was still very much on two crutches and could hardly manage anything out side the house .

Try and see a sports physio if you can.

Original poster
pippinandtog · 05/07/2016 08:22

DameDiazepam, thanks for encouragement.
The good thing is, I've had time on my hands while off sick from work, and I've discovered nice people to talk to; it's like having lots of new friends in my living room.
Got my coffee here and everything.

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 05/07/2016 08:26

I remember watching TONS of box setsGrin

Original poster
pippinandtog · 05/07/2016 08:30

Yes, got lots of recommendations for box sets and books to read, from MN.

OP posts:
ilovecherries · 05/07/2016 08:55

I'm not that long crutch-free after a long spell (nearly a year) barely able to potter round the house, with going to the physio the highlight of my week - mainly because it meant my husband took the morning off work to take me, then took me to Waterstones for new books, and Starbucks for an early lunch before dropping me home again. Tuesday's were the absolute highlight of my week for months! I'm now walking outside again, and using my Fitbit to gradually build stamina, but the shoe issue is still problematic. I can wear trainers. And that's it really. And I'm mean proper New Balance trainers, not Converse. Which in turn means I can wear yoga pants. Or yoga pants. If I'm going somewhere by car, and not walking much at all at the other end, I can wear Sketcher Go Walks or Birkies, but I can't walk far in either. When I look how well I've recovered - despite my leg being a patchwork of surgical scars - it seems churlish to complain about shoes, but sometimes I think it would really cheer me up just to be able to wear something without thinking about whether I can find anything to put on my feet with it. To answer your specific question though, Id say don't hide the shoes - get out there and rock them with whatever you want to wear. Good luck with your recovery.

BikeRunSki · 05/07/2016 09:01

YY to physio. Back to the original Q, basically, sensible shoes are going to be a large part of your wardrobe from now on. You need to love them, not hide them!

Original poster
pippinandtog · 05/07/2016 09:05

Thanks for your advice, ilovecherries.
Okay, I will rock the Hotter shoes: a new concept there Grin

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 05/07/2016 09:32

I'm 9 years on and this is the first year I've been able to wear a slight heel. Every year my foot has changed slightly and I'm able to wear more varied shoes. It was a huge milestone when one year I realised my ankle had stopped swelling after a long day or in the heat. I had a really bad break and 3 ops though so I'm sure you'll have a quicker recovery x

amarmai · 05/07/2016 10:00

Avoid clogs,that,s what caused my ankle injury. I like lace up sneakers as I can adjust the tightness as necessary.

SugarMiceInTheRain · 05/07/2016 10:05

I have recently succumbed to Hotter shoes and whilst a lot of the styles are grannyish, I've found a few that are ok, and they are so comfy I couldn't care less now. I have a pair of Clarks shoes with 2 inch heels but they have an ankle strap which helps as I don't need to contort my feet to keep them on!

RatOnnaStick · 05/07/2016 10:07

I'm another one post ankle fracture. The cast has been off for nearly 9 weeks and I'm now crutch-free. Even though the leg is fixed and the swelling is better it still swells up and down throughout the day. All my sandals are not wearable anymore. The comfiest thing I have found is Skechers memory foam trainers and even they rub sometimes. I have found my local NHS physio good, though. I've just started lower leg gym group in the local hospital. I have definitely found the more I do my physio exercises the stronger and less swollen my ankle is getting.

Definitely have to stick to trainers for the foreseeable though.

Original poster
pippinandtog · 05/07/2016 10:39

Rat, I think I'm about a week behind you.
The general consensus is keep to the exercises and be patient, as it's a long job to get better.
I agree, some Hotter shoes are quite nice.
Not mine, though.

OP posts:
RatOnnaStick · 05/07/2016 16:24

Patience is a virtue here certainly. My skechers are amazingly unflattering but they are damn comfortable.

mikelala2016 · 23/10/2018 14:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

NicoAndTheNiners · 23/10/2018 15:49

After ligament/tendon damage I can only wear flat shoes.

I have DM patent lace up shoes, quite a few different Vans, Birkenstocks are good (not strappy sandal types, they do more shoe type shoes as well), trainers.....lots of trainers, Fly London boots. I would wear ballerina type shoes for an evening out, but decent ones with a thick sole, not cheap Primark stuff.

I gave up with physios and moved to a sports therapist and he was really good. Gave me loads of exercises, told me to get a wobble board at home to build up strength, some of those band things for stretching exercises. But he was also much more hands on with actual massage than any physio I ever saw was - but I had a lot of soft tissue damage and felt I needed that, maybe you don't. Podiatrists are also very good in assessing any ongoing mechanical issues and may be worth a visit.

zippyswife · 23/10/2018 17:00

It really depends. I broke my ankle badly (plate and dozen pins) and was running about in high heels within months for years without any bother. I was much younger then and didn’t give it a lot of thought. I’m back in soon to get the metal work removed and imagine trainers and my DMs will be the order of the day for a while.

schnubbins · 23/10/2018 18:18

I broke my ankle badly at 22 yrs old in 1987.
It was compound and really smashed up.Those days one was non weight bearing for ever and in my case 6 months.I was sent back to work as a student nurse without physio ."You are young enough" my doctor maintained.A few months later went back to him because of constant pain He more or less ignored me and so I soldiered on.What followed was years of agony because of joint erosion .One surgery and doctor(worldwide) after another and finally a joint fusion 2015.My ankle is now immobile which will eventually cause problems with my knees and hips.At my last appointment I was told my ankle and now foot is a complete catastrophe.So please be diligent with physio
if you want to avoid problems later.I wish I had known.
As for shoes I can only wear flats with cushioned soles and as previous posters have said that Skechers are the best.In summer I wear fit flop flat sandals and crocs . I have basically tried every brand of shoes at this stage. Best of luck!

florriepeck · 23/10/2018 19:47

It was a blast from the past to see this thread pop up, over two years after my broken ankle: I was pippinandtog.
I can manage heels again, although preferably wedges, but still prefer comfortable flats.
And my days of wearing boots or wellies are over, as they rub on my ankle, where the screw heads are prominent under the skin (pin and plates were left in).

NicoAndTheNiners · 23/10/2018 20:50

Oh it’s odd I didn’t get a zombie notification when I posted earlier.....maybe it’s only the first new post that gets a warning? Glad your ankle has improved!

Cookie1050 · 17/05/2019 14:33

I am 16 weeks post op after badly broken ankle and need to get some good shoes as just started to do crutches .

Thinlady63 · 21/10/2019 07:17

Hi

I have just come across this thread.. I am 13 ½ weeks in from ORIf on broken ankle. still in a walking boot and crutches. I am just starting tithing about what shoes I should be wearing as I wean myself out of the boot...I have several pairs of sketches so thats good but I was hoping I would be able to wear boots this winter, all be flat ones! Little scared now incase it rubs the screws ..
I have no desire to wear any kind of heel! so all my dancing shoes will have to go! I have an op in couple of weeks to remove syndesmotic screw ..anyone have experience of this and why to expect afterwards?
Im planning to go to New York for New Year.. will I be able to walk 7 weeks post op?
xx

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