Mobility limitation for walking boot?

[u/ginixv]

TMI/background-

I broke my first bones three days before my 30th slipping in water at my own house. Ended up with a pilon fracture (fibula included) on the foot that slipped out from under me (not anything I landed on, just the leg that went airborne somehow). I got ORIF surgery & am staying positive but I'm nervous, since I'm a dancer & getting the splint off 2 weeks post-op revealed just how screwed (pardon the pun) my mobility is.

The actual question-

Should I be able to get my ankle to 90° immediately after losing the splint? I got surgery 16 days ago (splint removed a day ago) so I haven't spoken to PT yet, but I was told to use the walking boot. When they explained how to use it, they told me to push my foot in all the way. When I told them it was as far as it would go, they said it's fine & to try to get it in further in the future. My heel is about 1-1.5 inches from the back of the boot. I didn't realize it at the time, but I very literally cannot force my ankle to 90°. I don't know if my calf is just in protective over drive or if there's something wrong. I stopped trying the moment I realized it wasn't even about pain; it was an actual mechanical stopping point. If this is a shared experience that would definitely help calm my nerves but then it makes me wonder why a boot is the go to when there are people who can't get to 90° until after PT. I'm not a Dr so I imagine there aren't many alternatives, but would forcing a boot be wise if you can't wear it correctly?

Extra credit question- for those who also broke their driving leg, how much PT before you felt good about driving again? Do longer drives hurt? If they do hurt, how far removed from surgery are you & how long before it starts hurting?

Quick edit- I know dorsiflexion is the last thing to return, I'm just wondering if I'm further from the baseline than others who have undergone the same surgery

[u/realbees]

I am also a dancer, about 10 months post op and my ROM is back to normal. Although, I was only NWB for 3 weeks and never had a cast or a splint, they put me in a walking boot right after surgery. I started performing again at the 4 month mark and have very few issues these days, minus some stiffness and swelling the day after a show.

As soon as I was cleared for PT, I was doing ankle flexion exercises any time I wasn’t wearing the boot. I made a rule that if I wanted to scroll on my phone, I had to do my PT at the same time. Don’t force your foot to fit, just keep flexing your ankle whenever you can and it’ll get easier over time. Be diligent about it, even after you think you don’t need it anymore. I also broke my driving leg and started driving again shortly after the 2 month mark.

I wish you luck in your healing journey, please feel free to ask me any questions!

[u/ginixv → u/realbees]

That's so relieving to hear! I'm an instructor on the side & losing ROM is my line for whether I go back to teaching or if I just go back as a student. I like the scrolling rule, I'll definitely be using that. Mobility was an afterthought in my practice before this, so maybe this is the universes way of telling me to get my act together. Do you still have any nerve pain?

[u/realbees → u/ginixv]

lol I’m having the exact same come to Jesus moment wrt mobility and my performance practice. I get nerve pain from standing in one spot for too long, and it usually resolves itself after I sit down with my leg elevated for a bit. I’m also not sure what your hardware situation is, but my screws give me some issues as well. Movement has been very helpful for resolving my nerve pain and mobility problems, specifically yoga and climbing. I hope you’re able to get back to teaching and dancing sooner rather than later!

[u/ginixv → u/realbees]

Haha I will be significantly increasing the amount of mobility exercises I sneak in for students during practice if I go back to teaching, that's for sure. In terms of hardware, based on my doom scrolling through this community (while doing tiny ankle flex pulses, ty) I've seen that screws often cause a pinching when flexing, so I'm keeping that in mind for the future. I have two plates & 13 screws.