went to the doc

I went to the doc after injuring my ancle a few days a go while playing basketball. I walked on it for a few days, then went to the doc, and he said that I have a fracture in my growth plate in my ancle. Now I have a cast and crutches. I honestly think i am fine, I feel no pain, and all there is is swelling. I dont understand why I need this cast. I can walk fine. Is the doc just being cautious or is there a way that my leg can be messing up, and I just cant feel it? I really hate the crutches and they make life suck. I hate the caste system too (anyone get it?).

-David

cheapo said:

I went to the doc after injuring my ancle a few days a go while playing basketball. I walked on it for a few days, then went to the doc, and he said that I have a fracture in my growth plate in my ancle. Now I have a cast and crutches. I honestly think i am fine, I feel no pain, and all there is is swelling. I dont understand why I need this cast. I can walk fine. Is the doc just being cautious or is there a way that my legcan be messing up, and I just cant feel it?

-David

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hope ya get better soon

...so you don't injure it further! Same thing happened to one of my sons. Take care of yourself now or regret it later for sure!

raggie33 said:

hope ya get better soon

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thanks man

-David

Sigman said:

...so you don't injure it further! Same thing happened to one of my sons. Take care of yourself now or regret it later for sure!

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thats what they all tell me. I guess I will try to stay off of my foot, because I am an athletic man and dont want to blow it. I was planning on doing track at my high school, but wel will see if that works out.

-David

anyone know how to stop the crutches from making an EXTREMELY painful rash on the underarms?

-david

Damage in the growth plate region sounds very serious. I wouldn't consider going against the doctor's orders there.

As for the rash, I used crutches for six weeks as a kid when I broke my ankle. The most important thing is to adjust them to fit you right. Your weight should be almost entirley on your hands not your armpits. The pads that go into your underarms are more for stabilizing than carrying any weight. Because of that you do have to have them pressing a certain amount so they don't slip out and cause you to fall.

Hope this helps and get well soon!

Walking on a torn Achilles tendon cost me 2 weeks in crutches and another 8 in a walking cast. You can serve your time on crutches now, or serve more time later. I wish I had spent the original 3 days on crutches and had a cast for 2 weeks but i opted to not listen to my doctor. I'll pay very close attention to what he says next time.

cheapo said:

anyone know how to stop the crutches from making an EXTREMELY painful rash on the underarms?

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Try hydrocortisone cream. I always get a similar rash when the weather's warm and I sweat. Nothing worked until I tried hydrocortisone cream. It stops the itching immediately so I don't scratch it and make it worse. I'm guessing the rash you get is from a combination of abrasion and sweating as mine is so the hydrocortisone cream should work.

Hope you feel better soon.

Drizzle is right. I was on crutches for nine weeks after rupturing my achille's tendon. You quickly learn to use your arms to savor your armpits. I got so dang good at the crutches that I would scurry around the mall and keep up with the best of them. You will too if you use them for more then a few days. Worse part for me was itching underneath darn cast.

cheapo said:

anyone know how to stop the crutches from making an EXTREMELY painful rash on the underarms?

-david

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I had a cast once. There was one thing which absolutely drove me nuts!!

A few days after the cast was put on, my skin started to itch inside the cast and there was no way I could scratch it. Man that was much worst than pain!!

Hope you feel better soon.

dcarch8

A growth plate fracture can cause bones to grow crooked and or arrest the development of the bones.
Stay on the crutches or you may end up with one leg shorter than the other.
Most societies, even ours, have caste systems and even if you were in a play the cast would have a caste system and might even cast out somebody with a short leg.

Mike Painter said:

AMost societies, even ours, have caste systems and even if you were in a play the cast would have a caste system and might even cast out somebody with a short leg.

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what???!?!??!

-David

There is a reason why he is an MD and can make decisions about your care. Follow their instructions even if you feel OK. Your body will thank you 30 years down the road. Been there, done that - it still hurts. :green:

Please make sure to error on the side of caution and take care of your body.

I am 32 now, but due to my old job, by the time I was 20 I started to feel it, and by 25 my body had long since seen its best days health wise.

Based on that, I trluy would advise taking care of things as best as you are able, and follow the Dr.'s advice.

I say that as I truly care.

Get well soon,
John

dcarch8 said:

I had a cast once. There was one thing which absolutely drove me nuts!!

A few days after the cast was put on, my skin started to itch inside the cast and there was no way I could scratch it. Man that was much worst than pain!!

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I had a severe wrist/hand injury when I was 20. I was in a cast of one sort or another for several months, some of it with stitches under the cast from surgery. The itching was definitely bad. But my doctor clued me in on a great trick...

David, assuming you have one of those semi-porous epoxy/fiberglass casts, try holding the hose of a vacuum onto the cast. It pulls in air through the cast both cooling your skin and drying the padding out. Both of these things really helped with the itching. Your ankle cast might be thicker than my wrist one was, so you can try holding it at the ends of the cast but I found pressing it right into the surface of the cast worked best for me. It might sound a bit silly, but give it a try. I kept a Shop-vac in my bedroom for a while. :rock:

And to reinforce the other's comments... Definitely follow doctors instructions. It sounds like your injury will heal well if you let it. If the doctor recommends physical therapy and you can afford it/have insurance it is also worth serious consideration. Joint and bone injuries take patience to recover from, but it's worth the effort...

cheapo said:

what???!?!??!

-David

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You asked if we "got" your comment about caste systems.
I got it and responded in kind.

Caste system huh?:naughty:

cheapo said:

I went to the doc after injuring my ancle a few days a go while playing basketball. I walked on it for a few days, then went to the doc, and he said that I have a fracture in my growth plate in my ancle. Now I have a cast and crutches. I honestly think i am fine, I feel no pain, and all there is is swelling. I dont understand why I need this cast. I can walk fine. Is the doc just being cautious or is there a way that my leg can be messing up, and I just cant feel it? I really hate the crutches and they make life suck. I hate the caste system too (anyone get it?).

-David

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Mike Painter said:

You asked if we "got" your comment about caste systems.
I got it and responded in kind.

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oh, ok.... I wasnt trying to be rude at all.... I was laughing when I wrote it, i found your comment hilarious.

-David

what do i do to get around the house??? My house is too small and narrow to use crutches and there are steps dividing each floor.

-David