Broken Talus

[coachmolly]

I had posted before about an ankle/foot injury I sustained and after 2 weeks finally got the diagnosis of broken talus, which according to the doctors, is a bad bone to break. I was sent to see a specialist at the university hospital which ended up being the wrong specialist- a hip & knee surgeon- so am still very much in the dark about what the plan of action is for this foot. I'm currently in a boot with strict orders to place no weight on the foot. No idea how long that will last, but I've read online it could be anywhere from 6-12 weeks (provided surgery is formally ruled out which I am very much hoping is the case). The bone is only broken in one spot, no fragments floating around, and not terribly displaced so I'm remaining optimistic. The hip & knee doc gave some hopeful news on Friday before informing me that this is a "life changing" injury. Needless to say I walked out of there a nervous wreck. Hopefully I'll hear from the foot/ankle doctor tomorrow and get some official word on the situation.
Anyway, now that I have a formal diagnosis, I was just curious if anyone else had experience with this particular injury. Or helpful tips on one-footed coaching .

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yes, a fractured Talus is very serious. you'll still be able to coach and all but you follow what the Doc tells you to the T. and if they say you need surgery [unstable fracture/bad angular fracture] then you have it done. either outcome, you'll be okay long term AND NO MORE TUMBLING OR SCREWING AROUND AND ALL THAT STUFF.

 

[CoachGoofy]

I broke my talus. Not to freak you out, but it was my career-ending injury (so much for retiring gracefully...). Because of the location of the break it had to be operated on...and then operated on again because the screws were causing problems. It was also immediately visible on xray half an hour after the break, so it's obviously at least a bit different from yours.

For what it's worth, I coach fine now & can do the equivalent of level 6/7 USAG Tumbling-after a year of surgeries & complications that meant that I had to relearn how to walk and do other stuff (it was several years back at this point). That won't happen to you-your doctor specializes in feet & ankles so they're more experienced than mine.

For one footed coaching, learn to love drills and to unselfconsciously tell kids that they're moving their own mats for stations. It's conditioning!

Best of luck to you. I hope you have THE best possible outcomes.

 

[coachmolly]

Thanks for the input, I knew some posters here would have more gym-specific experiences with this injury. It's funny because the first doctor did not see the break at all, the 2nd thought he saw it but wanted an MRI to be totally sure, and the 3rd (a resident) saw the break in a fraction of a second and indicated it was very obvious. It's been pretty ridiculous, but hopefully now that I've been put in contact with a specialist everything will be sorted out. This is the 2nd (and hopefully the last) gym-related injury I've had that has taken 2-3 doctors to figure out. Though the first doctor was a general practitioner and the 2nd specialized in orthopedics but seemed to do significantly more work with older populations and injuries common to them.
And yes, I will definitely be staying away from fooling around from now on. This getting old stuff really stinks!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Thanks for the input, I knew some posters here would have more gym-specific experiences with this injury. It's funny because the first doctor did not see the break at all, the 2nd thought he saw it but wanted an MRI to be totally sure, and the 3rd (a resident) saw the break in a fraction of a second and indicated it was very obvious. It's been pretty ridiculous, but hopefully now that I've been put in contact with a specialist everything will be sorted out. This is the 2nd (and hopefully the last) gym-related injury I've had that has taken 2-3 doctors to figure out. Though the first doctor was a general practitioner and the 2nd specialized in orthopedics but seemed to do significantly more work with older populations and injuries common to them.
And yes, I will definitely be staying away from fooling around from now on. This getting old stuff really stinks![/QUOTE]

you ain't seen nothing yet, honey...it's just the beginning.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Getting old sure does stink.

But I have really cool xrays of my screwed together ankle, & they let me keep the screw they took out. I put it on a necklace.

 

[ivyagogo]

I don't know anything about this injury so I googled it and looked at some pictures. Holy moly, if you are as bruised and swollen as some of the pictures I saw I really feel for you. Heal well Molly. I am still coaching after tearing my ACL last year and there are times when it is challenging. I love it though and I love my girls, so I persevere.

 

[gymdog]

This sounds pretty terrible, but hopefully being relatively fit and healthy beforehand will help with the outcome compared to a more general population? Sending you good thoughts - hope the treatment plan goes more smoothly than the diagnosis, that is kind of crazy.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

Gosh CoachMolly, that is sure some terrible news! I can't help but think tho, that since it took so long to get an accurate diagnosis, maybe it's not as bad as some others w/the same injury? I sure do hope that you recovery quickly and that, as Gymdog, stated, being fit and healthy will speed that recovery along! How is the High School coaching going??

 

[coachmolly]

I'm really hoping it's not as bad as some of the stories I've heard about and continue to hope for the best. I'll be in a boot for a while, just hoping all will be well without surgery. But it is very bruised and swollen. I've gotten some pretty funny reactions from doctors, nurses, and x-ray techs about the size of it which threw me for a loop, I wasn't aware my foot was that grotesque.
As far as the HS coaching, this has been a nuisance. It's hard not being able to spot, demonstrate poses for routine choreography, and all of that stuff that coaching entails, it's also put up a barrier as far as the girls getting to know and trust me as one of their coach. I'm really trying to work through that, but it's been harder than I had hoped. But the skills are coming along and we are gearing up for our first meet which will hopefully help the girls get themselves into gear as far as getting routines together and dusting off old skills.
Thanks so much for all of the experiences, well wishes, and thoughts- I really appreciate it!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I'm really hoping it's not as bad as some of the stories I've heard about and continue to hope for the best. I'll be in a boot for a while, just hoping all will be well without surgery. But it is very bruised and swollen. I've gotten some pretty funny reactions from doctors, nurses, and x-ray techs about the size of it which threw me for a loop, I wasn't aware my foot was that grotesque.
As far as the HS coaching, this has been a nuisance. It's hard not being able to spot, demonstrate poses for routine choreography, and all of that stuff that coaching entails, it's also put up a barrier as far as the girls getting to know and trust me as one of their coach. I'm really trying to work through that, but it's been harder than I had hoped. But the skills are coming along and we are gearing up for our first meet which will hopefully help the girls get themselves into gear as far as getting routines together and dusting off old skills.
Thanks so much for all of the experiences, well wishes, and thoughts- I really appreciate it!

don't you dare demonstrate a thing...i'm watching...