About me and why this site exists

This is an X-ray of my ankle, two weeks post op, after an ORIF surgery for a bimalleolar fracture and a ruptured tendon.

When I fell off jumping my young horse in a competition, my leg didn’t even hurt that bad—for the first few minutes. But by the time the medics splinted it, I was crying in pain. And on the ambulance ride to hospital, I howled every time we jolted over a bump in the road.

I didn’t realize that my life had changed, and the challenging recovery I was about to face.

It turned out I had a bimalleolar fracture along with a ruptured peroneal tendon and torn ligaments.

I was independent and strong. I took care of and rode three horses daily, plus held a demanding job that brought in most of our income. My husband had Parkinson’s as well as physical problems, and my 91-year-old mother lived with us, so I was also at least partly their caretaker.

And now, in a blink, I was powerless. I couldn’t walk. I wasn’t allowed to touch my foot to the ground. Sitting at my desk was agony. I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. Getting anywhere in the house was problematic. It was hard for me to prepare anything to eat. I didn’t think my surgeon understood my urgency to get my life back, and that I was an athlete—maybe because I was 69 years old and, hey, if I could hobble around the yard again at some point, I should count myself lucky.

I researched everything I could do to help myself; friends built a ramp into my house, lent me a knee scooter and an ice machine; and I joined a Facebook support group. There, I discovered tips I hadn’t thought of—braces that might be helpful, supplements I’d missed—and also found a community that understood my journey.

How my journey started was different from how others’ journeys had started – some had tripped over a dog or fallen off of a treadmill, others had stumbled down the stairs, and a few had stories about motorcycle crashes or mountain climbing mishaps. But our commonalities were striking.

Like me, others wondered how they could deal with the pain, how they could get better more quickly, if there was a way to manage driving, and if they’d ever be themselves again.

This website is dedicated to us—the folks who are struggling, and suffering, and thriving, the survivors of ankle surgery. Hopefully the tips I’ve compiled from sources across the web and from friends will be of some help to you. And hopefully, you’ll find some comfort and solace in this community, as I have.   

Lauren Tjaden

These are my first steps walking, six weeks after ORIF surgery and eight weeks after my injury, a bimalleolar fracture and ruptured tendon.