After your ankle operation for when you can touch weight bear

Following your operation you have been advised that you are able to touch weight bear in a boot. Touch weight bearing means that you are only able to put your toes to the floor on your operated leg. This should be used for balance only. Try not to put any standing pressure through your operated leg.

This is likely to be for a minimum of 6 weeks until your follow up appointment with the consultant, who will then review your x rays and progress your weight bearing as appropriate.

Your wound will be checked and as long as it has healed then you can start to mobilise further on crutches. Be aware that if you are on your feet for long during the day or do too much your ankle will swell and this can impact on the healing of your injury. The ideal is little and often.

You should not be mobilising (moving around) or have your ankle lowered to the floor for very long for two weeks after your surgery to allow the swelling to go down and the wound to heal.

You must keep your foot elevated, ideally above the level of your hips, whenever you are not moving for the first two weeks. If the ankle is not elevated, the wound may not heal properly and potentially risk an infection so this is very important.

The boot should be worn whenever you are moving, even around the house. It is for protection and support. You can remove the boot at night when sleeping and when resting and when you are doing your exercises.

You will be given pain killers to take home. You should take this on a regular basis to begin with to help you move and do the exercises.

A cold pack (ice / frozen peas) can provide short term pain relief right after the operation but this must be in a waterproof bag as you must not get the dressings wet. Apply it to the ankle for up to 15 minutes, every few hours. Make sure that the ice is never in direct contact with the skin. This may not have a significant effect while the bandages are on but will help more when the dressings are removed after two weeks.

The most important thing is to keep the dressings dry until the wound has healed and the dressings are removed.

Options for washing (depending on facilities) are a strip wash at a sink or a shower. You can put a waterproof bag over your leg or you can buy a cover called a Limbo from the internet.

Go to www.limboproducts.co.uk

Going Up: ABC (Able leg, Bad leg (toes for balance only), Crutch to the same step).

Going Down: CBA (Crutch, Bad leg (toes for balance only), Able leg to the same step).

You may find it easier to ‘hop’ up and down the stairs, to prevent too much weight through your operated leg.