Sooooo, I've always had lousy ankles. I've sprained both of them, and they pretty much don't work right. My right ankle has hurt my entire life--well for as long as I can remember--and I simply learned how to deal with it. However, two years ago I took a motorcycle rider education course through the college where I work and, clumsy me, almost first thing I dumped the bike.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because my right foot was smooshed by the motorcycle, and I went to the podiatrist once, and three months later when my foot still hurt I went back. They took an X-ray of my foot to make sure there were no fractures, but when I was there I had the foresight to ask him why I had such limited mobility in that ankle.
Well, he whipped out my X-ray and said that I had an extra bone in my ankle that physically blocked me from pointing my foot. After some research I found that this extra bone is called an os trigonum and only between 2 & 7% people have them.
They are something with which you are born, and for most people, other than athletes or ballet dancers, they cause no trouble. However, I am so lucky, that not only do I have one, but I have a huge one! (I truly believe that my wisdom teeth which never developed all went to my ankle...)
I asked the doctor if I could have it removed and he said perhaps if I were a teenager, but insinuated that 30 was already too old, though he informed me that I had three bone spurs already and that my ankle would only get worse with time.
Well, unwilling to swallow that load of bollocks, I went to the podiatrist who used to be here in town, (now an orthopedic surgeon with a very good reputation) to ask for a second opinion. When I told him that doctor #1 had informed me I was too old, he went on and on about how ridiculous that was. He gave me a shot to help with the inflammation and told me we could do surgery any time.
Tomorrow I am going to talk to him about having my pain in the ankle removed.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because my right foot was smooshed by the motorcycle, and I went to the podiatrist once, and three months later when my foot still hurt I went back. They took an X-ray of my foot to make sure there were no fractures, but when I was there I had the foresight to ask him why I had such limited mobility in that ankle.
Well, he whipped out my X-ray and said that I had an extra bone in my ankle that physically blocked me from pointing my foot. After some research I found that this extra bone is called an os trigonum and only between 2 & 7% people have them.
They are something with which you are born, and for most people, other than athletes or ballet dancers, they cause no trouble. However, I am so lucky, that not only do I have one, but I have a huge one! (I truly believe that my wisdom teeth which never developed all went to my ankle...)
I asked the doctor if I could have it removed and he said perhaps if I were a teenager, but insinuated that 30 was already too old, though he informed me that I had three bone spurs already and that my ankle would only get worse with time.
Well, unwilling to swallow that load of bollocks, I went to the podiatrist who used to be here in town, (now an orthopedic surgeon with a very good reputation) to ask for a second opinion. When I told him that doctor #1 had informed me I was too old, he went on and on about how ridiculous that was. He gave me a shot to help with the inflammation and told me we could do surgery any time.
Tomorrow I am going to talk to him about having my pain in the ankle removed.
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| See the blob right above the heel bone...that's my os trigonum. |
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| This is the average size of an os trigonum. |
So, we'll see what he says tomorrow: How much will it cost, how long is the recovery...
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