HELP! Advice on diving with flake fracture!

[bubblesmcgee]

Hi,

I have unbeknown to me had a flake fracture to the talus of my ankle present for the last 5 months. It hasn't healed and I'm currently waiting on MRI results to see the extent of the damage. Before I found out it was fractures I was diving but now I'm not sure if I should. I'm currently undertaking a dive master internship and am desperate to get in the water but I'm not sure if its safe to.

Any advice on the issue would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TSandM]

Thank you for asking this question -- I had never heard of a "flake fracture" of the talus, and had to go do some reading about it. Apparently, there is a spectrum of such fractures, ranging from the incidental finding of such in an asympatomatic patient, to very large fragments. Unhealed fractures can go on to a condition called osteochondritis dissecans, where the fragment of bone dies, and can cause ongoing damage to the cartilage of the tibiotalar joint.

I assume your orthopedic surgeon is allowing you to walk on this? Nonetheless, it is probably not advisable to carry any more weight than necessary on it, at least until the surgeon has the MRI results and a better sense of what is going on with the bone. It is probably a good idea, in general, to baby the ankle as much as you can until this issue has been definitively addressed. Cartilage heals poorly, when it heals at all, and you don't want to end up with a lot of arthritis in the ankle joint later on.

 

[uncfnp]

This isn't really a dive issue but more of an activity issue. With your lack of healing I caution you to listen to TSanM's advice. Osteochondritis dissecans and arthritis are real concerns. Please heed your orthopedist's restrictions and take very good care of that ankle!

Osteochondritis dissecans - MayoClinic.com