Electrical Stim (or other) for fused ankle?

I recently had my ankle fused with ten screws and a steel plate. I am very pleased with the operation, because for the first time in more than twenty years I can walk without pain. The problem is the left calf muscle is quite a bit smaller than the right and I was wondering if anyone on the board had any experience with electrical stimulation to increase size in a muscle? I am 58 years old (Hey, that's only 29 on each side!) and I can't work it in the traditional way because the ankle will never move again (I hope!). Plus, I'm open to anything else (Yes, I've looked into calf implants; I'm not too sure about that...) I might just have to live with it, but even at my age I like to feel I'm still in that quest for perfection... Any and all ideas would be appreciated

The only time I used stim was when I use to get really bad stingers from football. Stem and Ice was the treatment, but it wont increase muscle size,it'll just stimulate the muscle.

^don't click on that link^
reported

edit: link removed, thankyou admin

calf implant is going to be your best option
at this point, you have a lot less use for your calf muscle
as small as it is now, expect it to wither away to nothing
"if you don't (or can't) use it, you loose it."
ankle fusion has it's problems, expect other joints to possibly break down in your foot and need fusion.

That's sort of what I figured. What! No miracle cure for building great calves without working them? LOL
I am also aware of the other problems with fusion, but with my foot there have never been other options. If I hadn't taken a powerfuel NSAID for eight years, I couldn't walk a step. When the NSAID wrecked my kidneys and I couldn't use them anymore, (they cleared up, whew!) I had to have it fused. Next, it's coming off and I'll go bionic! Still, I don't consider myself disabled... Thanks for the info, T

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Originally Posted by tyward

I recently had my ankle fused with ten screws and a steel plate. I am very pleased with the operation, because for the first time in more than twenty years I can walk without pain. The problem is the left calf muscle is quite a bit smaller than the right and I was wondering if anyone on the board had any experience with electrical stimulation to increase size in a muscle? I am 58 years old (Hey, that's only 29 on each side!) and I can't work it in the traditional way because the ankle will never move again (I hope!). Plus, I'm open to anything else (Yes, I've looked into calf implants; I'm not too sure about that...) I might just have to live with it, but even at my age I like to feel I'm still in that quest for perfection... Any and all ideas would be appreciated

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What kind of ankle injury did you have to require the fusion? I fractured my calcanus and fully extruded my talus, if it starts to deteriorate a fusion may be down the road for me as well, just curious as to your situation.

Sorry it took so long to respond...
My problems started with a martial arts injury more than twenty years ago. I got a cut on my foot that was less than one half inch long. (I've had hundreds that were worse) Well, that time it got the deadly staph infection that you read about once in awhile. They took it out, but the joint began to go bad from then on. I started with Advil and ended the last eight years on Indomethycin which ended up wrecking my kidneys. I went off the NSAIDS, my kidneys cleared up and they had to fuse so I could walk. I've read thousands of posts on the fusion forums and everybody seems to go through exactly the stages that I did. When I was researching options ten years ago and the Doc said fusion, I flipped out and told him that I would never consider it. LOL When I was living in LA I finally decided I'd had enough and I just wanted it gone (amputate). Twenty years of pain will do that. I came back to Denver and the Doc convinced me fusion was better. So far, absolutely no pain and no limp!