Beacon surgeon helps patient walk again

Ankles are complex joints, so a bad break is a serious matter. But for Michelle Flora, a broken ankle went from serious to debilitating—until she found the right doctor at Beacon Health System more than a year and a half after her original injury.

It was the summer of 2023 when Michelle’s ankle troubles began. She suffered a trimalleolar break, the least common ankle fracture. With this type of fracture, three different sections of the lower leg bones are broken. This kind of injury requires both surgery and extensive physical therapy.

She saw a local surgeon to have the break repaired. A couple months later, she needed a second surgery due to a bone infection.

“It was the infection where I got concerned,” she recalls. “I kept asking, do I have to have this surgery?”

The doctor wanted to fuse her ankle, and she was uncomfortable with the approach. Despite her reservations, she felt trapped. “I’ve got to get this taken care of. I don’t want to lose my foot,” she thought.

Looking back, she says, “That’s where everything kind of went downhill.”

The dark days

The surgeon installed an outside fixture, a metal framework outside the ankle that screws into the bones to hold them in place. At this point, wheelchair-bound, Michelle stayed in a nursing home for a week while also taking strong antibiotics under the direction of an infectious disease specialist.

Once home, life became a daily struggle. Michelle had to park her wheelchair outside the bathroom and hop inside to use the toilet or bathe. She was able to transition to a protective boot for several months, then a special brace. But because she had to use stairs to get into her home, she fell multiple times, leaving her afraid to venture outside.

It would be five months before the outside fixture would be surgically removed. Meanwhile, Michelle paid a price whenever she tried to walk.

“If I needed to go out, my foot would swell up so bad. I couldn’t work,” she says. During these dark days, she even had to take an antidepressant to cope with her situation.

For months, Michelle ventured out of her home only for medical reasons — to get intravenous antibiotic therapy and physical therapy. It was during this challenging time that she also began consulting another doctor.

Dr. Jeffrey Eifler

A new perspective

A friend strongly recommended Dr. Jeffrey Eifler, Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists foot and ankle surgeon. She received a referral and visited with him in early 2024. After examining her ankle and viewing her X-rays, he expressed shock at the condition of her joint. The bones were not fusing correctly.

“Michelle had developed a deformity of the right ankle that was causing her ankle to deviate inward, which made it very painful to walk,” Dr. Eifler says.

He gently broke the news that she would need a fourth surgery. Dr. Eifler’s goal was to get her back to walking without a brace, and he’d accomplish that by cutting out a piece of the fused bone so that he could rotate her ankle back into place. Then he’d install a metal plate in the front of her ankle to hold the joint together so that it would finish fusing correctly.

After that first appointment, “I felt awesome. He’s very knowledgeable. He explained everything, she says. “I was very impressed. He’s got an outstanding personality. Everybody there is just outstanding and very personable.”

Before proceeding with surgery, Michelle went through a series of tests to make certain that no infection remained in her ankle before undergoing the outpatient surgery, which Dr. Eifler performed at the Community Hospital of Bremen.

“Michelle needed a procedure in which the older, non-healed part of her fibula was temporarily removed and the misaligned ankle joint was realigned with a specific bone cut,” Dr. Eifler says. “This allowed for her fusion to be in a straight position.”

Even with the expected swelling right after the procedure, she could immediately see that the ankle looked much better, thanks to the surgical team. “Oh my gosh, they were all awesome,” she recalls.

Dr. Eifler insisted Michelle keep the ankle wrapped up until her incisions had completely closed. After all she’d been through due to her infection, she was grateful for his proactive approach to preventing any further problems. She was also able to start using a knee scooter—a big improvement in mobility.

Back on her feet again

After the surgery, Michelle saw Dr. Eifler weekly for checks and gradually moved from the knee scooter to a boot to a flat tennis shoe. Orthopedic insoles are next.

She has come a long way since being afraid she might lose her foot.

“Her ankle is in the correct alignment, and she no longer needs to brace on a daily basis. She also walks with little to no discomfort,” Dr. Eifler says. “Michelle is doing great now.”

After many months of pain, fear, worry and depression, she can finally think about the future with optimism.

“He did such a good job. I’ve gone in to see him, and he said it’s looking great,” Michelle says. “I’m in better spirits. It’s never going to be 100%. That’s fine, I’ve accepted that. I couldn’t have picked a better specialist to go to. I’m so glad my friend gave me his name.”

Learn more

When your daily life and routines have changed because of bone fractures, joint, muscle or tendon pain, it’s time to see the experts. Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists provide expert orthopedic care while helping you get back to doing what you love.