Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

Hey Sean,

Sorry, I missed your question about full weight bearing. I went FWB officially at 8 1/2 weeks, but I did a little bit with my PT a couple of days prior to my OS visit. As I recall, your fracture was a bit more severe so your time line may differ a bit. It did seem like the transition from pwb to fwb was pretty quick so keep your spirits up. I found it really hard to nail down an exact schedule from my PT and OS on how the transition goes. I think there is a bit of see how it goes on their part.

Keep us posted!

Travis

So I visited with my OS 9 days post-op. Said everything looks good and I'm right where he expected. He said 3 more wks of no leg extension and 8-12 wks (more like 12) for NWB. Now told me that this injury is a life changing injury, one of the worst he has seen. If I was a runner I would be done. Going back to my job will just depend on how I heal. Arthritis and a total knee replacement are in my future. I had a 3 hr trip home to let all this sink in. Needless to say I lost it mentally, not what I wanted or expected to hear. Apologized to my hubby for screwing up his summer. He is taking care of horses and dogs that he never wanted to begin with. Taking care of me and an older gentleman that I was helping out. All I can do is hope and pray that I/we get through this better than what the OS is expecting.

Just joined today...been reading the posts for the past 4 months which kept me sane on the bad days. I fell while skiing Feb 11 surgery the next day and discharge from hosp 3 days post op. I have three large screws securing the tibial plateau and a plate with more screws. I had an excellent OS, no cast to preserve ROM. My first question to the surgeon was I going to ski again... yup... only after lots of physio and rehab. I was NBW for 10 1/2 weeks; then moved quickly to full. At times I was close to losing it too - it's a long haul. Fortunately I have been able to stay off work and concentrate on recovery . I work on the stationary bke and go to physio religiously. My OS insisted on range of motion work from day 1... I have almost total rom now. I have a problem with my foot still, hypermobile and not comfortable in proper shoes and I have a bit of difficulty springing off my foot in a step. Does anyone have that issue? My OS reminds me that I'll probably need a new knee in a few years. As long as I can ski, kayak and chase my granddaughter I'll be satisfied. Chin up .. it does get better.

So I had a little scar today. I took a mis-step, lost my balance and not thinking about it tried to catch myself with my bad leg. I am almost 2wks post surgery. There was nothing there, my leg just collapsed. My OS still has me at no ROM and NWB.

Has anyone had this experience? Is this normal? Help, petrified!

Skigramma glad to hear you are doing better..
I fractured my leg (plateau tibial fracture) one day before you skiing and am still on one crutch and lots of achy pain in my knee. Are you still experiencing pain?
I amlost have my ROM like you but taking meds to try to keep me sain from the pain. Any tips on how you kept your spirits up?

Thanks :)

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Originally Posted by Skigramma

Just joined today...been reading the posts for the past 4 months which kept me sane on the bad days. I fell while skiing Feb 11 surgery the next day and discharge from hosp 3 days post op. I have three large screws securing the tibial plateau and a plate with more screws. I had an excellent OS, no cast to preserve ROM. My first question to the surgeon was I going to ski again... yup... only after lots of physio and rehab. I was NBW for 10 1/2 weeks; then moved quickly to full. At times I was close to losing it too - it's a long haul. Fortunately I have been able to stay off work and concentrate on recovery . I work on the stationary bke and go to physio religiously. My OS insisted on range of motion work from day 1... I have almost total rom now. I have a problem with my foot still, hypermobile and not comfortable in proper shoes and I have a bit of difficulty springing off my foot in a step. Does anyone have that issue? My OS reminds me that I'll probably need a new knee in a few years. As long as I can ski, kayak and chase my granddaughter I'll be satisfied. Chin up .. it does get better.

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Originally Posted by peaton

So I had a little scar today. I took a mis-step, lost my balance and not thinking about it tried to catch myself with my bad leg. I am almost 2wks post surgery. There was nothing there, my leg just collapsed. My OS still has me at no ROM and NWB.

Has anyone had this experience? Is this normal? Help, petrified!

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Did almost the exact same thing just after my surgery. Hurt like hell too. Good reminder that you aren't ready for wb yet, sounds like there is no lasting pain, I think you're good. At almost 8 weeks post-op, I did something stupid this weekend - I dropped one crutch, then both and went to a cane. Two days later, I'm back to two crutches. I was so excited to use a cane, I pushed it too hard, and now I feel like I set myself back a week. The PT says not to worry, she sees that all the time, and I'll get that week of progress back in a matter of days. Let's hope so. So bottom line, we all do stupid things that set us back a little, but in the end may make us stronger.

Yes, it did hurt. Popped some Tylenol and got out the ice! Thanks for the reassurance that I didn't blow anything.

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Originally Posted by peaton

So I had a little scar today. I took a mis-step, lost my balance and not thinking about it tried to catch myself with my bad leg. I am almost 2wks post surgery. There was nothing there, my leg just collapsed. My OS still has me at no ROM and NWB.

Has anyone had this experience? Is this normal? Help, petrified!

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Did almost the same thing 2 days after my 2 week OS visit. I was climbing stairs, stumbled and put full weight on broken leg. Hurt so bad I wanted to cry...but pain subsided fairly quick. I was so freaked out that I went to OS next morning, and he re x-rayed. Thankfully, no damage. Hang in there, be careful and stay positive. Many painful moments to come, but don't become a slave to that fear. The true joy comes from overcoming this injury!

Travis

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Originally Posted by seanwieland

Did almost the exact same thing just after my surgery. Hurt like hell too. Good reminder that you aren't ready for wb yet, sounds like there is no lasting pain, I think you're good. At almost 8 weeks post-op, I did something stupid this weekend - I dropped one crutch, then both and went to a cane. Two days later, I'm back to two crutches. I was so excited to use a cane, I pushed it too hard, and now I feel like I set myself back a week. The PT says not to worry, she sees that all the time, and I'll get that week of progress back in a matter of days. Let's hope so. So bottom line, we all do stupid things that set us back a little, but in the end may make us stronger.

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Hey Sean,

Love your comment about doing stupid things. Someone once said that that stupidity should hurt...well, I too can say, "yeah.. it does!" Careful about pushing too hard. Find your line or threshold and give it due respect! Pretty quickly, you'll be able to stretch that boundary.

Travis

I believe the best you can do s get out and walk. It forces you to use it and it helps reinforce the work the pt is doing. I had to push to get my speed and distance up but if you just go daily and do 3 miles it does help you progress. Start with the cane and gradually you'll need it less. If I noticed I was limping a lot then I'd use the cane otherwise I would try it on my own. I included the article written for fun. It is hopeful to know that we can do more than we expect. I don't think this injury follows the same reasoning that if you feel pain stop. I believe once the bone is healed, you can moving. I went from walker to cane in one day. I used the cane two solid weeks and then I started to go it alone except when training for the race. The cane helped propel me up hill and give relief when something hurt. The pain moved around the leg. Sometimes muscle and sometimes the knee but mostly the foot. But all was bearable and if you're determined you can do it. I think my ROM returned quicker because I needed a straight leg to walk and I'd work on kicking it out to improve my gait.
Good luck!

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/...ter-principle/

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/...ter-principle/

Here's the article that was written. The one thing I can say is that the walking forced me to push my ROM. I had to work at strengthening my kick so my gait would get wider and quicker. Going to pt helps but the walking built my muscles back up. And I think this injury challenges the statement of listening to your body because there is pain whether you push or not. I was amazed when the pt put weights on my leg that I could do knee bends. Which tells me the bone is strong and ready for action. I was walking with a cane in six weeks. As soon as the doctor said i could walk, he gave no limits on partial weight bearing rules He said the bone was healed and i could walk. I was walking without a cane in 8. But, in training for the marathon I definitely used the cane for relief and a boost up the hill. I hope that helps.

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Originally Posted by lgillingham

I'm now at 12 weeks post surgery and I'm feeling like I am progressing. I had surgery on march 7 and was told I could walk after 6 weeks. My surgeon didn't limit my walking in any way. He said the bone was healed and I could walk. So walk I did.....

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What a great inspirational story!
You walked a marathon at 12 weeks! So walk you did!

I have been feeling pretty positive about my recovery - and may again tomorrow - but not tonight.

I was okayed to move to FWB as tolerated on May 25th- (10 weeks +2 days post op). I was given the freedom of driving back! I started using one crutch and walking crutch free down hallways and in my house and the last 2 days I have been basically crutch free! I have needed ice because of the pain / tenderness. A week ago was my first full revolution on the bike and I am using the stationary bike -with resistance - every day. I have weight bearing exercises at PT and some for home too. My leg is feeling noticeably stronger. I am still working on ROM with heel slides. I continue to increase my ROM and was at 109 on Saturday - with full extension. Progressing constantly, however slowly.

But tonight I am struck by how slow it is. I know I need to hang on to the positive mental attitude - but tonight I just need to cry.

I want to kneel to pray, to walk up stairs with alternating legs, walk with a normal gait, do the grouse grind, hike and ski. I know I will do most of these things again but tonight they seem so far away.

Early in this injury, I had to keep setting the next goal -- Make it to the surgery (3 days after my skiing accident), get out of the hospital, get my house set up to accommodate me, get some friends lined up to help with everything because my husband was out of town working (!), get to work (13 days post op) -- and all the enormous small steps to reach each of those goals!

Tomorrow is a new day. New challenges and goals lie ahead. Tomorrow my leg will be more healed than it is today. Tomorrow I will take some new enormous, small steps on this long road of recovery.

Thank you for walking this road with me and telling me about your challenges and your successes.

~Sue

SueBee....I would like to say I know how you feel but I have only begun the long process of healing.

I have had my first bout of depression, the other day after my first post-op surgery appointment I was bumming big time. Having my own little pity party. Then the next morning, I saw on the news about the young girl who fell from the zip line, received a gash on her leg and then contracted that flesh eating disease. She has since lost both of her hands, one leg and the other foot. I stopped feeling like I had it bad and felt pretty silly about my little pity party.

You need to be proud of beating the struggles and tribulations that you have been through and still have to come. But there is light at the end of the tunnel for you, you will get there and soon!

I am amazed at how an injury of this nature can play such head games with one!

I'm very glad to have found this site and people to cry/complain/congratulate that understand.

Paige

I also fell two days ago. I am 5 weeks from my operation. Totally traumatized me. It brought back my original injury where a Pit Bull took my knee out when it attacked my dog. The Pit Bull was off his lead. I was in such pain but the pain has lessened and I am praying the xray when I see my Dr tomorrow will be OK. How are you doing? I so sympathize with you. The pain was so incredible that I know I wont be walking in the 6 weeks the doctor told me I would. I hope you are OK.

Hello, five weeks ago I was walking my dog and a pit bull off his lead ran over and started a fight with my dog. I leaned over to get my dog away and the pit bull hit my knee full force causing my fracture. I was not insured and lost my job. I cannot afford physical therapy and need to do it on my own. Can anyone share with me the exercises that I need to get walking again? I straighten my leg, and try and bend it. I have been making slow progress but then fell two days ago and set myself back. I am in my 60s so I do not expect rapid progress nor do I have any goals other than to be able to walk again. I got my black belt in WTF Taekwondo when I was in my late 50s, so I feel I might be able to over come this enough to walk again. I always felt if I could do that I could do anything but this injury is tough. I would appreciate any tips for getting my leg moving again. I am very moved by the posts I have read here and do not feel so alone.

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Originally Posted by peaton

SueBee....I would like to say I know how you feel but I have only begun the long process of healing.

....

Paige

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Thank you Paige! I really had a pretty good day. My mood turned better around noon. I am walking more steadily. I definitely made some progress. I am just starting to alternate legs up stairs!

Physio Wednesday - I look forward to physio - really one of the highlights of my week. I am going twice a week.

I was immobilized for 2 weeks- sounds like you are going to be immobilized for 4 weeks? When I think back at what it was like, it gets miles better! For me, focussing on the successes and milestones really helped.

I must go now but message me if you need anything!

Sue

GRRRRRR!!!!! 10 and a half weeks post op and sooooo sick of not being able to walk!!! Very Angry at myself right now for even getting this injury and ruining my familys summer!!!! Supposed to start PWB at 12 weeks but seems like these last 2weeks are just dragging by!!! Lots of cracking and popping in knee when bending and straightening....hope everything is ok?!?!??

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Originally Posted by France

Hello, five weeks ago I was walking my dog and a pit bull off his lead ran over and started a fight with my dog. I leaned over to get my dog away and the pit bull hit my knee full force causing my fracture. I was not insured and lost my job. I cannot afford physical therapy and need to do it on my own. Can anyone share with me the exercises that I need to get walking again? I straighten my leg, and try and bend it. I have been making slow progress but then fell two days ago and set myself back. I am in my 60s so I do not expect rapid progress nor do I have any goals other than to be able to walk again. I got my black belt in WTF Taekwondo when I was in my late 50s, so I feel I might be able to over come this enough to walk again. I always felt if I could do that I could do anything but this injury is tough. I would appreciate any tips for getting my leg moving again. I am very moved by the posts I have read here and do not feel so alone.

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Wow! I am sorry for this unexpected misfortune. I have found there are positives in the recovery process but I am sorry to hear you lost your job on top of getting injured.

If you can't afford PT your hospital may have outpatient PT for free. Ask your doc. Otherwise your doctor is responsible for giving you exercises to rehab.

Some folks on this site started a wiki with some common questions we all have answered - check it here http://tpf.wikia.com/wiki/Tibial_Plateau_Fracture_Wiki

Good luck and hang in - it gets better!
~Sue

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Originally Posted by France

Hello, five weeks ago I was walking my dog and a pit bull off his lead ran over and started a fight with my dog. I leaned over to get my dog away and the pit bull hit my knee full force causing my fracture. I was not insured and lost my job. I cannot afford physical therapy and need to do it on my own. Can anyone share with me the exercises that I need to get walking again? I straighten my leg, and try and bend it. I have been making slow progress but then fell two days ago and set myself back. I am in my 60s so I do not expect rapid progress nor do I have any goals other than to be able to walk again. I got my black belt in WTF Taekwondo when I was in my late 50s, so I feel I might be able to over come this enough to walk again. I always felt if I could do that I could do anything but this injury is tough. I would appreciate any tips for getting my leg moving again. I am very moved by the posts I have read here and do not feel so alone.

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France, there are several exercises I use daily.

The heel slide: take a long towel and sit on your bed with legs out in front of you. Hold the ends of the towel with your heel in the middle. Gently pull back on the towel and slide your heel towards you. Start with what's comfortable and try to increase a little each day.

Leg extension: roll a towel up (tight) or get a tube shaped pillow. Place it under your heel and lay back. Stay there for 5-10 minutes and let your leg relax as much as possible. Eventually the back of your knee will touch the bed and you will get to full extension. This one sucks at first, A LOT, but trust me it gets better. I'm now at full extension with no problems.

Chair flexion: Find a tall chair without rungs on the bottom. Your feet should not touch the floor, if they do add pillows. Use your good leg and gently push the other leg back with the heel, bending at both knees. Hold for 10 seconds, release and repeat. Again, start with as much as you can tolerate, and increase bit by bit. This one is probably best to start when you can already get to 45 degrees, in my opinion. Kinda hard to explain this one.

I'm at 5 weeks 2 days past surgery. Saw the OS yesterday and he said everything looks good. Was hoping to start PWB soon, but he wants me to wait 4 more weeks!!! WHY?? I was really looking forward to PT, yes I'm crazy....So here we go, another 4 weeks of nothingness. ROM is good and getting better every day. I'm at 0 and 130 approx?. Bored out of my mind. He told me no swimming laps, but little does he know I already have done that twice. Hmm...Maybe I should have told him. I don't see how it could hurt anything. I had to do some exercise or I was going to go crazy. Does anyone else feel like that?

Timeline
April 7- injury type 3 TPF
May 7- surgery ORIF 4 inch plate, 8 screws, end of my life or so I thought.
July 10 - PWB??
July 30- FWB?!
Aug 15- VACATION!! COLORADO!! some light hiking? yoga :)

France,

I am doing fine, thank you for asking. I was a little sore/tender more so than usual but I am feeling better. This event helped me to realize that I need to wear my brace at all times and that I will need help in the shower, UGH!

I hope your x-ray went good!

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Originally Posted by France

I also fell two days ago. I am 5 weeks from my operation. Totally traumatized me. It brought back my original injury where a Pit Bull took my knee out when it attacked my dog. The Pit Bull was off his lead. I was in such pain but the pain has lessened and I am praying the xray when I see my Dr tomorrow will be OK. How are you doing? I so sympathize with you. The pain was so incredible that I know I wont be walking in the 6 weeks the doctor told me I would. I hope you are OK.

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Originally Posted by Nurse Nina

This morning was the first day I could actually see my knee cap appear.

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Isn't that a fantastic feeling?!?! My knee cap has been gradually regaining it's shape over the past couple weeks...it still has a way to go, but at least it doesn't look like a rotten grapefruit anymore! Anyway, it's amazing how much the small, simple things like this can really help your morale. This past Sunday night I suddenly realized that I could sit "Indian style" with my 3 yr old daughter while we played with her dolls on the floor...I was so excited, I literally cheered out loud!

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Originally Posted by Dgw3369

One thing I have noticed that the knee does click as I bend it. Seems like it comes from the patella as it moves.

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Originally Posted by Nurse Nina

I get that clicking too. It comes from the weak quad muscles. My VMO was shut down according to my PT, so the tendons slip over the patella causing that clicking. As long as it doesn't cause pain, he said it is OK. I just need to work on those quads and hamstrings.

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I just started noticing that clicking under my knee cap (patella) while doing my PT routine last Saturday night (never heard or felt it prior to that). I asked my PT folks about it during my appointment on Monday, and they confirmed that it is a fairly common occurrance after a knee injury such as this. The quad muscles in a healthy knee are performing a pretty amazing balancing act as the knee bends, ensuring that the patella would "track" correctly in it's groove. While recovering and rehabing from a large injury like a TP fracture, it's common for the muscles to regain their strength at slightly different rates...the patella "tracks" slightly incorrectly, causing the click. If there is no pain associated with the click, they said it's very unlikely to be a problem, but I may continue to hear it until I can transition to weight bearing and the muscles can more fully redevelop. As Nina mentioned, keep working the quads and hammy!

Persevere everyone - and thanks again for continuing to post your experiences!

hi guys! i'm so glad i found this site so i can judge where i should be. i broke my lateral tibial plateau on my right leg on may 27th and had surgery may 29th and got a plate in and 7 screws. it's now been 16 days since surgery and i had my first PT yesterday. i can bend my leg 120 degrees and can bend my leg straight. i can't get to full extension as my other leg but i'm working on it! my right thigh is clearly smaller than my left already but i can lift it pretty well. my surgeon says i can't bear weight for 12 weeks, but i am really hoping to make it in 6! i'm 17 and just graduated hs so i need to be walking during the summer to move. does anyone have any suggestions on what to do to make it heal well and fast? i have generally no pain, i switched to naproxen 500 once a day about 3 days after surgery and have stopped taking it for 2 days now and still have no pain! my swelling has gone down considerably, mostly around my ankle and right around the knee but it's minimal.

Hello, my name is Jonathan and i am 26 years old. I fractured my TP on May 6th. It was a non-displaced fracture so no surgery. It has been 5, going on 6 weeks. Started PT and I have 5 degrees extension and 120 flexion. I feel like I am behind the curve on recovery judging from the recovery of others here with surgery. I have 3 more weeks of NWB, then off crutches, meaning FWB? My doctor did not specify. Can anyone enlighten me on the recovery for no surgery treatment? Thank you very much.

Oh, I injured my leg playing flag football, non contact injury.

Vaper you sound like you are doing great! However I would talk to your doc about taking naproxen. It has been shown to inhibit bone healing in some cases since its an NSAID. Generally speaking NSAIDs should be avoided for 6 weeks after orthopedic surgery. For pain you can take Tylenol or they can prescribe you something with acetaminophen like lortab. But I would stay away from naproxen just to be safe. Keep up the good work on your rom.

By far the hardest thing for me with dealing with this injury...is it definitely has this feel of "its going to take me years just to get the atrophy back...and its still not going to be great...and then I'm going to have to get my knee replaced, because theres no fixing the inevitable arthritis from the cartilage damage we have all done." I dont care how many bones I break, as long as they heal and I can get on with my life...this seems like one bone break that "no one" comes back from

Im not trying to be a downer...because I can point to hundreds of people who have it worse off than us with our TPF's...my neighbor lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, so that brings me back into reality for feeling sorry for myself...but its still hard

I did mine in March of 2011...May 2012 I got my hardware taken out, partial meniscus repair, and a microfracture surgery for my cartilage issues. Im 2 weeks past that right now...and just praying that I can get to some normalcy following this. I wish there were more success stories out there to latch onto

If theres not any success stories out there...damnit, I will be one, and I'll post back on here when I make it!