Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[dnabike]

WOW! 8 weeks sounds short. It took me 12 weeks to get partial weight bearing and the earliest I will get FWB is 20 weeks. My surgeon in Mass is not the one who did the surgery in Florida but he has 30 years of trauma and while I was not happy with the extra wait he is right. You can rehab late but if you screw up the repair you are screwed. I my opinion conservative is the best option.

Hi Foss5, your injury and surgery sounds similar to mine (surgery 8/8/12) and my surgeon also very unhelpful. (When you get rushed to the nearest Level 1 Trauma Center by ambulance you don't get to pick and choose your surgeons; you get whomever is on duty that day ...) I too had a lot of foot/ankle numbest/tingling/cold. It does get better after you start WB. Yes moving your ankle around a lot now will eventually help. I'm worried now though that my surgeon started me back on FWB too early (8 wks post op). Having a lot more pain. I also had a severe mid-tib fx (more plates and screws) and fib fx. I don't like my surgeon but am stuck w/him but I will say he did one good thing for me: an Rx for Ambien which was GODSEND for the insomnia. If you are still nursing of course you can't do it but if not, BEG your doc for Ambien. DEpending on severity and details of your injury o course, there may not be any such such as "back to normal". I.e. there will be a New Normal. For me and for many others too, I know-- this is a life-changing event, not just a temporary pain in the you-know-what.

[dnabike]

Certainly not weeks. I was told by a good friend who is a surgeon that I would not be as good as I could be until 2 years after surgery, but I suppose that in your case it could be different. Just hang in there.

This forum has been great for me and understanding my TPF. I am 51 yrs old and while on vacation at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in MI I listened to my wonderful but idiot boyfriend & jumped off a sand dune ledge about 8 ft high into the sand. CRACK.... went the next day to the U of Mich ER and they diagnosed a TPF, put me in a brace and crutches and sent me on my way to fly home the next day to Florida. It is now 12 weeks later and my Ortho released me to full weight bearing and 100% healed. I felt wonderful until I started walking again and each day have sharp pains and extreme fatigue when trying to walk. I am not overweight (maybe 10 lbs) and very active but this has me depressed!! I would love to have an idea of how long to get your strength back and have no pain when walking. Weeks? Months? All replies will be so appreciated!

[dnabike]

Since this is a long healing and painful injury I am curious how everyone is handling pain management. In my 41 days in the hospital I had a lot of the strong stuff, morphine and stronger. Now that I'm out my pain management guy switched me to Nucynta which is supposedly not nearly as addictive (I really hope so) but strong enough to do the job. Have any of you faced addiction problems after you where healed?

Jim

[skiplct]

Since this is a long healing and painful injury I am curious how everyone is handling pain management. In my 41 days in the hospital I had a lot of the strong stuff, morphine and stronger. Now that I'm out my pain management guy switched me to Nucynta which is supposedly not nearly as addictive (I really hope so) but strong enough to do the job. Have any of you faced addiction problems after you where healed?

Jim

I too have struggled a lot with the pain medication problem and was glad to hear a reference to Nucynta. My doc gave me an Rx for it which I haven't tried yet. I had Dilaudid for the first 2 weeks; then Tylenol w/Codeine 15 mg for the weeks after that but have quit the codeine a few weeks ago because it upset my stomach and so do all the othersw (Percocet, Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Vicodin, etc-- they all make me very sick). Have taken 2 Advils several times in past few weeks even tho I know bone fx patients aren't supposed to plus I have an issue w/stomach bleeding. Will be very interested in your reports on Nucynta; please post them.

[skiplct]

Hi- I'm new to the site, just found it yesterday and was riveted-- read it for 5 hours. I'm hooked now for sure. Going to surgeon today to ask point-blank if he started me on FWB too soon-- 8 wks post-op when the consensus seems to be 12 weeks and my injury was extremely serious. I have heard that there is a professional protocol that no ortho will consult w/a patient for 2nd opinions or treatment within 3 months of surgery from another surgeon. That means I would be "free" to switch Nov. 8. Does anyone know of an ortho surgeon in the NY/NJ metro area who specializes in TPFx and has good rep? This experience is easily the worst thing I have ever experienced-- dealing with my divorce and the death of my father pale in comparison....

[totaliboard]

i was on dilaudids for a tib- fib break this summer. flushed em after three weeks or so. after that it was tylenol and now im basically clean. not too worried about addiction, but its always in the back of my mind i suppose.

[skiplct]

Doc took new x-rays today-- said they looked "exactly as her expected"-- plates will prob. have to come out in a year. I am having a ot more pain since I started WB 2 weeks ago so I am going to ease off for the next few weeks; use both crutches or the walker with some moderate WB as tolerated until Halloween.
My stats:
TPFx and shaft fx 8/2/12
Surgery 8/8/12
3 plates, 12 screws
Age: 58
Frame of mind: Pretty depressed

[dnabike]

I was on Oxy for a couple of months and while it dealt with the pain I was definitely addicted. I attempted to stop for a weekend when I had no therapy and it was not good. Addiction is a cellular level event and every cell in my body was unhappy.

I am the type that is very concerned about that. Three years ago I suffered a lot of pain (9-10 on a 10 point scale) for a couple of months with adhesive capsulitis in my right shoulder. I just took IB because I was told I would become addicted to anything stronger.

Anyway I told the surgeon handling my case now about my concerns and he sent me to the pain management department of Lahey Clinic. When I first took the Nucynta I felt a little labored in my breathing for maybe 15 minutes. I takes about 1.5 hours to really work for me, but then it does a good job. My pain management guy told me he just read a two year study and no one had become addicted to Nucynta and the index for abuse was close to zero. He had used it on drug addicts after surgery and they didn’t like it even though it stopped the pain. I guess they wanted a high.

I have quit it a couple of time during the weekend when I had no therapy with very little in the way of withdrawal symptoms so I am pretty please. Worst case I exchanged a serious addiction (oxy) for a very mild one. The only drawback is it is very expensive, $300/bottle if your insurance will not pay and it seems to work a bit slowly. Mine insurance does cover it but has a $50 dollar copay so it still expensive. Right now I’m fighting a blood clot and I am on medication which rules out IB (Advil) so I have to take Nucynta for anything.

In summary I would give it a try. Don’t be surprised if the first couple of times your breathing is a little labored for a few minutes.

I too have struggled a lot with the pain medication problem and was glad to hear a reference to Nucynta. My doc gave me an Rx for it which I haven't tried yet. I had Dilaudid for the first 2 weeks; then Tylenol w/Codeine 15 mg for the weeks after that but have quit the codeine a few weeks ago because it upset my stomach and so do all the othersw (Percocet, Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Vicodin, etc-- they all make me very sick). Have taken 2 Advils several times in past few weeks even tho I know bone fx patients aren't supposed to plus I have an issue w/stomach bleeding. Will be very interested in your reports on Nucynta; please post them.

[dnabike]

I hope you are getting some good PT. They know more about what you are going through than the doctors. I don't think anyone can do the PT on their own. I am curious why some people get the hardware out and why some like me, don't. Watch the painkillers as they can make you depressed. It is slow but if the surgery went well you will get better, so hang in there.

Doc took new x-rays today-- said they looked "exactly as her expected"-- plates will prob. have to come out in a year. I am having a ot more pain since I started WB 2 weeks ago so I am going to ease off for the next few weeks; use both crutches or the walker with some moderate WB as tolerated until Halloween.
My stats:
TPFx and shaft fx 8/2/12
Surgery 8/8/12
3 plates, 12 screws
Age: 58
Frame of mind: Pretty depressed

[dnabike]

Good luck. I think you can switch doctors any time you wish. I saw my surgeon in Orlando once after the surgery and was flown back to Boston were I had a new surgeon for 3 weeks when in Spalding Rehab Hospital and then switched to a surgeon at Lahey Clinic that I have know for a long time. So if you don't trust him/her switch. This injury is bad enough without medical mistakes.

Hi- I'm new to the site, just found it yesterday and was riveted-- read it for 5 hours. I'm hooked now for sure. Going to surgeon today to ask point-blank if he started me on FWB too soon-- 8 wks post-op when the consensus seems to be 12 weeks and my injury was extremely serious. I have heard that there is a professional protocol that no ortho will consult w/a patient for 2nd opinions or treatment within 3 months of surgery from another surgeon. That means I would be "free" to switch Nov. 8. Does anyone know of an ortho surgeon in the NY/NJ metro area who specializes in TPFx and has good rep? This experience is easily the worst thing I have ever experienced-- dealing with my divorce and the death of my father pale in comparison....

[skiplct]

dnabike-- Thanks so much for your time and info. According to my inquiries you CAN'T switch docs "any time you wish"-- I made phone calls to 2 orthopedists to inquire about consulting/2nd opinions; both front offices stated flatly that the doc will not see any post-op patient within 3 months of somebody else's surgery. Period. I think this is some kind of professional protocol/courtesy, and/or a liability issue. (If somebody messes up, who gets sued??.. they don't want to be in the position of mopping up from somebody else's blunders or practices..)

Your info and insights very helpful. I'm not in a position to access a variety of resources such as flying anywhere, rehab facilities like Lahey, Spalding, pain management specialists, pool therapy, etc-- as I know many other folks don't. Right now my biggest problem is that while using the walker I spilled 2 quarts of chicken broth dog food on the kitchen floor trying to feed my dog-- it's just me by myself here so I have to figure out a way to wash the kitchen floor while scooting around on my butt, throwing disgusting kitchen towels up over my head aiming for the kitchen sink!-- trying to put my own dinner plate high enough that the dog and cats won't get it in the night.... Hoping for a few hours sleep tonight so I can figure out how to deal w/this mess in the morning!! I know all of you really understand this type of situation... Maybe the only thing worse than being dependent on others for everything is not having anyone around to help you w/everything... And no financial recourse-- I know you guys get it! dnabike, I really appreciate your info about Nucinta. Thanks and good luck and keep posting...

[Casper2012]

Skiplct-I know how it stinks not to be able to fend for yourself, we all do. I use a wheelchair in my kitchen so I can move around and carry things back and forth. Using the chair Im able to wash the floor with a mop. A chair or stool with rollers would work as well. BTW tried to reply to your PM but I don't think it worked. Site isn't so iPad friendly. I'm same age as you and had my hardware out last month, six months post op. bone in my knee didn't recover from the injury trauma and has necrosis (bone dying) so as a result the knee is collapsing, bone on bone, and has to be replaced. Have to wait 2-5 months for screw holes to fill in and build more muscle in my leg. Slowly increasing weight bearing and go back to my ortho on 11/12 to check progress.

[pbrmeasap]

I'm interested to hear what you get with good professional PT that's so important. My ortho did not give me a scrip for PT at the 3-month visit (4.5mos out from surgery now), saying "whatever you've been doing, you look great. Just keep doing that and you'll be fine." What i had been doing was the NWB PT exercises prescribed previously but waaaay more sets than had been prescribed daily, lots of time on the stationary bike trainer (I'm an avid cyclist and was riding at race-pace cadences for hours at a time with light resistance at about 7 weeks from injury), and poolwalking when I had access, which was maybe 4 times. Since then, I've basically been trying to live my life as it was prior to the accident - walking the dogs, riding my bike to work and for fun when I have time, lots of stairs and carrying heavy things up and down them at work. I do squats, 1-legged squats, heel drops, and wall-sits when I think of it, which is not very often. All are very challenging.

My recovery does seem to be going well, but I'm very impatient to improve faster. What am I missing out on? Should I try to get sessions without a prescription? Do you think I can get the same benefits by designing my own regimen and doing it on my own, or are there real benefits to working with a pro?

I hope you are getting some good PT. They know more about what you are going through than the doctors. I don't think anyone can do the PT on their own. I am curious why some people get the hardware out and why some like me, don't. Watch the painkillers as they can make you depressed. It is slow but if the surgery went well you will get better, so hang in there.

[kmrrdb]

TPF, I am now 7 weeks out from surgery. At 6 weeks, my Dr gave me PWB to 25lbs fro next 4 weeks. Seems others here are still NWB longer than that. I have told Dr and PT that I would prefer to be conservative and take this week to week. Both feel my bone is fusing and it is ok to PWB. I live in LA and had many options for surgeons. I was lucky to get who is considered the best Ortho surgeon for bone trauma in LA, (he was recommended by many other surgeons when I was looking) so I feel I am with the right Dr. I did my research I only put weight on it during PT and not on my own. I also ride stationary bike at home regularly. I dont take any pills other than advil. I am used to the pain now and dont want to chance additiction. I initially took Oxy-codone but could barely keep my head up and stopped it right away. It seems everyone is different and every injury is different. For me I believe that Physical Therapy by a good sports physical therapist is critical, regardless of how much you have worked out on your own. I have been up more in the the last two weeks and swelling in my foot is getting worse every day. It reduces at night when my leg is up. I am told that as my muscles begin working again this will get better.

[skiplct]

Washing the kitchen floor from a wheelchair, hmmmm. Will have to give that some thought... Not sure how you would dunk the mop, move the bucket a round, etc.... Anyway we TPFx folks sure do find ingenious ways to get stuff done, don't we!!... lol.. Seeing me get in and out of the shower is a real comedy routine.

Hey dnabike-- How often do you take Nucynta and do you have the respiratory side-effect every time? Re: hardware removal-- if your doc isn't talking about removal it's prob. because your hardware isn't intrusive enough to bother you once you heal up. Be glad! None of us are real excited about yet another surgery.. Once you heal, you are DONE. Keep up the spirit.

[skiplct]

Swelling/numbness:

Ever since my OS told me to stop wearing the post-op brace at 4 weeks post-op my swelling, pain and sense of "heavy leg" (it feels like a LOG, not a LEG) have been bad. Gets worse as the day goes on. So I have been wearing 2 ace bandages wrapped from top of foot to above knee cap. Almost all the time except when sleeping. This does seem to help but leaves marks/dents in my leg flesh. Any opinions on use of ace bandages for comfort/swelling control? My doc said nothing about any kind of brace or wrap after ditching the post-op brace at 4 weeks. Thanks for thoughts/info. Aircast for PWB or FWB?

[peaton]

I think professional PT is on a case by case basis, but most all should have it IMO. You seem to be very motivated, athletic, driven and have resources to rebuild your strength, stamina & muscles, some aren't as fortunate. I have been attending PT even though I could probably find ways to do this at home. Reasons: I am 1wk out from not working for 5 months, I need to get back into shape quick and on my feet (I am a waitress in snow country and snowmobile season is around the corner). I am still having some issues and I want my OS to know that I am serious about my recovery. PT reports back to my OS every 4wks with a status update which includes the number of visits vs how many I missed. My PT can also tell when I am favoring my bad knee while performing these exercises. For those still having problems, their PT can help facilitate needed treatment by their OS.

For those of you on pain relievers (Rx), it is recommended to get off of them as soon as you can tolerate the pain. You are going to have pain, not everyone has the same pain threshold, but the type of Rx's that some of you are taking are bad for your body and can cause more depression. Try weaning yourself off that stuff and take over the counter non-NSAID's, like Tylenol. The NSAID's can inhibit bone growth.

This is can be a very long, painful and depressing time in your life. You need to find ways to keep you mind, body and spirit busy. There are exercises on line you can do while sitting around waiting to start bearing weight and you will be grateful that you did them. Be sure to check with your OS first though. Mine was very cautious and didn't want me doing anything for a few weeks.

Good Luck

I'm interested to hear what you get with good professional PT that's so important. My ortho did not give me a scrip for PT at the 3-month visit (4.5mos out from surgery now), saying "whatever you've been doing, you look great. Just keep doing that and you'll be fine." What i had been doing was the NWB PT exercises prescribed previously but waaaay more sets than had been prescribed daily, lots of time on the stationary bike trainer (I'm an avid cyclist and was riding at race-pace cadences for hours at a time with light resistance at about 7 weeks from injury), and poolwalking when I had access, which was maybe 4 times. Since then, I've basically been trying to live my life as it was prior to the accident - walking the dogs, riding my bike to work and for fun when I have time, lots of stairs and carrying heavy things up and down them at work. I do squats, 1-legged squats, heel drops, and wall-sits when I think of it, which is not very often. All are very challenging.

My recovery does seem to be going well, but I'm very impatient to improve faster. What am I missing out on? Should I try to get sessions without a prescription? Do you think I can get the same benefits by designing my own regimen and doing it on my own, or are there real benefits to working with a pro?

[dnabike]

I’m not sure what a PT would do for you. It sounds like you are doing very well on your own. I was 51 days of total non-weight bearing on my left side, due to an operation on my shoulder too. I’m 61 years old and 6’3” tall. In the first 25 days I lost 35lbs of mostly muscle, so I was quite weak on the left side. I’m told by my Boston surgeon who is senior orthopedic surgeon at a prestigious hospital with 30+ years of trauma surgery experience and he told me he could not have fixed it. Told me there were only a handful of people who could fix that complex of a break.

My first step for therapy was to use a walker one handed and hop around on one leg. The therapist at Orlando Regional was a small woman maybe 90-100 lbs. She admitted that their policy was that if I started to fall they were to get out of the way to prevent getting hurt themselves. Since I was flying out of Orlando in two days I refused. I also felt snake bitten by all the complications. Even the Jet flying me out had to abort the initial takeoff when they realized they didn’t have all the medical records needed to fly, so my confidence was low.

After transferring to Spalding Rehab Hospital in Boston, my therapist was 6’4” ex-basketball player, maybe 230lbs. The first time I saw him he was helping the guy in the next room who had no face and was totally blind (severely burned in a fire) walk. He caught him about ten times. He flat out told me I would not fall because he was more than capable of catching me. He had me hopping in a day.

I had a total of 120 days of non-weight bearing and was also restricted to 90 degrees of flex in my knee. I had been in external fixation for 10 days prior to surgery and as part of that they drilled two holes in my IT band. It had zero flexibility. Once I got the OK for PWB at the 120 day mark the doctor wanted me to get 120 degrees of flex as quickly as possible. I tried for a week to get more bend myself and got nothing.

Again I went to therapy. I asked my therapist if he was sure he could get it to 120 degrees in a couple of weeks. He told me that it was no problem. He was 6’3” 260lbs and he would be bending the knee. Told me to take a double dose of pain meds before I came for therapy. I think I left indentations in the steel rail of the bed with my fingers but he bent it. Don’t see any way that I could do that myself. You need to trust someone to let them hurt you that much. You need to know that they know when to stop and when to push, so they need to be pros.

Plus there are all the other problems with being NWB for 120 days. The bones in your ankle float apart and are not very happy to be pushed together again, basically nothing works right. The therapist can explain everything that is going wrong and tell you what to do about it.

So in my case the therapy was more than helpful, I could not have done it without them.

In your case you might be younger, might not have had other injuries or the break might not have needed as much time to heal. I had 9 major pieces and as many smaller ones. Without the external fixation you miss four holes drilled in to your leg and don’t need time for those to heal or deal with a very unhappy IT band. I guess every situation is different.

I will say that your progress has inspired me to work harder, so thanks.

I'm interested to hear what you get with good professional PT that's so important. My ortho did not give me a scrip for PT at the 3-month visit (4.5mos out from surgery now), saying "whatever you've been doing, you look great. Just keep doing that and you'll be fine." What i had been doing was the NWB PT exercises prescribed previously but waaaay more sets than had been prescribed daily, lots of time on the stationary bike trainer (I'm an avid cyclist and was riding at race-pace cadences for hours at a time with light resistance at about 7 weeks from injury), and poolwalking when I had access, which was maybe 4 times. Since then, I've basically been trying to live my life as it was prior to the accident - walking the dogs, riding my bike to work and for fun when I have time, lots of stairs and carrying heavy things up and down them at work. I do squats, 1-legged squats, heel drops, and wall-sits when I think of it, which is not very often. All are very challenging.

My recovery does seem to be going well, but I'm very impatient to improve faster. What am I missing out on? Should I try to get sessions without a prescription? Do you think I can get the same benefits by designing my own regimen and doing it on my own, or are there real benefits to working with a pro?

[dnabike]

skiplct I only had issues the first 2-3 times on Nucynta. I take it every therapy day and most other days.

[dnabike]

Well I guess you can't get doctors to examine you that don't want to. Pretty poor doctors in my opinion, good doctors worry about the patient, not being sued. I have been fortunate that after I escaped the grip of the first hack I have had the best. The surgeon in Orlando was head of Orthopedic Trauma at the Mayo Clinic and holds the patents on a lot of the hardware. I don't think good doctors care if you switch. In fact I know the surgeon in Orlando specializes in fixing the work of others that botched it.

I'm not rich, but my wife is a teacher had good insurance AND she fought with the insurance company daily, if not at times every hour. Since I was out of the area where they had contracts it was in their interest to return me to Boston. The bills had reached $350,000 in Orlando. My son read the fine print in the policy and realized that they had to get me back in the service area if certain conditions existed. The conditions existed and after maybe 5 days of calls from my wife and letters from the doctors they agreed. They setup Spalding, I didn't even know about it, because it was in their interests. Spalding wanted me to continue to see their ortho guy who taught at Harvard Medical, I insisted on my own doctor.

I'm very fortunate that I had my wife and son to help me. It would have been infinitely worse on my own and I have the greatest respect for those who are fighting this on their own. I really don't know what to say other than fight on. Whenever I get in to a jam I try and find one thing that I can fix rather than face the whole problem at once. I think the wheelchair idea is a good one. In your case I would try and find anyone who would help even an hour a day. Family, friend, social agency, church anyone. I wish you the best and anyone who gets down on the floor in your condition is strong enough to make it.

Jim

dnabike-- Thanks so much for your time and info. According to my inquiries you CAN'T switch docs "any time you wish"-- I made phone calls to 2 orthopedists to inquire about consulting/2nd opinions; both front offices stated flatly that the doc will not see any post-op patient within 3 months of somebody else's surgery. Period. I think this is some kind of professional protocol/courtesy, and/or a liability issue. (If somebody messes up, who gets sued??.. they don't want to be in the position of mopping up from somebody else's blunders or practices..)

Your info and insights very helpful. I'm not in a position to access a variety of resources such as flying anywhere, rehab facilities like Lahey, Spalding, pain management specialists, pool therapy, etc-- as I know many other folks don't. Right now my biggest problem is that while using the walker I spilled 2 quarts of chicken broth dog food on the kitchen floor trying to feed my dog-- it's just me by myself here so I have to figure out a way to wash the kitchen floor while scooting around on my butt, throwing disgusting kitchen towels up over my head aiming for the kitchen sink!-- trying to put my own dinner plate high enough that the dog and cats won't get it in the night.... Hoping for a few hours sleep tonight so I can figure out how to deal w/this mess in the morning!! I know all of you really understand this type of situation... Maybe the only thing worse than being dependent on others for everything is not having anyone around to help you w/everything... And no financial recourse-- I know you guys get it! dnabike, I really appreciate your info about Nucinta. Thanks and good luck and keep posting...

[skiplct]

Question abt cold therapy/compression: Has anybody experimented with the cold therapy compression wraps on the market? I think Air Cast makes one, another that came highly recommended was from an outfit called Game Ready; you can look at their website. Wondering if anybody has experience w/these; good or bad. Worth the price or not? I asked my doc about it few visits ago and he said "it's all b-s; just use ice in a plastic bag"...

Shout out to dnabike-- Thanks for the info on Nucinta as well as why my foot and ankle hurt so much, plus your encouragement. Yes I am on my own w/this mess plus being a singe mom and 1 65 lb. dog and 2 cats to care for... My mid-shaft tibial fx was so severe and open that the doc commented the TPFx was the "least of my problems". Yikes. There's a statement. Maybe ask your doc if he has any colleagues in NY/NJ metro area next time you see him. Keep up the leg lifts.

[BionicLegs]

8-20-12: displaced Tibial Plateau fracture from wakeboarding, stretched peroneal nerve, torn ligaments, unknown on acl, mcl, and meniscus
8-22-12: surgery, plate and 7 pins
9-2-12: out of straight leg brace to hinged knee brace
9-12-12: out of hinged knee brace
9-28 -12: still no weight bearing but started in stationary bike, 100 degrees ROM, xrays showed fracture had filled in
10-15-12: started partial weight bearing with occasional full weight bearing with cane or single crutch
10-22-12: full weight bearing, just taking it easy on it, still swelling in knee and down to ankle. still in foot drop brace as I still have no dorsiflexion in anke.

I am 29 years old and in excellent shape, 6'2" 185lbs and 9% bodyfat, very active in extreme sports. Been through two leg surgeries, had a costachondral seperation, two collarbone fractures, torn AC ligament in left shoulder, 2 major concussions. No stranger to ER and rehab. I had a compound fractureof tib/fib in left leg 3 years ago from motocross. This TBF is not even in the same category of injury, way more complicated. The hardest part for me has been the peroneal nerve damage. Lost feeling from knee to top of foot, slowly coming back. Doc feels confident I will get dorsiflexion back over time as feeling in top of foot keeps improving slowly. Everyone's injury is different. The most important this is listen to the doc, but dont sit around and wait for it to heal and expect it to all go back to normal. Do as much as you can, know where your comfort zone is, and if you feel uncomfort at the injury area, back off. This injury takes time and persistance. Here are some x rays of my tib/fib and TBF

This indy glide resulted in TBF in right leg




This compound tib/fib in left leg from motocross

[kimzz53]

CASPER2012 -- I know what you are talking about: I wield a mean Swiffer rolling around in the wheelchair! Still NWB but started PT today to prepare for PWB. Atrophy in calf and quad was stunning, even at the 3 wk point (left leg injured 9/5, surgery 9/13 - screws, plate, allograft) and although I'm an "old" lady, my legs were always strong from soccer player, gymnastics and surfing in my younger years, and skiing, hiking and heavy gardening (build stone walls etc) now. My left calf is a good 35% smaller than the right already. Thanks to all you farther along than me, I knew what to expect and not to be afraid. It wasn't until last week that I finally began to feel human. PWB TBD on 11/13, 2 months from surgery. In the meantime, hanging in. Thanks!

[kimzz53]

Hi, skiplct -- my leg swells with or without brace if it's not elevated for more than 3 hrs at a stretch. Last week, 5 weeks post op, the surgeon said I could sleep without the immobilizer and only use it when I thought I needed it, but I usually always keep an ace on from top of knee to midcalf just to cover the incison which is not all the way healed (26 staples came out after week 2, replaced by steristrips which were on until last week). Even without the additional swelling, the foot on the "bad" leg is a good shoe size larger than the "good." Just watch out to make sure you don't have any "hot spots" or unusual red areas on your leg which could mean clot issues. And yes, I have tingling/numbness in the leg, mostly around the incision and shin, but it also affects my feet. Doc and PT said it's normal. It sounds like you have a handful at home -- bless you! -- but try to keep the leg elevated as much as you can to help the swelling. Best of luck!

[texanfan4life]

Hope everyone is doing better, I have been 2wks pwb @25lbs. Has anyone used the dynasplint brace for flexion? Hurts like h-ll but my os says it works. Good luck and stay positive.