Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[Harri]

Hi. My first reply to this thread.
It is really encouraging to read of your experiences and compare to my own. I am 12 months after injury in a motorbike accident. Had severe damage to my left knee. Classified by surgeons as Schatzker type 6.
Non weight bearing for 12 weeks. Lot of PT after that. Still I have only 50% strength compared to my other leg.
Luckily I don't have pain. Except after hard work out when leg and knee will swell for a few hours.
I believe that biking is very good for recovery. Its light exercise with a lot of movement which will increase bloodstream through the injury and speed up healing.

[Harri]

You will be able to walk. Just do your PT. It is a severe damage so don't go too hard. Listen to your body. I also have a "fur sock" sensation on front of the leg. This has, sorry to say, not become better 12 months after my injury. Nerves are strange. I had hypersensitivity at my toes. Could hardly touch them without pain and burning sensation. But it slowly improved and now its much better. Almost normal but wont walk barefoot outdoors.

[aaron85]

Hello everyone,

Three weeks ago I suffered 3 tibial plateau fractures and a partially torn ACL. The fractures are non-displaced and for now do not require surgery. Similarly, the ACL is in a wait and see period to monitor how it heals on its own. I have not been referred to a PT yet but have been given a few exercises to do by the doctor. Does anyone else have experience with the ACL and TPF injuries?
Also, I am noticing what I would call extreme tightness in the quadricep, is this normal? how long did it take for people to get some mobility back?
Thanks

[Skiobsessed]

Hello everyone,

Three weeks ago I suffered 3 tibial plateau fractures and a partially torn ACL. The fractures are non-displaced and for now do not require surgery. Similarly, the ACL is in a wait and see period to monitor how it heals on its own. I have not been referred to a PT yet but have been given a few exercises to do by the doctor. Does anyone else have experience with the ACL and TPF injuries?
Also, I am noticing what I would call extreme tightness in the quadricep, is this normal? how long did it take for people to get some mobility back?
Thanks

Ive heard the Quad length actually shrinks as the muscle atrophys so that would make it feel tight if u try to stretch it... Not sure if thats what you meant tho.
As far as getting ROM back its diff for everyone and depends a lot on how long you have to be in the immobilzer/how hard you work to get it back once allowed. The good news is if you do your PT and dont give up when it gets frustrating it WILL come back! Might take longer than you'd like but it will get there as long as u keep at it! Best of luck!

[tommmy]

Haven't visited in a while and thought I'd post a follow-up. Went hiking for a work day at Magic on June 9. Met up with DoWork and a friend of his and we pushed up the hill to Twilight Zone. Worked all day on the hill..it's pretty steep but not scary steep. We walked to the top and then took the work road down to avoid injuring my knee. It was a great day and despite being in horrible shape, I felt pretty good at the end of the day. This week, I tried a few tentative running steps and felt very little pain...more like pressure. So I started running...Monday, was 1/4 mile, Tyesday was a half mile as were Wednesday and Thursday. Again, my conditioning is shot despite the fact that I've been walking a couple of miles every day. I feel like I'm really on the road back. I may never get back to where I was o January 15th but I should be close. I was very lucky.

Hi, I just read your post about your type 1 Tpf. Congrats on your road to total recovery. I saw your xray and said to my self that's a little better than my injury. I got fx 2/18, & saw os on 2/21. After checking my xray he told me I probably won't need surgery since I got what u got with a bit more separation. I received ct scan 2 days ago and will be going back to os Monday for confirmation about no surgery require....hopefully. so I'm curious on why did you ended up with screws. Wouldn't natural healing be the preferred option?

[MRFRAGILE]

Just fractured by tibial plateau 5 days ago on the slopes. So far minimal pain, no surgery required (fingers crossed it stays that way), and doctor put me in a neoprene brace (bars on the side) that permits for full range of motion. He already has me doing flex exercises (bending knee, leg lifts), scheduling pt starting next week, and icing the knee. Other than that (and no weight bearing or driving), not much in terms of dos and don'ts.

Any tips for a new member of the group? Does it seem too early to be starting these types of exercises? I was shocked that all he gave me was this flimsy brace and instructed me to bend me leg as much as I could. I thought I would be totally immobilized in some sort of locked brace. I'm afraid I'm going to do more damage and then need surgery.

[dj]

Hi, New to the thread. I am 8 days post surgery and haven't had my follow-up with my doctor yet. All I know is I have a plate and 7 screws and I think that my fracture wasn't too terrible. I came out of surgery with a big brace and I am non-weight bearing. I am worried I am being too optimistic about what's going on. I had some really terrible pain days right out of the gate but it isn't bad now and I am just taking some Tylenol. I also feel like I have a lot of mobility in my knee. I can swing it back and forth really well. So I guess I am wondering if this is pretty typical for people. I even went back to my desk job after the first week. My question is about this stupid brace. If I can move my leg well and I have a plate and screws, what's the point of the brace? I haven't worn it the last 2 days and feel no worse without it on, probably better since I can sleep. I am fairly fit but I am a woman in her 50's so I am not kidding myself that I am doing anything different than anybody else. I have read a lot of terrible stories on this site but is there anyone that is having similar experiences.

[samdyke]

Hi all,
Im 23 years old and am 8 months post Tibial Plateau surgery. I did the injury while playing football (AFL) in Australia.
I have built all my muscle back and have full range of motion. I only get sore the day after a heavy day in the gym.
I was given the all clear to start running 3 weeks ago, and was told i would experience pain. I have started slowly and look fine biomechanically.
I experience large amounts of pain whilst doing this running.
Has anyone had any experience in return to running and the pain you experience? Did it eventually dissipate?

[Janis]

So my TPF is new and this is my first week on crutches. No surgery, just braced and non-weight bearing. I'm a normally very active 63yo woman but upper body strength is not my forte. We were planning a cycling trip through Spain in a few weeks. Can't cycle but will follow my mates in a rental car. I am wondering if anyone else has tried or used other mobility devices? Anyone try a seated push scooter? Can a kneeling scooter be used? I don't think the iWalk crutch I've seen advertised in this forum's side bar would work. I don't think it would fit over my brace and I'm not sure about putting weight on the knee. Does anyone have any experience in this arena?

[peaton]

OK, so been quite some time since I've been on here. Thought I was over this, until it was time for my knee replacement. It's been 3yrs since my injury/surgery. However, experiencing some severe pain in the knee joint and along the plate/pin area. When I walk, pivot, etc. especially when working (waitress) I get the sensation that my knee is going to give out and a extremely sharp pain along the plate area. Curious if anyone else with a old/older tibial plateau fracture has had this or what it might be caused from?

[DonnieS]

OK, so been quite some time since I've been on here. Thought I was over this, until it was time for my knee replacement. It's been 3yrs since my injury/surgery. However, experiencing some severe pain in the knee joint and along the plate/pin area. When I walk, pivot, etc. especially when working (waitress) I get the sensation that my knee is going to give out and a extremely sharp pain along the plate area. Curious if anyone else with a old/older tibial plateau fracture has had this or what it might be caused from?

Sorry, I'm a newbie, been 4 months since injury. I have a question for you , have you already had your knee replaced - I am guessing no because you talk about plates and pins? I was told I was going to have mine replaced but recent reports from the doctors say my healing has not progressed enough to do the knee replacement.

Don

[peaton]

No, I have not yet had the TKR. I have been told your joint/bone structure has to be healed first depending on the type of break/injury. If you have plates/pins, these must be removed and healed as well, before the TKR can be done.

[bb1form]

On the morning of the 25th June 2015, my world changed. It was our first run on a run which we spent most of the day before skiing. Snow condition had been poor with man made snow only on the previous 3 days. On this last day of skiing, we decided to ski this same slope. As we got up there for our first run, it was all ice but no snow. Not only that, it was groomed so the surface was flattened and smooth glistening in the sun, like a ice skating rink!! Being a cautious skier for the last two and have decade, i slowly glided down the slope, telling myself to not go up again. But i never made it down. Half way down i went over the edge as the slide could not be stopped, and headed over the edge and for the rocks below.... In that split second i braced myself for the impact. I stuck my legs out... my right ski came off but not the left, as it hit the rock while it was twisted. i knew straight away it was broken..... So with the strong med, leg brace and crutches given by the ski field medical centre, we drove back home for more than 600km over two days, with me screaming in pain with every bump and turn!!!!
And so here i am, searching for people who had the same fracture. Yes, as my surgeon said, "you did a real good job of it" and kept shaking his head. It was a displaced bilateral tibial plateau intraartiuclar fracture!
I had my surgery 9 days ago. I had a plate, many pins, staples, and a hook placed to hold the 3 main pieces of the bones together. The post op xray looked really messy!! Oh, post surgery and the recovery was another story..... The canulla which fluid and medication goes through had came out of me, 4hrs post op i noticed my blanket bed and gown was socked. No wonder i was such pain!!! Could things get worse?! It was pain pain and more pain. It was like coming back from the dead. When the surgeon said i may need to have another one to remove the staple and the hooks in 6wks time, i said i am not going through that again. My body was so battered!! I am almost 50 and weight 58kg and slight. Even though i was a regular gym goer and fit and healthy prior to this, it didnt take much to loss it all. I was always fiercely independent and hands on, and did everything myself rather than allow for help
I have been stuck in bed for over two weeks now, and my world had stopped! Depression has started. This is life changing! Whats going to happen? Will i be back to normal? will i need more surgery? will i walk with a limp?..... I have so many thoughts, which i plan to share by starting a blog. I know this forum is focused on the recovery and thus i shall confine my writing to the physical aspect of the healing, and the mental aspect i am happy to share with anyone who likes to listen.

Recovery Update:
- 9 days post op, swelling has come down, pain has reduced but still was needing Endone 4-5hrly until 24hrs ago.
- oh yeah i forgot to mention, i got dvt, and have to inject myself with blood thinner twice a day still
- trying to stretch my calf but it is already not the same extent as my other leg
- seeing the surgeon in 2 days

[ausgeschieden]

I just got my second TPF, if anyone can believe that.

Back in December 2012, I got a TPF while skiing in Hokkaido. We ended going non-surgical and I needed no follow-on reconstructive knee surgery. I was pretty diligent about rehab/exercise, and for at least the past 6 months, I've considered myself 100% recovered. I have full ROM, no stability issues, and have been doing things like full/deep squats for workout. Overall, I've been very pleased with my recovery from this, always felt I sort of missed a bullet with it.

Monday, while on a company outing, i managed to get another TPF while learning how to wake surf. Kind of a freak accident, and after it, I thought it was only a strain/sprain, but x-rays showed otherwise. I go to orthopedist today (Wednesday), so I don't know what the recommendation will be, but the urgent care people I saw first seemed to think an orthopedist will recommend surgery.

Anyhow, I'm wondering how common it is to have two of these things. My first thought was, well, maybe I'm getting osteoporosis (I'm in my 50's), but the doctor said my bones look fine, solid/dense, etc. And I'm in pretty good shape, so both times I wasn't doing anything very challenging, more sort of mishaps. So maybe I'm just unlucky...

[frankie]

Hey everybody, I've been reading this thread for at least an hour now. Great information here! Well, as the title states, I recently got to experience the nightmare that is a tibial plateau fracture in my left leg due to a motorcycle accident. I'm 33 years old and in good general health, so I hope I have my youth working for me on this recovery. I am no stranger to broken bones as I have broken this leg 3 times prior, broken my right foot, broken a couple of ribs, a finger on my left hand, my right orbital bone in my face (which still has the hardware/implant in there), and my skull. I also have 8 bulging discs, 2 herniated discs, and a torn ligament in my spine. This TP fracture is quite possibly hands-down the most painful injury I've ever had. Yes, I'm accident prone.

Here is my timeline:

July 1st: The accident happened around 7PM. I was immediately taken to the hospital where they straightened my leg and put me in a leg brace up to my thigh. I was told it takes 10-14 days to let the swelling down, but I would definitely need surgery. Pain was incredible. In order to straighten my leg I had to be held down by a friend and 2 hospital workers even after a shot of dilaudid. Life was basically hell for 2 weeks following.

July 13th: I went in for surgery. The doctor was able to keep all the hardware internal, so I don't have any external hardware protruding. Again, back to the long splint and ordered to put no weight on the leg. I'm to keep it elevated and ice it as needed. After awaking from surgery the pain wasn't too bad, but once the nerve block they did on my leg wore off the pain was almost unbearable. This continued for about 3 days after surgery until the swelling went down.

July 23rd: Today. Pain is manageable. I take pain killers as infrequently as possible, but the leg seems to hurt worst in the morning and right before bed. During the day the pain is manageable and at times non-existent. I have a follow up appointment with the orthopedist on Tuesday, July 28th, and hopefully I'll know more about my progress then.

I am able to get around reasonably okay on crutches, and I try to get around and be as independent as possible. I can navigate stairs (which is good since I live in a 2nd floor apartment), I can even drive, but the constant sitting, especially during the summer, is the pits. I feel like the mental toll is actually worse than the physical one with this injury. I've never watched so much TV in my life! What'd you guys and girls do to keep yourself from going insane? I'm a very active, very social person, so being couch/bed ridden and mostly isolated is killing my mental sanity.

Regarding recovery, it seems like most people were able to resume activities that they did before this injury. That has me hopeful that I can as well. I don't ski or do any high impact sports due to my back injuries, but I do play guitar in a rock band which requires I be on my feet playing for 4+ hours some nights. There's a pretty good chance I'll be able to resume doing that, right? I can't imagine being confined to sitting for the rest of my musical career.

Well I'm sure I've rambled on enough for now. I'll post back with any updates as I get them. Lord knows I'll have plenty of time in front of a keyboard to do so. Thanks again for all the info! Hopefully I can somehow contribute positively to this thread as well.

[bb1form]

My 1 month post op update. Swelling is gone at incision site but knee still slightly swollen. Only taking Panadal at bedtime more so for sore back than sore leg. I can randomly feel sharp pain from the screw and the plate. I can feel the screw that looked too long on xray through my skin. I am seeing the surgeon at 6wks post op and hopefully get the go ahead to move and bend my knee as it has been in the full brace the whole time since surgery. I didnt want to think too much about the quality of the surgeons work. but now that i can feel the screw through my skin and there is the possibility of going back into surgery for that correction, made me think if he did a good job or not. I am so traumatised i just can not go through another surgery even if its a quick one. Are there anyone here who had to have a second/correction surgery???

Mentally i am like a yoyo. sometimes i just dont want to live anymore. Its absolutely depressing as my world had stopped and i cant do anything and my siatic nerve is constantly sore from sitting and lying down. I cant sit, lie down or stand withoout pain in my body. My foot would turn purple after couple of minutes of being upright. World goes on outside, i watch tv to numb my brain, and browse the internet. I am so glad i found this site. This is the worst type of knee injury. And my fracture involved both the mesial and lateral condyle and it was displaced, plus the ACL came off with bone etc...... I cant believe after skiing for more than 20yrs that such severe injury occured. I started to think it was fate and it was really bad luck. I am starting to give up on the thought of a normal life. Yes indeed this battle is both a physical and mental one. And the mental one is harder at this stage of recovery. I am tired of crying. Its so lonely and isolating. i have to keep numbing my brain, bed time is the worst time! From what i have read there is many more months of recovery ahead. How am i going to get through that??

[Skiobsessed]

My 1 month post op update. Swelling is gone at incision site but knee still slightly swollen. Only taking Panadal at bedtime more so for sore back than sore leg. I can randomly feel sharp pain from the screw and the plate. I can feel the screw that looked too long on xray through my skin. I am seeing the surgeon at 6wks post op and hopefully get the go ahead to move and bend my knee as it has been in the full brace the whole time since surgery. I didnt want to think too much about the quality of the surgeons work. but now that i can feel the screw through my skin and there is the possibility of going back into surgery for that correction, made me think if he did a good job or not. I am so traumatised i just can not go through another surgery even if its a quick one. Are there anyone here who had to have a second/correction surgery???

Mentally i am like a yoyo. sometimes i just dont want to live anymore. Its absolutely depressing as my world had stopped and i cant do anything and my siatic nerve is constantly sore from sitting and lying down. I cant sit, lie down or stand withoout pain in my body. My foot would turn purple after couple of minutes of being upright. World goes on outside, i watch tv to numb my brain, and browse the internet. I am so glad i found this site. This is the worst type of knee injury. And my fracture involved both the mesial and lateral condyle and it was displaced, plus the ACL came off with bone etc...... I cant believe after skiing for more than 20yrs that such severe injury occured. I started to think it was fate and it was really bad luck. I am starting to give up on the thought of a normal life. Yes indeed this battle is both a physical and mental one. And the mental one is harder at this stage of recovery. I am tired of crying. Its so lonely and isolating. i have to keep numbing my brain, bed time is the worst time! From what i have read there is many more months of recovery ahead. How am i going to get through that??

You will get through it slowly but surely. The non weight baring time is the absolute worst as you have so much time to sit around wondering whats going to happen and no way to kinda test it out and reassure yourself that it will be ok: Have you been able to start PT yet? That will help a lot. Its super tough at the begining but it gets better and better the more you do. Dont get scared if it takes a while to get your ROM back. I freaked when my knee wouldnt bend and thought it was gonna be stuck like that forever but it definitely gets better the more you work at it. Its very hard to believe that things will turn out ok when you are in the first part of this injury but it DOES get better. You will be able to do all of the things you want to (maybe not in the exact same way as you did before) but you'll be able to get to like 90% of what it was..or maybe even better! Just make sure you do all of the PT and stay on it even when its hard. The outcome is definitely worth it. This injury takes a lot of patients and persistance but a year from now you will be back to all of your favorite activities and this will have been just a bump in the road (a HUGE bump) but a fixable one . Dont worry and try to stay positive. Good luck!!!

[bb1form]

You will get through it slowly but surely. The non weight baring time is the absolute worst as you have so much time to sit around wondering whats going to happen and no way to kinda test it out and reassure yourself that it will be ok: Have you been able to start PT yet? That will help a lot. Its super tough at the begining but it gets better and better the more you do. Dont get scared if it takes a while to get your ROM back. I freaked when my knee wouldnt bend and thought it was gonna be stuck like that forever but it definitely gets better the more you work at it. Its very hard to believe that things will turn out ok when you are in the first part of this injury but it DOES get better. You will be able to do all of the things you want to (maybe not in the exact same way as you did before) but you'll be able to get to like 90% of what it was..or maybe even better! Just make sure you do all of the PT and stay on it even when its hard. The outcome is definitely worth it. This injury takes a lot of patients and persistance but a year from now you will be back to all of your favorite activities and this will have been just a bump in the road (a HUGE bump) but a fixable one . Dont worry and try to stay positive. Good luck!!!

Thanks you Skiobssessed for your encouraging words. I tried not to think too much about how long it will take to recovery, but i have constant pressure from work, the renovators who was about to start work on my house, and the neighbour who wants a new fence. They cant understand why i cant continou with those plans. They were the last thing on my mind as i battled to stay pain free physically and emotionally. And even if i was pain free, I cant even go outside my house at the moment as i have 17 steps and no rails to go down to the ground level, and i dont want to risk re injuring the leg. I think unless people who had gone through this type of injury it is difficult for them to understand. They tend to think its just another leg fracture or a torn ligament and i will be back to normal in a few weeks. They certainly dont understand the mental battle. I decided to send my post op xray to work to help them to understand the nature of this injury a little. The blood thinner also make my body feel weak and unsteady. I feel nervous walking to my kitchen and bathroom on my crutches. Yesterday I finally had the courage to have my first shower since the hospital. I guess thats a positive. And the only other positive from this at the moment is that this accident happened during winter here in Australia as i believe it would be an additional hurdle to stay cool when bedbound or chair bound in summer.

My surgeon had not given me a timeline of my recovery. Next week at my 6wk post op i will have ultrasound to see if my dvt blood clot is gone, and have scans and then decide from there. I am feeling very nervous now. At this stage i am more worried about if i need to go back into surgery to have the one screws thats too long and another on the plateau surface removed then starting pt. i am just mentally and physically not able to go through it again so soon!

I like to post my xrays here but not sure how.

[bb1form]

History:
25/06/15 ski accident, xrayed and brace and crutches purchased at the ski field medical centre. Made the painful journey back home in our car.
29/06 Saw OS for consult, CT scan, diagnosed with bilateral(both medial and lateral) displaced tibial plateau fracture, detached ACL
30/06 Had surgery, 1 plate, 10 screws, a hook, couple of staples, 21 skin staples, DVT clot 10cm. Hospitalized for 4 days
13/7 Two wks post op review, skin staples removed, DVT clot 6cm

10/08 Six wks post op review, DVT clot 2cm, still not allowed to have PT but allowed to move my knee to 45 degrees by myself. He said its catch 22, between to mobilise my knee and to prevent damage the work done on my knee. Also concerned re my rate of healing due to my age(50just). His fellow surgeon was keen to put me on angled brace but he was not. Right now, my knee is at 40 degree flexion. I cant push it any further without feeling like the patellar was getting stuck and feeling pain. I watched a utube clip on why the knee feels stiff after surgery. It helps to understand what we are dealing with.

Mentally, i am numb. The world goes on without me. Family members losing their patience with me. I went through the black hole many times and didnt care anymore. I went from a strong independent professional woman to one that's totally defeated. Today, i spoke to myself(which i do alot since accident) that i am the only person that can get myself out of this situation faster. The sooner i heal the sooner i dont have to depend on other people. It gave a new drive to get better quicker. My OS said to move my knee to 45 degree for another two weeks(8wks post op). He will xray my knee then. Based on what i have read here, thats very late. May be he is not confident that his work inside my knee will hold up. Yes, everyone have a different degree of injury, and every surgeon manage it slightly different, but based on what i have read so far on this forum, i think 45degrees at 6-8wks post op for my degree of injury sounds rather conservative. I am in Australia, and may be the surgeons here dont do as many TPF cases as their northern hemisphere collegues.

[corky7]

Hi to all the wonderful people on here going through similar pain, experiences, anxieties, feelings, thoughts and struggles as myself.
I have just found this today and spent hours reading ( not all but many ) of the experiences on here.
I have never before felt the need to get the reassurance of a group like this, but today I felt so low, yeah I cried, sometimes uncontrollably, till that feeling passed . Then I thought... I need to find out more about what I'm going through. To be honest I felt before that I didn't want to go researching as perhaps it would give me more concerns and make me more anxious about the future, now I think, because of the way I felt today, I have to find out !!!
Just a bit of background to this ;
I'm a pretty fit 50 yr old from Scotland who loves football ( yeah what you call soccer ) so since I stopped playing the full game ten years ago , I have played indoor ( five a side ) to keep fit and competitive, sometimes I play 3 times a week.
On June 20th that changed as I blocked as someone simultaneously was shooting for goal, the resultant collision ended up with my lower leg excrutiatingly paralysed , numbed and tingling at the same time ..and I knew it was bad.
It was a Friday night, so I was told that the x rays would decide the outcome , but was told some possible scenarios..it didn't bode well for me as I am self employed and had just started a new venture.
Of course here we have a wonderful NHS which means there is no waiting for insurance dealings etc, so over the weekend I was told I would receive phonecalls to inform me when surgery would take place.
The surgery took place on the Monday and I spent two nights in hospital, the following two weeks were ..and are.. pretty hazy as I was doped up with dihydrocodeine, which numbed the pain to a certain extent.
Fast forward and each time I have a hospital appointment I may have seen 5 consultants in total so far and all of them say the same thing on viewing the x rays....this is a great repair job, the surgeon has done an amazing job etc.
I had a depressed fracture plus split fracture which required a six inch plate and 7 screws along with bone graft from the hip mixed with artificial filler, the top three screws forming a platform at the top of the tibia. On being warned about the danger of putting any weight on my leg , one consultant made the analogy that the repair was like a trampoline, flat and tight ...unless you bounce on it ...then it will just bend.
I want the best results so I have followed the experts instructions to the letter. my physio is pleased with my progress, over three weeks the angular range of motion went from 85 degrees to 118 degrees and the last consultant to see me three days ago said everything is excellent, which was encouraging.
So why did I breakdown today?
The truth is its a long haul, especially the inactivity and the future is still uncertain.
The posts on here are many and varied and that is just it....so are the injuries...who knows? perhaps millimetres here and there can make a tremendous difference to the outcome, but what is great is we are more or less all in the same boat...everyone here should remember we are all different and just take what positivity we can from every story, because we all have the ability within ourselves to fight and say to ourselves ...I can make it ...whatever that goal is..
At least thats what I intend to do.
I thank everyone on here for giving me the strength and determination to do this...at the moment I am at 8 weeks post op and 25 % WB with crutches, range of movement is good ....I CAN DO THIS

[Brandwin]

Fractured my tibia plateau on 08/09/15 during q co-ed flag football game.

Dr said it was depressed 5-6 cm and surgery is needed, that is scheduled for Wendesday at 8:30. I don't worry much about anything, but I have to say, the nerves are starting to get to me.

Depression is starting to kick in as well. I'm not able to help my wife with the family, and just normal duties, ie grocery shopping, bathing our son, etc... I can't play with my son like we usually do, rough house, wrestling around, hide in seek, but we have been doing other things, coloring, playing with toys.

I feel this is going to take a big toll on the family and my marriage was a bit rocky already.

I'm glad I found this site and can read so many different stories. My doctor told me I would just be in the hospital one night, which seems shirt compared to some of you all. I hope he was correct. This seems like it's going to be a long journey, I'm just ready to get the surgery over with and get it going. How bad was the pain post-op?

One odd question, will I have to have a catheter? Haha.


Edit: one good bit of info, I did find out that since I have so many years or service, my short term disability actually covers 100% up to 13 weeks and then 65% after. Doctor said I will be off of work at least 4-6 weeks at the bare minimum

[corky7]

Fractured my tibia plateau on 08/09/15 during q co-ed flag football game.

Dr said it was depressed 5-6 cm and surgery is needed, that is scheduled for Wendesday at 8:30. I don't worry much about anything, but I have to say, the nerves are starting to get to me.

Depression is starting to kick in as well. I'm not able to help my wife with the family, and just normal duties, ie grocery shopping, bathing our son, etc... I can't play with my son like we usually do, rough house, wrestling around, hide in seek, but we have been doing other things, coloring, playing with toys.

I feel this is going to take a big toll on the family and my marriage was a bit rocky already.

I'm glad I found this site and can read so many different stories. My doctor told me I would just be in the hospital one night, which seems shirt compared to some of you all. I hope he was correct. This seems like it's going to be a long journey, I'm just ready to get the surgery over with and get it going. How bad was the pain post-op?

One odd question, will I have to have a catheter? Haha.


Edit: one good bit of info, I did find out that since I have so many years or service, my short term disability actually covers 100% up to 13 weeks and then 65% after. Doctor said I will be off of work at least 4-6 weeks at the bare minimum

My advice would be concentrate on the here and now and don't look too far ahead, you'll be able to play with your kid in so many different ways than what you think and it will probably be really good for your bonding with him.
remember also us humans are highly adaptable and we find all sorts of different ways of doing things , so you will cope.
It won't take a toll on your family if you remain positive , because they are there for you in your time of need, perhaps it will also help your relationship, especially when you realise our frailties and how much our good health is really our greatest asset , not money or possessions.

I was two nights in hospital, take all the painkillers you are allowed, you don't have to be a hero !!!

While i was in hospital, the first 24 hrs anyway, I stayed in bed and pissed in the bottle they give you, so no you don't need a catheter !!!

Listen to the experts advice and think to yourself ...You want the best possible outcome, They have seen this injury before..its all new to you ..They will want to get you bending your leg as soon as possible as thats best for you in the long term.
It's a bit scary at first , but that will give you focus and you'll think...Wow look at my progress compared to a week ago and that will motivate you, but remember you have to take it day by day and week by week.

All the best with op, let us know how it goes.

[RootSkier]

Hey all. I am two years out a tibial plateau fracture and I just want to let you know that it's not the end of anything. I ski, bike, and just went on a weeklong backpacking trip in Glacier National Park. Do your PT and get strong (I started Crossfit about a year post-op and it was the best decision I have made in terms of getting stronger all around). I did get my hardwear out after a year and that was a really, really good decision. Everything has been better since then.

Good luck.

[Brandwin]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I had my surgery on Wednesday the 19th and was home the next evening. They had my leg in a machine that was bending it at 50 degrees and then straightening it for over 12 hours. Once I hit the 12 hour mark, it started to become painful, but the doctor was very pleased I was able to do as much.

I pressed the morphine drip quite a bit at first, but I was really nasueas so I stopped for quite a while, the pain wasn't too bad and I was willing to deal with that more than throwing up (huge baby when it comes to being nauseated)

Doctor said he wants me off 6-12 weeks. I get Staples removed on the 31st. I am really, really, surprised how low the pain is. Sure it hurts and more so when I move, but the most pain is the soreness around the incession. Right now I am staying away from any pain medixibe, not because I am trying to be tough, because I am far from it, but because I really don't feel like I need it. That might change, but right now I am dealing fine.

I might have an odd question and if it's been tackled on here before and someone can send me to the right post, i would appreciate it, but what about sexual relations? How do you guys handle that?

Thanks,

[powdork]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
I might have an odd question and if it's been tackled on here before and someone can send me to the right post, i would appreciate it, but what about sexual relations? How do you guys handle that?

The penis still goes in the vagina, or elsewhere as before. Anything involving supporting yourself on your knees is out for a bit. The rest is is up to you. It can make your leg go more straight or more bent than you'd like but that's how you break up scar tissue so don't let a little pain stop you.