Tib Fib ankle break

[mittens]

I've got a question for anybody that has had a lower leg break. I had a lower tib and upper fib break in a hockey game 5 weeks ago. The lower break also created a fracture down to my ankle. I just went to the doc today and was told I need to keep off of it for another month and that I probably won't be able to ski until late spring....maybe. That hurts. If anyone has had experience with this type of injury would you share your recovery with me?
I need some sort hope to salvage some of this winter. Thanks

[Buzzworthy]

Hope comes if you actuall stay off it. Ankles simply suck to heal up. I had reconstruction on my left after a mtn. biking accident and it took 3+ years to heal to a point it does not hurt anymore.

But you had a break, not recon, so don't freak. You simply have to stay off breaks. Start now and ski season wil be that much closer.

I am 3 months post op today on my left ACL allograft. I know the frustration.

[jgb@etree]

Hate to be the bearer or bad news, but you're probably looking @ march before skiing is a reality - if you're lucky.

4 years ago I got nailed by a car on my motorcycle and had what sounds like a *very* similar frx of my tib/fib. If you work your ass off and goto PT 3+ times a week for about 6 months like I did, and your body decides to heal quickly I'd guess you'll be out for ~8 months.

[mittens]

Thanks for the feedback buzz and jbg.
jgb, how long after your surgery did you start pt?
Right now I'm just working on getting the ankle flexability going again. Still no weight bearing.

[jgb@etree]

I started PT in the hospital, and continued on after being released. I can't remember how long it was before I could start bearing weight, but once I could they had me on an underwater treadmill in the pool which really got things kickstarted when you are trying to figure out how to walk again. Just do what the doctors and therapists tell you to... half of the stuff they'd tell me to do made no sense, but it worked. Be prepared to be frustrated as hell, but stick with it. Bones heal and chicks dig big scars.

[wardog]

I broke my tib close to the ankle and fib close to the knee. Both were spirals with bone fragmentation. The docs ignored the fib and put a plate and ten screws in the tib. They said don't let the foot touch the ground for three months.

It's now seven months later. I have limited forward ankle flex, and I can't stand on my bad foot with my heel off the floor. Because of those two limitations I can't walk normally and can't walk down stairs normally and can't walk uphill well. I'm working hard to get back to normal. I don't know if this helps you,but good luck -- stay positive.

[Crass3000]

Hate to be the bearer or bad news, but you're probably looking @ march before skiing is a reality - if you're lucky.

Yah I hate to be negative but I agree. I broke my tib around boot-top and the fib just above the ankle and just below the knee (all were spirals) They rodded the tib (which was fine) and tried to screw together the lower fib break (pretty sure I didn't make it out of surgery before the screws broke the bone more) unsuccessfully. This happened a day before the last New Years and I feel like fib is just finally healing well enough to ski. Don't get me wrong... I was pushing around a wheelbarrow all summer but for everything to heal well can take a long time. I saw some studies that seemed to indicate smokers heal bone even less than half as fast as non-smokers. I'm a smoker so that may have been a problem.

[wardog]

Mittens, if you ever played a musical instrument, this is the time to get back into it. Or do anything else you can do to support your spirit. Be patient, and be ready to spend a lot of time and effort with rehab. You will get better!

[HarmonyGrits]

I had a similar break, right in my ankle joint area, about nine years ago, actually nine years ago Wednesday as it turns out. 9 screws, two plates, all of which got removed the following September because the screws felt really gnarly when hitting my ankles on rock while climbing and because they were irritating in ski boots. In my case, I started PT about a week after the injury, and continued at it for 6 months, three days a week at the PT place and every day at home. I worked at it like a maniac, didn't drink, ate right, lost some weight, and after about a year and a half, it got as good as it was going to get. After that it has steadily declined, and cartilage has disappeared, to the point where there is little range of motion and lots of pain sometimes. Surprisingly, I can still ski fine. Just not all day every day, and bumps and air are mostly out. But you know, I'm 43, so that's fine.

I watched Harvest and Continuum so many times while doing PT at home I wore the tapes out. Don't get discouraged, and take it as an opportunity to really focus and hit the PT hard, and take your time and let it heal. Life is long, and one season may be the sacrifice you have to have many more in the future.

Good luck healing

[Gretchen13]

I've broken my ankles 4 times and my legs each once. Legs will heal with a cast, but for me, ankles were always different. Ankle sprains and fractures can be worse than a break because you just have to wait for it to heal, and it takes forever. I fractured my ankle this summer wakeboarding, and I wasnt allowed to walk for 8 weeks. That sucked, I missed the rest of my WB season and half of my MTB races..

The problem is, if you go skiing now, then it will keeping doubling your recovery time until you do wait.

Do you know how to play the guitar? Or learn a new language or something..