Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[Lornadoone]

Crashed on my mtn bike a year and a half ago in Sept. 2010 causing my tibial plateau fracture. I have 2 plates and 8 screws in there. The first thing I said to myself when it happened was there goes ski season, but I was able to ski in Feb. 2011 and got back on my bike last summer. This year I skied soft bumps and crud and it felt pretty good. I still have some pain on the inside of my knee, but I'm hoping with continued exercise, that will go away. I worked hard on my PT at the gym and at home. My knee feels like there's a rock in there though and I've heard other people talk about having the hardware removed. I'm 59 years old and want to make my knees last for a while longer so I'm thinking it should stay in there. Does anyone with this same injury have any opinions about this?

[Nurse Nina]

You made my day. Really, were you on skis in 6 months? I hope to get back to my regular activity as quickly as you. You have made a remarkable recovery on an obviously young active 59 year old. By the other posts, this looks like it is going to be a long recovery.

Here is my story: I am a 48 year old girl three weeks post injury and two weeks post-op. I was happily skiing at Loon Mountain on my brand new Volkyl Tierra skis with my husband and best friends when I got hip checked by a snowboarder. It was enough to knock me off balance and the back of my ski got caught in the softened snow and the bindings didn't release. I sustained a fracture across the tibial plateau that spiraled down the tibial shaft. After a week in an external fixator, I had surgery to repair the injury with a plate and a few screws. I haven't seen the repair x-rays and will see my doc tomorrow to get the 26 staples and pin stitches removed.
I just can't get over how tired I get. I need a nap every afternoon after a 10 hour night. I never slept more than 7 hours in a day and was always on my feet and on the go. I am finally only taking Tylenol for the pain. Can't stand the effects of the narcotics, like the shivers, sweats and constipation, but have them for back up after my PT sessions.
Right now I am able to get my foot flexed up to about 80 degrees, it needs to be at least 90 and my knee bends to about 60 degrees. I have PT come to the house two days per week to go over the stretching and flexion to maintain range. My knee feels really wobbly when out of the brace. I am so afraid to put my foot down or keep my leg down more than a few minutes it takes me to hop with the walker to the bathroom. I get around the house with a wheel chair and the walker. My question is how long before I can start doing things myself in the kitchen. I miss cooking and preparing the family meals.

[East Mtn]

I just went for a post-op doctor appointment and was told I won't be getting any PT. He said I can just do it myself, and that with my co-pay it would be incredibly expensive. I was told that on Tax Day I can go down to one crutch, then 5 days later I can walk. But how the heck do I do that?? I cn't even straighten my leg enough to get my foot flat on the ground. Can any of you getting full PT please give me some advice?

Wow, trauma surgeons have a reputation for arrogance, but that boggles my mind. At the least, I'd get a second opinion from another orthopedist about PT. I can imagine a collaborative discussion with a doctor towards limiting PT to keep it within a budget, but not that sort of absolute statement.

To walk without risking a long-term or even permanent limp, you will need near-complete terminal knee extension and at least some ankle dorsiflexion. YouTube seems to have a wealth of videos on both. A lot of it is stretching and stretching and stretching. If all that fails, there are surgical options, but I'd spend a lot of time stretching first. (Did I mention stretching?)

[amoparker]

Thanks East Mtn! It is nice to get the feedback that wanting PT does not make me crazy, or just a big baby. I want to be sure I do this right, so I recover as quickly and fully as possible. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow and ask him to reconsider a referral.
Amanda

[East Mtn]

Thanks East Mtn! It is nice to get the feedback that wanting PT does not make me crazy, or just a big baby. I want to be sure I do this right, so I recover as quickly and fully as possible. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow and ask him to reconsider a referral.
Amanda

Amanda, I'm glad to hear that was of use. Keep in mind that you are in charge of your body, and you hire docs and other health professionals to work for you on fixing and healing that body. You also fire them. Insurance can complicate that, but it should provide, as a patient right, access to a second opinion. Even if insurance ties your hands, consider going outside it for one-time services or consultations. If paying out of pocket, you should be able to pre-negotiate with the provider a fixed rate, comparable to what they get from insurance companies, based on you paying cash up front. That rate is typically much less than the entirely bogus numbers they will throw onto a bill if you don't negotiate first.

Also use the doctor-ratings sites. If you Google a doc, complete with address, you will usually see a list of rating sites (healthgrades, vitals, ratemds, etc.). Or you can go to those sites and search. Keep a skeptical mind as you read ratings, as there can be some vandalism, and there are many cranky people who are in pain when they write them. Still, 90% of doc ratings overall are positive. Comparing to that overall number and against ratings of other local docs, you can usually discern a trend, and if yours is consistently described as a jerk, it's time to find an alternative. No matter how skilled a surgeon he may be, if he deals deal with humans only as assemblies of bone and connective tissue to be screwed back together, then he shouldn't be allowed out of the operating room. Another doc can do the followup care.

[amoparker]

Amanda, I'm glad to hear that was of use. Keep in mind that you are in charge of your body, and you hire docs and other health professionals to work for you on fixing and healing that body. You also fire them. Insurance can complicate that, but it should provide, as a patient right, access to a second opinion. Even if insurance ties your hands, consider going outside it for one-time services or consultations. If paying out of pocket, you should be able to pre-negotiate with the provider a fixed rate, comparable to what they get from insurance companies, based on you paying cash up front. That rate is typically much less than the entirely bogus numbers they will throw onto a bill if you don't negotiate first.

Also use the doctor-ratings sites. If you Google a doc, complete with address, you will usually see a list of rating sites (healthgrades, vitals, ratemds, etc.). Or you can go to those sites and search. Keep a skeptical mind as you read ratings, as there can be some vandalism, and there are many cranky people who are in pain when they write them. Still, 90% of doc ratings overall are positive. Comparing to that overall number and against ratings of other local docs, you can usually discern a trend, and if yours is consistently described as a jerk, it's time to find an alternative. No matter how skilled a surgeon he may be, if he deals deal with humans only as assemblies of bone and connective tissue to be screwed back together, then he shouldn't be allowed out of the operating room. Another doc can do the followup care.

That's just the thing--he IS my follow up doctor. I wish so badly I could just have kept seeing the docs who did the surgery--they are Vail-based absolute aces who work on the likes of Lindsey Vonn. They had me doing PT in the hospital bed for the short time I was there. I am sure if I could commute to Vail (or had different insurance) that I would be getting better care. Some part of me suspects that this doctor is still mad that I didn't have him do the surgery (he initially implied that I should have hopped into an ambulance for the 2-plus hour drive over the pass instead of staying up there for the surgery...yeah, right). In any case, I finally found a way to get therapy sessions for $50/each so I start this Thursday! I can't wait and again, thanks for the advice.
-A-

[East Mtn]

That's just the thing--he IS my follow up doctor. I wish so badly I could just have kept seeing the docs who did the surgery--they are Vail-based absolute aces who work on the likes of Lindsey Vonn. They had me doing PT in the hospital bed for the short time I was there. I am sure if I could commute to Vail (or had different insurance) that I would be getting better care. Some part of me suspects that this doctor is still mad that I didn't have him do the surgery (he initially implied that I should have hopped into an ambulance for the 2-plus hour drive over the pass instead of staying up there for the surgery...yeah, right). In any case, I finally found a way to get therapy sessions for $50/each so I start this Thursday! I can't wait and again, thanks for the advice.
-A-

Amanda, glad to hear that you have PT figured out. It will help. In fact, I just took a couple of hours from my business trip to downtown Denver to get some local PT, rather than go a week without. It was my first experience with "trigger point injection" to relieve some knots in my calf. Sure helps, during three days of hobbling around the convention center.

Quite possible that your local doc is acting odd because he feels upstaged by the Operating Surgeon. Docs are as human as any of us, and if the $$ and the glory go to the other side of Vail Pass, they may behave with jealousy.

One thing you might want to consider is keeping your operating surgeon as primary. Not that it will delight your local doc, but if you read the thread, you'll see I've done exactly that, remotely following the recommendation of my Salt Lake -based OS over and against my Northern Virginia doc. If the OS is out of plan, you can try filing an appeal with your insurance. If you can talk to a human being, they may listen to reason. Docs who screw together six skiing TPFs a week are going to develop some expertise, and it's actually important to them that they stay in contact with the patients long enough to learn the outcomes. Doctors put great store in their "clinical experience," but it is actually only as useful as their knowledge of the outcomes. (This is probably why psychotherapists don't get better with experience--they don't have reliable enough long-term contact with their patients.)

Best of luck,
Chris

[Lornadoone]

You made my day. Really, were you on skis in 6 months? I hope to get back to my regular activity as quickly as you. You have made a remarkable recovery on an obviously young active 59 year old. By the other posts, this looks like it is going to be a long recovery.

Here is my story: I am a 48 year old girl three weeks post injury and two weeks post-op. I was happily skiing at Loon Mountain on my brand new Volkyl Tierra skis with my husband and best friends when I got hip checked by a snowboarder. It was enough to knock me off balance and the back of my ski got caught in the softened snow and the bindings didn't release. I sustained a fracture across the tibial plateau that spiraled down the tibial shaft. After a week in an external fixator, I had surgery to repair the injury with a plate and a few screws. I haven't seen the repair x-rays and will see my doc tomorrow to get the 26 staples and pin stitches removed.
I just can't get over how tired I get. I need a nap every afternoon after a 10 hour night. I never slept more than 7 hours in a day and was always on my feet and on the go. I am finally only taking Tylenol for the pain. Can't stand the effects of the narcotics, like the shivers, sweats and constipation, but have them for back up after my PT sessions.
Right now I am able to get my foot flexed up to about 80 d.grees, it needs to be at least 90 and my knee bends to about 60 degrees. I have PT come to the house two days per week to go over the stretching and flexion to maintain range. My knee feels really wobbly when out of the brace. I am so afraid to put my foot down or keep my leg down more than a few minutes it takes me to hop with the walker to the bathroom. I get around the house with a wheel chair and the walker. My question is how long before I can start doing things myself in the kitchen. I miss cooking and preparing the family meals.

I stopped using my crutches the day after Thanksgiving 2010 two months after my surgery. Sounds like your injury is going to take more time but your flexion is going really well. Keep up with that and PT as well as at home PT on your own. When I started weight bearing and walking without my crutches, it took about a month for my ankle to stop hurting. I stopped the pain meds except for tylenol the first week after surgery. I couldn't stand the side effects either. As for getting around when I was on my crutches, I just got creative holding one in my arm pit so I could hold something in my hand and walk across a room.. You have to feel confident but be very careful. You don't want to mess up what the Dr. just fixed. Good Luck and Patience is a Virtue.

[amoparker]

Amanda, glad to hear that you have PT figured out. It will help. In fact, I just took a couple of hours from my business trip to downtown Denver to get some local PT, rather than go a week without. It was my first experience with "trigger point injection" to relieve some knots in my calf. Sure helps, during three days of hobbling around the convention center.

Quite possible that your local doc is acting odd because he feels upstaged by the Operating Surgeon. Docs are as human as any of us, and if the $$ and the glory go to the other side of Vail Pass, they may behave with jealousy.

One thing you might want to consider is keeping your operating surgeon as primary. Not that it will delight your local doc, but if you read the thread, you'll see I've done exactly that, remotely following the recommendation of my Salt Lake -based OS over and against my Northern Virginia doc. If the OS is out of plan, you can try filing an appeal with your insurance. If you can talk to a human being, they may listen to reason. Docs who screw together six skiing TPFs a week are going to develop some expertise, and it's actually important to them that they stay in contact with the patients long enough to learn the outcomes. Doctors put great store in their "clinical experience," but it is actually only as useful as their knowledge of the outcomes. (This is probably why psychotherapists don't get better with experience--they don't have reliable enough long-term contact with their patients.)

Best of luck,
Chris

That's funny, Chris, I work literally two blocks from the convention center. I have been watching the Women's NCAA crowds roam downtown lately from my office window.
My insurance is thru Kaiser, which an island unto itself. I fear my hands are tied, but I envy what you were able to do. At this point I am just happy to have PT of any kind on the horizon, rather than none. I am scared about how painful it will be but at the same time I can't freaking wait. Bring it on!
-A-

[Mallen65]

The last time I posted I said I was signing off forever because I had just come from my 6 month doctor appointment and was feeling defeated. The resident that saw me at the time didn't have much to say that was positive. I went in feeling positive and left there deflated. Today I went and saw a new doctor for a second opinion, I went in again feeling positive and left feeling deflated again. I knew my injury was severe, but I was hoping for some kind of positive feed back. All of my symptoms, the muscle and bone pain, and other issues are what they consider normal for 7 months into recovery. I will be looking at a knee replacement within 5 to 8 years he said. I thought I was being unrealistic about my recovery and looking for something that just isn't there which my doctor informed me is also normal for this injury. So I know where I stand with everything so I will continue to ride my exercise bike everyday as well as my stretching and walking. I have been reading everybody's postings, new and old members. I still find it comforting to hear from people I can relate to when it comes to this injury. Thanks to all the kind words and support I received from all of you, I wish everyone a good recovery, physically and most important mentally!

[tibfibxib]

In the hope of providing some encouragement for someone, I share the following...

I had my first post operative X-rays today. My surgeon said that my bone is healing really well. There was visible bone growth at the fracture sites and all of my hardware and bone fragments were still where they belonged. Unfortunately I'm stuck NWB. My surgeon swore that he would let me put weight on me leg four weeks from now. I'm bummed that it's another month, but that was his best case scenario from the start of this whole ordeal, so I'm trying not to complain too bitterly.

As my leg is healing well, I was also cleared for PT this morning! Naturally I scheduled my PT evaluation as soon as possible. As luck would have it, that turned out to be earlier this afternoon.

I have extension of my leg to 2 degrees and flexion to 106. Both numbers are pretty good for where I'm at in recovery I'm told. My therapist will attempt to get me to a functional range of motion (0 degrees extension and 145 flexion) within the next month or so. In addition to my evaluation, I also got to ride a stationary bike for 10 minutes! No doubt you all will appreciate what a nice change that was. I have two additional PT sessions next week where I will get to walk in a pool. That doesn't sound exciting to your average person probably, but I can't wait.

I'm now about 6 1/2 weeks out from a tib / fib fracture, Schatzker type 6 tibial plateau destruction that resulted in compartment syndrome, a double fasciotomy, an IM rod, 2 plates and quite few screws. My ROM after surgery was maybe 60 degrees.

I tend to be a negativist. If that sounds like you, have faith! My leg was pretty hosed and while the road to recovery is seemingly endless and depressing, you will slowly see improvement and make progress. At the age of 38, I don't heal like an 18 year old anymore, but I am in fact on the mend. I've worked hard on my own to improve my ROM. As much as it sucks I've also tried hard to follow my surgeon's orders regarding NWB, not taking NSAID's and eating well. It seems to be paying dividends.

Speedy healing to you all.

Mike -- http://tibfibxib.com/

[Ryanrene]

95 days post op from 2nd surgery. TPF VI plus 2 spiral fractures all thanks to my horse. I've been cleared for full weight bear, which scares me to death. I still use 2 crutches although I am using one crutch more and more. Only in PT am I "walking" which at this time resembles Lurch from the Addams Family. Fatigue is my biggest obstacle as I re-learn how to walk. Apparently my hip muscle is weak so i don't extend my leg all the way back before I swing it forward. My core is weak, my quad is weak, my calf if stiff...blah blah blah. My OS said month 4-6 is the worst part of this injury. When he told me that I thought "really? so the ex-fix drilled into my leg wasn't the worst..or maybe the multiple times a day that the pin holes had to be scrubbed with soap..or the miserable 24/7 nausea recoverying from 2 surgeries...or the desire to slit my wrists from depression and bordom...or having to rely on everyone to help you do simple things..." Nope. It's gonna get worse because I feel better, stronger and WANT to do things and my leg won't let me. Whatever. I hate this injury.

My PT has focused nearly exclusively on my extention in order to get me walking. Laying down on the table, all warmed up and with him pushing me I can get to 3 extention. But now that I am walking, my knee pops out like crazy and I'm at 11 extention. WTH! Well what I learned was that being on the table its easier to get that extention thanks to gravity. Once you're up and walking, the knee relies on the muscles and memory to pull that knee back and I don't have that last 10ish degress of muscle power. BOO. Anyone else yell like you're being murdered during PT or am I the only one??

My flexion is kinda stuck. I fluctuate between 75 and 80. My OS thinks I'll be good to get to 90 with the extent of my injury. This depresses me deeply. All I can do it keep on going. So I try to work on stretching my calf/hammy, trying to extend the time I can fully bear my weight on my bad leg (Im at about 10 seconds..woo hoo).

Lately I have had my knee lock up and had to pop it to get it to bend. Oddest thing. And not very comfortable. Anyone have any trouble with this? My foot pain is slowly subsiding for all who complain of this. My was bad in the beginning. Anyone who came with in a short distance of my foot was yelled at....kids, dogs, air...pinching my toes caused great pain. I didn't think I could ever wear a shoe again. Welp, I am wearing a SHOE. And using it to walk (or lurch). I has a couple nights of cankles and I need to elevate still at night but its getting better. I dont shudder now when someone comes near it. Small signs of progress.

[Ryanrene]

The last time I posted I said I was signing off forever because I had just come from my 6 month doctor appointment and was feeling defeated. The resident that saw me at the time didn't have much to say that was positive. I went in feeling positive and left there deflated. Today I went and saw a new doctor for a second opinion, I went in again feeling positive and left feeling deflated again. I knew my injury was severe, but I was hoping for some kind of positive feed back. All of my symptoms, the muscle and bone pain, and other issues are what they consider normal for 7 months into recovery. I will be looking at a knee replacement within 5 to 8 years he said. I thought I was being unrealistic about my recovery and looking for something that just isn't there which my doctor informed me is also normal for this injury. So I know where I stand with everything so I will continue to ride my exercise bike everyday as well as my stretching and walking. I have been reading everybody's postings, new and old members. I still find it comforting to hear from people I can relate to when it comes to this injury. Thanks to all the kind words and support I received from all of you, I wish everyone a good recovery, physically and most important mentally!

Hi Matt!! So happy to see you back...even though you never wanted to return! Hang in there.

[amoparker]

Matt--I don't know your history that well since I am so new, but I am glad you are here. I am really loving this site and I can use all of the advice you can give since you are further along than I am.
Ryanrene--Your X-Rays make me feel like a whimp! Between yours and Chris', I am humbled. My measly single plate and 8 screws seem to pale in comparison to your bad-a$$ injuries. I too am struggling with complete frustration and depression (which is odd for me because I am normally a very optimistic person) so I am glad to have you here too. I start my PT tomorrow and I have already informed my husband that I will probably scream and cry like a banshee if they put pressure on my leg to try to straighten it. I will let you know! On a totally different note, I don't watch a lot of television normally, but with all the pain and sleeplessness I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos on my IPad. I of course have been researching this injury like crazy, and came across some interviews with some blond actress who stars in that show "Big Bang Theory" (which I have never watched an episode of). Have you read or watched anything about her story? She is a bit of a ditz to watch, but she was bucked off a spooked horse who crushed her lower leg--sounds something like your story and you might find it interesting. I think I saw a clip of her on Letterman. It might be fun to check out if you haven't yet.
Mike--Do you have an XRay to share? It helps me understand what everyone is dealing with when there are pictures.
-A-

[SoccerGirl]

great posts everyone!
Had my 6-week post-op x-ray yesterday... like someone else posted above, I went in hopeful and came out crushed, depressed, like it's over for my future hopes of playing sports again, etc. I know i'm probably over-reacting but still hard to shake. 1st thing nurse said when she came in was, "Well, it has settled/ sunk down over last few weeks, which means you will see early onset arthritis." Supposedly that's not uncommon, but i know how it's critical that the bones be brought up and leveled well. Maybe it was those couple times i slipped on the crutches and landed hard on my heel.
Also, the x-ray looks just as bad as from the get-go, though Nurse says there is some new bone growth.
I don't really trust her counsel to start basically full WB all of the sudden, using crutches just for balance... a prior doc and everything i've read said it's best to start 25%, etc. I hope to get a 2nd opinion.
Thanks again everyone for sharing your stories, struggles and rays-of-hope both.

[SoccerGirl]

Any PT advice?
Been obsessing about trying find the best. What lengths should we go to, you know? Is it really necessary to move, or drive long distances (can't drive at all yet anyways), that's what i'm asking myself.
Have you all tried to find a sports-focused PT? Just look at reviews online, or their bio's?Those of you who've switched (as i've read a little in prior posts), what are things you'd advise to look out for, to avoid, or to like.

Like aqua-therapy: hard to find where i live. How important/ critical has it been for you? Helps ROM right?
thanks!!!

[amoparker]

Any PT advice?
Been obsessing about trying find the best. What lengths should we go to, you know? Is it really necessary to move, or drive long distances (can't drive at all yet anyways), that's what i'm asking myself.
Have you all tried to find a sports-focused PT? Just look at reviews online, or their bio's?Those of you who've switched (as i've read a little in prior posts), what are things you'd advise to look out for, to avoid, or to like.

Like aqua-therapy: hard to find where i live. How important/ critical has it been for you? Helps ROM right?
thanks!!!

I like those PT questions--they will help me too if someone chimes in! I will tell you that I went and just did some of my own PT in the pool at the local rec center on Sunday and I can tell you it was amazing! Even after just doing about 30 minutes of things like half-jacks and high knees in shoulder-deep water I felt like I had a noticeable improvement in my flexion. Not so much my extension, but definitely flexion.
-A-

[liamy]

Hi guys. I just passed my nine month mark and have had alot of PT experience, so I offer my two cents.
I've have three different PTs. What helped me the most was the PT who had additional training/certification in "manual therapy". I have struggled alot with getting full extension. The PT I went to for the majority of my rehab did almost nothing to help my ROM. When I started with him I was at 130ish flexion, but missing 7 in extension. Looking back, I think he knew my flexion was good and just passed over the extension. We also spent alot of time in the pool and I think the hands on part was neglected. It came back to bite me. I eventually left him and went to the manual therapy guy who would push it straight. It was hell. I would get cool, clammy and pale and feel like passing out. But in only two weeks, I was hovering between 0-2 degrees. No pain, no gain I guess!
I did a couple months in the pool starting when the doc said I could weight bear. I think it was a great way to slowly start bearing more weight. It took me a long time to get to full weight beating. If I could do it again, I would have the PT instruct me on what to do in the pool and I would've gone to the local swim center and done it myself. The rec center in my area has time set aside for people who need rehab swimming/exercising. I didn't know it at the time though.

Trust your gut. I knew that there should be more attention paid to my extension and when I asked, he always said "it will get there". I should've got a second opinion sooner.

Be patient (easier said than done, I know!). It takes a long time to see any real progress. The ROM you can measure with a number but the strength is different. You can't really measure day to day, week to week. But pretty soon you'll look back and realize how far you've come.

I agree, I like seeing XRays! It's a badge of honor!! I posted mine many pages back, but here they are again. I'm super proud of those pics!! Maybe proud isn't the right word, but I'm sure you all know what I mean!

I wish you all the very best!! I hope this has helped a little.
amy

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[amoparker]

Man, Amy. I have to admit that looking at your XRays just made me burst into tears. I still am in such denial and disbelief that I hurt myself this badly, to actually belong with this group. I was just having a relaxing day skiing with my family! The sun was shining! I did nothing crazy! How is this even possible?!?
I realize I am new here, but this group is the best therapy I could ask for right now. Thanks for sharing that again for us newbies, Amy. My first PT appointment is tomorrow and I am so scared for them to try pushing on my leg to extend it. I know it is for the best but holy cow...it's gonna be horrible.

[liamy]

I can relate. Even though this is a skiing website, I wasn't skiing. I was walking!!! We were on our annual camping trip. We have a trailer/RV and I fell coming out of it. It's maybe 3ish feet from the ground with one little narrow step. It was first thing in the morning and I was going to make coffee. I had a full-to-the-top cup of water and was trying not to spill it. I wasn't paying attention and when I stepped out of the trailer, I missed the step and fell straight down onto my fully extended leg. I looked down and saw that I wasn't going to hit the step and started yelling "ow, ow, ow, ow" before I hit the ground. My husband said that I didn't spill the water though!!! We were in the middle of nowhere. No cell service. It was 45 minutes on the windiest bumpiest gravel road up out of the canyon until we got cell service. The ambulance met us and it was another half hour to the tiny hospital. X-rays and then a six hour ambulance ride back to the trauma center that I work at and had left the day before to go on a week vacation!!!! By the way, the ambulance bill was $10,000!!! I could've taken a limo for less!
I'm an RN in the trauma ICU and I know how quickly a life can change. I saw it at work every day. It's different when it's you!
Let us know how PT goes. Take a pain pill prior to going, if you can stomach it. You can get through it!!!!
amy

[amoparker]

Oh, Amy, that's just crazy! But you didn't spill the water...that made me laugh. And I needed that. I would understand if it was a beer,but water? I will report back tomorrow after PT and I will take your advice about the pain pill. I can't stomach any of the narcotics and have been told not to take Advil for the possibility of non unions but I don't think one dose of Advil prior to this session can really harm me.
Amanda

[tibfibxib]

Mike--Do you have an XRay to share? It helps me understand what everyone is dealing with when there are pictures.
-A-

Hi A. Definitely. Here are a few I've collected over the past few weeks...

- Fracture of the tibia and fibula, class VI Schatzker tibial plateau damage:



- Close up of the tibial plateau fractures:



- Setting the plates that hold my tibial plateau together:



- What 103 stitches look like:



- IM rod, 2 plates and a bunch of screws:

[tibfibxib]

The coincidences are a bit spooky. Like you, it wasn't instantly obvious to me that this was worse than ones I've walked away from. I guess this is the only wreck that had me tumbling so violently, but it comes down to the dissipation of energy, and that much in one leg at one time will do a lot of harm to hard and soft tissue. As I've seen attributed to Gandhi, "Speed is violence."

It's very frustrating to suffer a serious injury essentially doing nothing! I've taken tumbles off of rocks, hit buried trees, landed hard on flats, caught edges, had yard sales... I will admit to traveling at fairly high velocity at the time of my accident, but no more than I do on a regular basis. I just ended up in the wrong position, in the wrong place at the wrong time I guess. The doctors in the ER commented that my leg looked more like it had been in a high speed auto accident than a skiing one.

I found it funny how many of the Utahns hadn't gone out all season. They seemed to regard anything short of bottomless powder as incredibly dangerous. To us Easterners (and one German), conditions seemed pretty decent.

I've lived and skied here for two decades now and this was probably the worst winter that I've seen in terms of storms and snowfall. It's easy to get spoiled living and skiing here. I love skiing powder obviously, enough that I moved here for it, but I tend to agree... Even our "terrible" winter has had snowfall that other places would kill for. I think Snowbird has had 325 inches of snow this year. That's pretty weak for the Cottonwood Canyons. I know more than a few people that won't bother skiing if there's less than a foot of new snow.

In terms of danger, this was a really bad season in terms of snow stability. There were a lot of avalanches and associated deaths. I don't venture out of bounds like I used to, but I have friends who do a lot of side and backcountry skiing who basically stayed in bounds this year due to the conditions. (Not having many great storms was also a factor I'm sure.)

[Ryanrene]

Hi Amy! How's work going? I think we should all share the after pics along with the before. I just took one this weekend. My leg looks a bit pasty but it's not SO emaciated and the scars are looking...not so scary. How's the walking? Getting any better/stronger? I'm down to one crutch a majority of the time and my PT refuses to give me a cane. I'm still at 3x week PT. My flexion is lagging. Hope nothing is in there blocking me!

[Drshred]

This is my 1st post great site!! Feb 28 2012 Here is my tpf story, was up skiing at kirkwood Ca. great day and about 2pm hit some ice at the top and one ski came off the other one stayed on twistet my knee about 3 mile a hour WOW? Some pain but put the ski on and went down to the car. went to urgent care that night xray tpf type 1 day called my ? The next day called OS personal friend seen him he said at my age 48 he said two screws for tibia and scope knee miniscal clean up?? OK wow Mar 6 2012 had SURGERY went well? Went back to doc after 2 weeks.ROM is the thing I worked on rode bike stecth leg out push push? knee would swell ice and put it up? 4 weeks April 4 2012 Went to see OS doc Very Happy He said ROM was full and I was recovering great said I could add 30lb a week till I could walk on my own.This site has been great? THANK YOU Bill