Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[tinka333]

Hello All,

I had the unfortunate luck of having a 100 pound malamute run directly into the outside of my right knee. As soon as it happened, I heard a lovely, but disgusting sound and was on the ground. Walking proved difficult as my knee wanted to go left. I was at the ER within 30 minutes, and within one hour, one doctor was saying it was a sprain, and a surgeon said it was more serious. I had surgery that evening and a plate, as well as screws and bone was inserted into the knee. Surgery was completed this past Thursday evening, and I was released from the hospital yesterday. I am now non-weight bearing for the next 3 months. I have my leg in a zimmer splint.

I'm looking for any info on what I can expect the next few weeks. I am using a walker around my three level home as I do not fare well crutches. After non-weight bearing, how long should I expect to be partial weight bearing?

I found the pain before the surgery was much worse than now, however the pain now is different. It's almost as if I can feel the bone rubbing on the plate and screws in my knee. I declined the morphine and percocet and am surviving now on extra strength tylenol. There are moments though when I think that the pain is literally going to kill me. I go back in 2 week to get the 40 staples out. I'm currently on daily injections of blood thinners to prevent blood clots.

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Schmoopie, Welcome to the "running dog club" lol
I realy thought my way of being injured was a "1 in a million" accident but sadly it seems i am not alone.

My timeline so far has been:
Oct 24th Surgery -plate + 7 screws - Zimmer splint
Nov 14th Zimmer splint off
Today:Hit 0 extension and 80 flex! yay!

So tomorrow is my 5 week OS apt. Would assume im still 3-6 weeks off PWB. Physio said if i dont get my quad muscle working i will have a really hard time when weight bearing so that is my focus for the next few weeks. It's useless right now!

As far as day to day activities, im getting around much better this week, have much more energy and seem to have found a way to do almost everything (if you are resorceful, nothing is impossible!! although im sure others would get a good laugh watching me some times)

Smilybeck you give me hope! Im going to a all day music festivel in february and just bought tix for motley crue/kiss in march. I know it will be almost impossible and i will be paying for it afterwards but im determined to go!

How many weeks after your accident was the concert?
How bad was the swelling after?
And most importantly... How was the concert???

[smilybeck]

I'm at 13 weeks today since the surgery - 15 weeks since I broke my leg. The swelling was noticeable, about twice the size - but hey, its better than the first 2-3 weeks. By the end of the concert my leg hurt...and I did leave within 3 songs from them finishing, however cause I'm not fast I still managed to hear them and got away before 50,000 people trampled me. My physio mentioned last night that the ankle is looking normal and the calf is not as tight -compared to the day after .

To be honest, the concert was amazing. It was great to be out. Definitely worth a couple of days pain just to feel normal. Like you, there was no way I was going to miss them.

[Schmoopie]

I'm only on day 5 of this, and cannot imagine another 11 weeks of this.

The only way I can lay down is on my back, which means no sleep for me. Also, going to the bathroom with the zimmer splint is a pain in the you-know-what!

At times, it literally feels like I can feel the plate and screws rubbing on the bone together. The worst is when I get up and the leg goes down, the pain is not very pleasant. Anyone else have the problem of the splint sliding down (even though it's very tight on the leg), when moving around?

My break also included a depression of the bone. Does this depression or the size of the depression affect the amount of non-weight bearing time?

[tinka333]

I'm at 13 weeks today since the surgery - 15 weeks since I broke my leg. The swelling was noticeable, about twice the size - but hey, its better than the first 2-3 weeks. By the end of the concert my leg hurt...and I did leave within 3 songs from them finishing, however cause I'm not fast I still managed to hear them and got away before 50,000 people trampled me. My physio mentioned last night that the ankle is looking normal and the calf is not as tight -compared to the day after .

To be honest, the concert was amazing. It was great to be out. Definitely worth a couple of days pain just to feel normal. Like you, there was no way I was going to miss them.

Your right!, getting out doing something you love and feeling "normal" for a while is TOTALY worth a few days pain!!
I'll be 16 weeks by the festivel and 18 weeks for kiss/crue so i'm hopefull now that you've said that!
Did you go on 2 crutches?

Hang in there Schmoopi. It does get better... well sort of
At week 3 when the splint came off i was able to start sleeping on my side with a pillow supporting my knee and a pillow behind my hip keeping me up on my side. Even with the splint on i kind got on my side, packed in with heaps of pillows - and when i was on my back i found a small pillow under that hip helped "tip me up" a bit so i wasnt flat on my back. Experiment and you'll find a way!!
I remember very clearly feeling the metal in my leg for about the first 2 weeks but i dont really feel it now. it's just forign to your body and the sensation will pass in time (although it does still feel "wierd" it's not that bone on metal feeling anymore)

Experiment with the splint too, the sides should be velcro and should rip off easy enough and then you can angle them different ways till it feels "good". i re did mine every couple of days till it was comfey again, as i lost quad muscle it always slipped down and needed a re-do.
It is super heavy draging it around all day tho. when the dr said i could take it off i was soooooo happy, then imeadiatly wanted it back cause i felt so weak and vaunrable with a broken leg and no protection. A few days tho and i was fine.

[Schmoopie]

The surgeon wants the splint on for the full 3 months of non-weight bearing, which makes me want to vomit. I don't want to be negative, but it's kind of hard right now. I can't imagine not having the splint on though either. I'm so afraid I'm going to do something to injure my knee even more. I'm having to adjust min multiple times a day. Hopping to the bathroom with the walker, it's fallen down the leg.

[tinka333]

The main thing is to listen to your o/s and make sure you dont wreck all the good work they did. I just always try to think long term and think that if im patient now i'll give myself a better shot at being "normal" latter. It's hard but logicaly it is only a few months out of my life and the more patient i am now the better it will be for the rest of my life. If that means splint for 3 mths well.....3 mths it is
Some of the guys on here have had full leg casts or exfix braces so my hats definatly off to them for getting through it.
Are you allowed to have your splint off/open when you are just sitting on the lounge?
Are you allowed to bend and flex at all?
Also i have read a few guys on here traded the walker for crutches a few weeks out once their strength was up a bit and they were off all the meds, any chance you might be able to? I can only assume crutches are much more "freeing" than a walker.

And dont worry about being "negative". It absolutly is hard!! We all have a long road ahead of us and its absolutly normal to be negative, frustrated, angry, scared and a whole heap of other emotions.
This is a great place to vent and there are so many wonderful people on here that are living it and know exactly what your going through.
Im only a few weeks ahead of you so hopefully i can keep you updated on my progress and give you some hope, everyones recovery is different but hang in there we'll all get through it together

Well, I'm off to the OS for 5 week apt then im going to the POOL ......... YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kmrrdb]

Schmoopie, I am 13 weeks out from surgery (1 plate, 4 screws). I was non weight bearing for 8 weeks, then partial weight bearing for 5 weeks. Just was cleared last Friday for full weight but still need a bit of assistance to get around. For me the first 5 days post surgery were brutal and I would say the worst days of the entire experience. It does get better and you learn to get around and use bathroom, shower etc. I did not sleep much for the first week. I started using couch pillows with my leg on top of them while on my side. My bum leg was on top. It seemed to work the best for me. Right now I am experiencing significant improvement each day. It does get better, just hang in there a little longer and you will see. Oh yea, I was the other one that got my injury from a collision with a dog.

[smilybeck]

[QUOTE=tinka333;3822302]Your right!, getting out doing something you love and feeling "normal" for a while is TOTALY worth a few days pain!!
I'll be 16 weeks by the festivel and 18 weeks for kiss/crue so i'm hopefull now that you've said that!
Did you go on 2 crutches?

QUOTE]

I had both - walked half way with the one, then once I hit the crowds walked with both. Just to be on the safe side.

[Schmoopie]

I've been lucky pain wise. After surgery they gave me a morphine pump, but I didn't want the side effects of morphine. They were giving me extra strength tylenol, but by Friday night (surgery was this past Thursday), I needed something stronger. I took tylenol 3's until Sunday morning, but they were doing bad things to my stomach and were keeping me from sleeping. I've been on extra strength tylenol since, and am finding that it's taking the edge off. My dog (not "the dog who caused all this") ran into my foot today and it did not tickle. Going up the stairs has been one of the hardest things to do (other than peeing with one leg straight). I've been using one crutch and have been pulling/pushing myself up. Going down the stairs is a lot easier. I go back to the other clinic next Thursday to be reassessed, xrayed, and hopefully to get the staples out. I've never had a broken bone, nothing, so going from very mobile to incapacitated is kinda bringing me down. Thanks for the words of support though, it's starting to seem like I may make it through.

[tinka333]

Well had my 5 week apt with OS and.... well it was interesting
OS said im ok for PWB up to 20kg for the next 2 weeks then im clear for FWB as tolorated!!
I was shocked!!
OS said with the metal holding my TP together nothing short of a major fall or collision would do any damage and bearing weight now will help with muscle and motion more than the risk of re-injury. He seemed extreemly confident in his work
He also said no brace needed, Just go for it, but i freaked out and requested a brace so he gave me one but said only wear it until im more confident and really try to do it without it as much as possible.
Couldnt believe it!! he sent me straight to physio at the hospital and they showed me how to do the PWB with 2 crutches and it felt super wierd, no pain in my knee at all tho but my foot and ankle were unhappy.
Today i have been "walking" around the house with the brace on but only PWB about 5-10 kgs cause i guess im just scared. No pain yet and only a little swelling in my foot (knee has been constantly swolen since injury so no real change there)
My leg is unbeliebably weak tho, when i walked into physio the guy thought i'd been in a full leg cast based on how atrophyed my leg was. main loss has been in quad.

So that means by 7 weeks i will be starting FWB??????
Sounds crazy after reading everyone's stories on here. I asked him a million times if he was sure and even asked another surgen in the hall way on the way out then asked the physio as well and they all said im good to go and the best way to get the muscle back is to walk. They all said the metal is strong enough to not re-injure the bone.???

Gosh i hope so.... gunna take it really really really easy tho. if they say 20kg im guna do 10 and when they say FWB i'll do Half

[smilybeck]

Well had my 5 week apt with OS and.... well it was interesting
He also said no brace needed, Just go for it, but i freaked out and requested a brace so he gave me one but said only wear it until im more confident and really try to do it without it as much as possible.

Get rid of the brace as soon as. It takes a couple of days to get use to not wearing it. My surgeon was very admanent about me getting rid of it straight way - I had asked for something to strap my knee - but he said no, cause of the mind thing. The reasoning is your mind will think you always need the brace.

Also, with the FWB in 2 weeks. I gather you're only just starting to put pressure on your leg? It will probably take 1-2 weeks to get use to that feeling, another 1-2 to get rid of one crutch then another 1-2 to start walking without crutches. I've learnt it's a gradual thing

I was cleared for FWB today. I've been walking (if you can call it walking) for the last 3 days - with one crutch in the morning, evening and if I was to go for a walk outside. I'm hoping not to need them in a week, which is achievable.

[tinka333]

Get rid of the brace as soon as. It takes a couple of days to get use to not wearing it. My surgeon was very admanent about me getting rid of it straight way - I had asked for something to strap my knee - but he said no, cause of the mind thing. The reasoning is your mind will think you always need the brace.

Also, with the FWB in 2 weeks. I gather you're only just starting to put pressure on your leg? It will probably take 1-2 weeks to get use to that feeling, another 1-2 to get rid of one crutch then another 1-2 to start walking without crutches. I've learnt it's a gradual thing

I was cleared for FWB today. I've been walking (if you can call it walking) for the last 3 days - with one crutch in the morning, evening and if I was to go for a walk outside. I'm hoping not to need them in a week, which is achievable.

Yeah i know your right. Its way more mental than physical. With the physio standing next to me yesterday i was confident to put weight on it without the brace but now im at home im too scared. I have physio again on friday and im determin to be brave enough to give the brace back!
The initial feeling of pressure on my leg was so strange, and the bottom of my foot was tingeling like crazy, but if felt good. I'll just take ita bit at a time like you say and work my way up.

It's great that you have the goal of being crutch free in a week!!
I think that was the hardest part of NWB, i felt like i didnt realy have a time line or goal set. it was just a waiting game with no end. Now that the OS has given me a bit of a time line my spirits are up and i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Just useing the leg and putting that little bit of pressure on it all day today has me feeling (mentaly) fantastic!!

Are you finding your too stiff at the moment to be without the crutch in the morning and sore at night or has you os/physio told you to do this? Does you leg feel strong when you put full weight on it? Are you getting alot of swelling at night after walking on your own all day? Is your ROM good?
Sorry for all the questions You seem to be a really strong person and your a real insperation to me!! I'm so happy for you!!

[100InchHammer]

Hello everyone. My name is Mike and I am a fully recovered tibial plateau fracture patient. I have been reading some of the posts here and can understand your pains and frustration.

Let me say the most important aspect to a successful recovery is to follow the guidelines set forth by your surgeon and the advice and direction of your PT. Your PT will be your best friend and most trusted ally throughout this challenge.

Always remember when reading these posts don't compare your recovery and post op instructions to that of others...there are many different types and severities of plateau fractures. Age, weight, physical health, type of repair and many other variables go into the surgeon's decision as to when and how much one should do.

On the other hand this forum is a great place to ask questions and give and receive support from fellow injury victims. I will answer any questions you want and hopefully put your mind at ease.

A little bio on my injury and myself.

I am a 43 yr old single, man with 2 awesome boys ages 8 & 10 (This is a big part of my recovery story). While racing street bikes I was involved in a 110mph crash, resulting in a severely fractured (I guess type 6, but my Dr never said and I never asked) plateau with a lot of meniscus damage. I also suffered broken ribs, collar bone and fractures to the bones in my face. I was really beat up and sore all over.

My accident was on a Sunday in Aug of 2007, my surgery was Monday and I was transferred to a rehab hospital on thurs. I stayed at the rehab hosp for 2 weeks (Until I was ambulatory, with all my other injuries (ribs, clavicle, etc... )it was very difficult to be non weight bearing. After I was released I went to stay with a friend for another 2 weeks. So 4 weeks post op I was still non weight bearing but able to to do everything I needed to live on my own.

My biggest and most difficult part of the recovery was ROM. I made it to a PROM of 88 degrees by 3 months, but my surgeon wanted me to at least an AROM of 110 degrees. I was really far off. My PT called my surgeon and said we cannot get past 88, he told her...you either get him to an AROM of 110 or I will have to do it with him under anesthesia on an xray table and there is a greater chance of injury there. So for the next 4 weeks, 5 days a week I would drive to therapy and either 2 female PT's or big Mike would do my ROM manipulations. I would fatigue my quads first, then they would strap me to the table and just bend my knee, you would here stuff ripping and tearing, it was rediculously painful. But everyday I would make gains in both AROM and PROM, my PT was so excited we didn't stop at 110 degrees. At around 4 or 5 months I was full weight bearing and had an AROM of 128 degrees in my injured knee and a AROM of 144 in my good knee.

I started weight bearing at 3 months and by 4 mo and 1 wk I was 100% weight bearing. At this point we started gait training. I continued PT and reg visits to my surgeon until my 6 month visit. It was here that I felt I was ready and needed to go back to work. My surgeon was not in approval, he wanted me off another 6 months with a work hardening program inplemented. I said no way, it has to be now. We were both right, lol. I was certainly not ready to spend 8 hrs a day on my legs and he misjudged my tenacity and independence to get it done. He actually said I would not be able to work on my feet for 8 hrs a day and that I should consider a new vocation.

My first day back at the factory was humbling. I have about a half mile walk to get to my locker then my job. I stopped 3 times and leaned over railings or whatever I could find. HUMBLING!

<a href="http://s205.beta.photobucket.com/user/100inchhammer/library/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb286/100inchhammer/exp0187.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"/></a>

[100InchHammer]

[smilybeck]

Yeah i know your right. Its way more mental than physical. With the physio standing next to me yesterday i was confident to put weight on it without the brace but now im at home im too scared. I have physio again on friday and im determin to be brave enough to give the brace back!
The initial feeling of pressure on my leg was so strange, and the bottom of my foot was tingeling like crazy, but if felt good. I'll just take ita bit at a time like you say and work my way up.

It's great that you have the goal of being crutch free in a week!!
I think that was the hardest part of NWB, i felt like i didnt realy have a time line or goal set. it was just a waiting game with no end. Now that the OS has given me a bit of a time line my spirits are up and i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Just useing the leg and putting that little bit of pressure on it all day today has me feeling (mentaly) fantastic!!

Are you finding your too stiff at the moment to be without the crutch in the morning and sore at night or has you os/physio told you to do this? Does you leg feel strong when you put full weight on it? Are you getting alot of swelling at night after walking on your own all day? Is your ROM good?
Sorry for all the questions You seem to be a really strong person and your a real insperation to me!! I'm so happy for you!!

I've had my moments of depression...I think the biggest thing was the length of recovery and that I was putting too higher expectations on my progress. Now that I've accepted that's its gradual, I've been a lot happier.

My leg feels weak in the morning, it probably takes about 30 minutes until I feel like I'm able to put full pressure on. Maybe that's cause I'm still half asleep. The swelling has gone down - my physio has mentioned he's starting to see veins in the top of my foot. The colour is almost back to normal too. Ok - there's a slight difference, but not bad. At the end of the night I'm sore. However I'm almost at the point that I don't need it at night either.

My ROM is approx 124. My physio has said due to the k-wire I have that I shouldn't get any more. However last night he placed dry needles just above my knee and I managed to get 127 afterwards without the stiffness. He also did the usual dry needles in the back of my calf, and it was the first time I almost managed to sleep throughout the night. As I've been using my leg a lot, the stiffness in my calf has been hurting a lot especially at night. My physio is a hard task master - he's wanting me to walk home (only 500 metres) without the crutch on Monday.

I know I still have a lot of work to do to get back up to my old fitness level, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel now...

[tinka333]

Yeah im stiff and sore today!!
Im glad you got a good nights sleep. My calf was so stiff and sore last night, i was suprised it was so bad after only the tiny bit of presure i was putting on it yesterday. Also my ankle is killing today, theres a little spot just above the outside knobly bit that is really sore and the muscle running from it up my shin in tight and sore. My IT band right at the bottom near the knee is realy tight and sore too. Basicly the only part of my leg that doesnt hurt is my knee!!

Good luck on your walk on monday.

[kmrrdb]

13 weeks post op on this coming Friday. Been FWB for 5 days. Today in PT I hit 135 on flex and 2 on extension. This week I have seen the most day to day improvement in all aspects. Less swelling, less pain, more comfort with weight on my leg. I also took a few steps without assistance which was cool! and actually got my confidence back that I could walk on this leg again. It was a significant difference when compared to Monday's PT. Still an awkward feeling in my knee cap, but no real pain. There is light at the end of the tunnel! Next goal is no crutches and then conquering stairs!

[snowmobiletpf]

Update, tpf on 3/9/12, back to playing hockey, rom is back to 100%, back to running and playing basketball. Still have some strength I need to regain in quad and calf. Surgery site still feels weird and knee is stiff in morning till I get it stretched out. My post is for those athletes that just got the bad news that they sustained this crazy injury, I am 44 yrs old and at 8 months I'm pretty much back to doing what I love to do. Stay positive and take one day at a time and do your p/t with passion. And....if anyone tells you that your athletic lifestyle is over, smile because I'm telling you it is not.

[itsdeenah]

Going back to OR for arthroscopic surgery – removing torn cartilage that the OS tried stitching it in my initial surgery but it broke away and now the other side torn away so removing that piece too. Also getting some bone graph shaved down and scar tissue out…hopefully I’ll get more ROM out of this. Not too happy all of this is happening before x-mas but gotta do it

Date of Injury 4/20/12
Surgery 4/27/12
Type IV TPF with 1+" communited depression of the plateau surface
+ 7" Fracture of Tibial Shaft
Torn Meniscus - now both sides

[dnabike]

Tinka333 Every case is different. I was NWB for 16 weeks then 9 more of PWB. My doctor in Boston who is not the surgeon that did the surgery (that was in Orlando in May) is very conservative. May of these are so bad that if they do to much too early you will be crippled for life. Just had a shoulder manipulation done because my shoulder had a A/C reconstruction done (same bike accident) and I was not getting full ROM due to complications. They put you to sleep and just force the ROM or as much as they can get without breaking your arm. I'm have FWB now but my ankle cannot handle it, so another couple of weeks on the walker. The ankle problem was caused by the 16 weeks NWB, but better safe than sorry. I have 2 titanium plates (one about 7-8" long) and 15 titanium screws. No one ever suggested they could prevent damage in anything short of a major fall. Guess if your xrays show healing you are good to go. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Jim

[tinka333]

Tinka333 Every case is different. I was NWB for 16 weeks then 9 more of PWB. My doctor in Boston who is not the surgeon that did the surgery (that was in Orlando in May) is very conservative. May of these are so bad that if they do to much too early you will be crippled for life. Just had a shoulder manipulation done because my shoulder had a A/C reconstruction done (same bike accident) and I was not getting full ROM due to complications. They put you to sleep and just force the ROM or as much as they can get without breaking your arm. I'm have FWB now but my ankle cannot handle it, so another couple of weeks on the walker. The ankle problem was caused by the 16 weeks NWB, but better safe than sorry. I have 2 titanium plates (one about 7-8" long) and 15 titanium screws. No one ever suggested they could prevent damage in anything short of a major fall. Guess if your xrays show healing you are good to go. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Jim

I realy is crazy how different everyone's recovery is for this injury. Sorry to hear you are dealing with your shoulder and knee. How did you get around while NWB? i'm guessing crutches were out of the question and would imagine even the walker must have been hard.
I went to my first real physio today at the hospital. My rom was 75 and ext was -5 when i laied it flat on the bed but only -25 when i tried to extend it myself. My prob is the loss of quad muscle is stoping me from extending my leg and what quad muscle i do have is so tight it is stoping my flexation.... go figure!!

My injury was latteral (outside of the knee) but when i flex all the pain and tighness that stops me going further is on the medial (inside). Anyone know why this is??

Anyone got any good quad exercises for NWB. I am doing the rolled towel under the knee (and wish i started doing it earlier!!) but would love some variety!!
Also, anyone know a way to stretch the quad when you cant flex (eg: pulling heal to bum is out of the question)

Im cleared for 20kg WB so physio said i can walk normaly in the pool in chest deep water, Cant wait to get back to the pool and do that!!

kmrrdb - congrats on the "breakthrough" you are having, so glad you are feeling so great and hope it keeps getting better for you!!

[imajypsee]

My prob is the loss of quad muscle is stoping me from extending my leg and what quad muscle i do have is so tight it is stoping my flexation.... go figure!!

My injury was latteral (outside of the knee) but when i flex all the pain and tighness that stops me going further is on the medial (inside). Anyone know why this is??

Anyone got any good quad exercises for NWB. I am doing the rolled towel under the knee (and wish i started doing it earlier!!) but would love some variety!!
Also, anyone know a way to stretch the quad when you cant flex (eg: pulling heal to bum is out of the question)

My TPF with compression and proximal and distal fibular fractures occurred on May 6th, surgery on May 8th. OS put me in an articulated-at-the-knee hip to foot brace, which meant I could sit and bend the knee, but when I stood up the locks on the knee part of the brace kept my leg straight. I had no pain in the quad muscle or anywhere, actually. My heel and the bottom of my floor hurt, butch that's about it. I was supposed to sleep in the brace, but those orders didn't get in my chart so I didn't know that until I went to see OS at two weeks. I never slept in the brace, but I wore it (taking it on and off at night for the bathroom) all the time I was out of bed. The brace kept my leg extended; the PT people at the rehab where I went for three weeks following six day hospital stay said the brace was making the leg stay extended and preventing the quad muscle from contracting. The articulation of the brace helped my calf muscles, and the brace allowed me to stand up without putting weight on the knee/fibula breaks. I hated that brace, but it saved my leg. I was FWB at nine weeks, and walking with a cane (had a Genutrain S brace on knee for a month or so) about ten days later. I'm walking without a cane now and finally going up and down the stairs (very carefully) without the cane. There's still some tightness and my knee hurts if I stand still for a long time (washing dishes, etc.) but at age 67 I think I'm doing OK.

I have the work sheets with diagrams that my home PTnhad me doing and I'll scan them to PDF and post a link if you would like to see what they are.

Mary in FL, USA

[Schmoopie]

Can anyone give a rough estimate on when I should expect to get back to work? I'm at a desk job, but it was my driving leg that the dog hit. Unfortunately, I also live in northern Ontario, Canada and we are just starting to get into our winter. I'm going to the ortho clinic on Thursday, and the idea of hopping up and down my front stairs is a little scary.

[kmrrdb]

Schmoopie, my TPF was left leg and I started driving in week 2. If your TPF is right leg, then you should discuss with your ortho on when they are comfortable with you driving. I am not sure your reflexes will be adequate for a while, but imagine everyone is different. There is a point when your leg starts to feel better but you also will get a lot of swelling in your lower leg and foot. Due to swelling, I wasn't really able to put a shoe on until week 9. I live on Southern California and weather isnt really an issue. I was in shorts through the whole experience and cant imagine going through this in snow and ice. In any case, dont put yourself in a position to fall.

[tinka333]

Can anyone give a rough estimate on when I should expect to get back to work? I'm at a desk job, but it was my driving leg that the dog hit. Unfortunately, I also live in northern Ontario, Canada and we are just starting to get into our winter. I'm going to the ortho clinic on Thursday, and the idea of hopping up and down my front stairs is a little scary.

Schmoopi I'm heading back to work next week on the 11th dec. I also have a desk job, my boss and physio have agreed to 3x full 8hr days and 2x 5 hr days a week to start with (physio will be on the short days) Physio said the full days will be hard for me energy/discomfort wise and was most worried about me getting in my exercises/stretching and being able to ice and elevate my leg to control the swelling. My wonderful boss has aranged for me to have a 10 min break every 2 hrs for exercises and iceing as needed. I'll let you know how it goes!
As for driving, its my right leg too and even tho i have an automatic car i am not allowed to drive. I asked the OS and he said when i am confidently walking unaided he will let me drive but his assistant told me after he left that he would prob let me drive when i was FWB for 1 week. The main concern was that i would hit the break with my right foot instead of my left out of habit and cause damage to my knee. As confident as i am that i would only use my left leg to break, i couldnt guarentee in an emergency i wouldn't use my right leg without thinking.
For work i will be geting a taxi there and a lift home with my BF.
I just found out our building lift is broken and i will be doing 3 flights of stairs on crutches until it's repaired (est 16th dec)

It's summer here in australia so no snow or ice but i did go to ther beach today (same dog beach where the accident happened) and although i was scared the whole time it was great. it was hard to "crutch" through the sand but i just kept telling myself that if i fell at least it was soft! I would imagine snow and ice will be much more difficult to navigate tho
Everytime i am unsure of my footing i throw myself down on my bum and scooting along with my leg sticking out in front until im safe to stand again. Looks really silly and your bum will likley get wet in the snow, but its an option