Home
Diaries
Discussion
Chat
Tips
FAQ
Links
Donations
Search
|
|
|
Shan9978 1:46pm Jun 25 2012
Hi,
I also broke my fibula like you Jan 27th. I didn't need surgery. It was a spiral fracture non-displaced both below and above the ankle joint. I'm 5 mos out and it still has no completely fused. Yes it's delayed but it is healing so I'm just trying to be patient. I get pain if I do too much but I can walk and I can bike for 30-40 minutes.
Every fracture is different. And the reasons behind why they heal slow are multifactorial. For me, I can think of a few things that may have slowed me down. I think I went back to work too soon. I'm actually an ER physician. You would think I would know better however doctors are the worst patients ever. It was my first time breaking a bone so really I didn't know what to expect. I stayed home for 3 weeks and then went back to work on a knee scooter because I was still non-ambulatory. I was allowed to do 50% WB at 4 weeks and then be aggressive with the WB at 6 weeks. When I tried to walk at work I had pain. Nothing like what I had the day I broke it and walked on it but it hurt. What was frustrating was that it stayed the same for almost 2 mos. I don't mind pain but it didn't progress at all. Every time I tried to do more weight loading it hurt. Everything I tried to do to progress it forward didn't work. Adding to my frustration was people at work asking why I was still using crutches and in a boot and what is wrong with me or why not just get surgery. I guess because you are in the healthcare field you are supposed to be superhuman or something.
None of the above helped my attitude. Plus I am a very active person. I ran a marathon in October. I usually take 2-3 snowboarding trips a year. All of that came to a sudden halt. So about the 3.5 mos after the injury I started researching why what was supposed to be a simple spiral fracture wasn't healing as it should. In a google search to look up what might be wrong with my leg I came across this site. I started reading different stories and then I decided to post to see if anyone had a similar experience as mine. It was helpful just listening to other's with their advice. And it was helpful for me to be able to vent. I've been impressed with the level of injuries people have had on this site and they still are able to recover fully. It gave me reassurance that in the end I'll be fine.
What finally helped some was while at work I started using crutches again. Even though there was some pain walking on it in the boot and it wasn't as bad as the day I injured it, I felt like I was slowing the healing process down. My job was just too physical for my leg to handle that stress. So I used crutches while walking at work and made sure while sitting down I propped my leg up so it wouldnt swell. At home I kept my leg propped up and took my boot off to range and stretch my joint out. And I also found out I was a little deficient in vit D so I started taking a higher dose of it along with the calcium I was already taking. So I could go to work I had to get help with other parts of my life. My parents actually did my grocery shopping for me and I had to have someone take my dog for a walk once a day (he's big and needs a daily walk).
After about a month I had less pain and was able to start fully bearing weight. Now I am in a shoe. Each xray shows more healing but I'm not completely out of the woods yet. I'm not yet allowed to do any high impact exercises. I still have pain especially if I overdo with some of my exercising or if I'm on my feet alot at work. And I still don't have the flexibility of my other joint but it is slowly getting better.
I hope this helps you. Honestly sometimes I'm not even sure if some of the things I am experiencing are normal but for now they are my normal. My one piece of advice is that you need to talk to your orthopedic surgeon about your concerns and make sure something else isn't wrong. Though you may have a delay in the healing, you want to make sure it is healing right. Each broken bone is different and each treatment plan will also be different. Medicine tends to be more of an art than a science. Good luck and happy healing.
|
|
|
HAH |
5:19am Jun 25 2012 |
|
Sassse |
7:09am Jun 25 2012 |
|
ASR |
7:57am Jun 25 2012 |
|
Shan9978 |
1:56pm Jun 25 2012 |
|
Shan9978 |
1:46pm Jun 25 2012 |
|
HAH |
8:22am Jun 26 2012 |
|
