Broke my tibia, would like some advice.

[averagejoe]

Hey All,

So I'm out bouldering with my brother on Sunday. I was about five feet off the ground, when I slipped and.. ..aw crap, I rolled my ankle. Well, it felt like things were a bit more loose than the last time I was on the ground. Anyway, Fracture of the tibia on the medial side. Six to eight weeks in a cast, and if my follow-up goes well there will be no surgery.

Has anyone had this type of injury & what was the outcome? Surgery or not.

I also have a backlog of TRs that may come out while I'm stuck in.

Joe.

 

[roadtripper]

I've broken my tibia twice and because it's recurring, I've tried to accumulate a bunch of notes on the subject in case it happens again:

• Many orthopedic doctors do NOT have the level of competency required to help you develop a solid plan of recovery (seek a doctor with specific tibial injury experience)
• Increase your Vitamin D intake as well as your calcium intake (some even say take Glucosamine to help your joints, which will assist your bones). Don't take more than 50% of the RDA for Vitamin D or calcium at any one point in the day (spread it out). Lay out in the sun for the Vitamin D if you can’t get enough through your diet.
• don't drink as much alcohol (studies suggest you’ll heal more slowly)
• ditch the caffeine for a while if you can (studies suggest you’ll heal more slowly)
• don't take any ibuprofen or other NSAIDs (many studies suggest they slow bone healing)
• beg your orthopedic doctor and/or insurance company for an expensive bone stimulator and use it daily to recover quickly (Smith & Nephew Exogen 4000 is supposedly one of the better ones)
• X-rays are highly ineffective in relation to tibial breaks/fractures. Sometimes they show evidence of "healing" but most often do not progress being made. Get an MRI and/or a CAT or bone scan. Sometimes a bone scan will show more than an MRI. If you have an orthopedic that just keeps giving you X-rays, find a new doctor or demand an MRI/bone scan, etc.
• Once you get out of the cast, considering picking up a pair of insoles with good cushion. I love Sorbothane Ultra-soles. There are threads on this debating which are the best.
• Swimming is just about the only truly safe activity you can do while recovering. However, even in some cases, this can be painful and/or not recommended. Whether or not you should bicycle is a controversy among docs. Most docs will say if it doesn’t hurt, it’s OK.
• A few weeks after your leg begins to feel normal, head to physical therapy. Be careful not to go to PT too early in the recovery process!
• Once you are out of the cast, ice your leg for 20 minutes 1-3 times a day. This is especially important after any physical activity or after physical therapy.
• You may want to get a “bone density test” to see if you have weak bones (which could have caused the issue)
• Make sure to get an MRI to confirm that you have fully healed. An X-ray is NOT sufficient.

Good luck!

 

[Trainwreck]

I havent done that...yet, but wish you a speedy recovery.
Ditto the specialist, the caffeine, the booze, the NSAIDs and if you smoke, cut down or quit. The tibia is a slow healer.
sandy

 

[TCD]

Sorry I know this is an old thread. I broke mine as a kid. Healing was no problem at 16. But more basic than that: make sure the doc sets it straight. Mine didn't (in 1972 they didn't care, as long as you could walk it was considered a success), and it's permanently everted (twisted toe outward) about 10 degrees. Gives me knee trouble; I had to quit road running at about 25 because of it.

 

[roadtripper]

in 1972 they didn't care, as long as you could walk it was considered a success

In my opinion, this is often still the case. My fracture has healed only 90% and no doctor has given me adequate attention to try to help me heal the rest. I've seen 5 different docs already, and none of them really seem to care because I can in fact walk (but I still can't hike anything serious and running is still totally out of the question after the injury, which was 16 months ago).

Fractures are the absolute worst. If I had only really comprehended the dangers of running, I probably wouldn't have run nearly as much (or perhaps I would have trained more properly, paid for a foot/leg/gaait analysis, and maybe even custom insoles from the start).

 

[averagejoe]

Hey, considering it is an ongoing ordeal I don't consider it to to be an old thread. Thanks for the positive thoughts folks. I'm sorry to hear about the trouble some of you have had.

Anywho, I am 4 weeks in and about 3.5 more to go. The break was clean (tib only) and no damage to fib or knee. 100% non-weight bearing. I've seen my ortho 3 times since it happened. No sugury as the alignment is good, which makes me happy.

I was bummed to find that the doc would not make my cast to my specs. I wanted a thick bottom or a full toe cap so I could bolt my bike cleats to it or coat it in sticky rubber for climbing. I guess not all share a passion for stupidity.. ..er the outdoors.

Thanks for the kind thoughts,
Joe.

 

[Stash]

• don't drink as much alcohol (studies suggest you’ll heal more slowly)
• ditch the caffeine for a while if you can (studies suggest you’ll heal more slowly)

Yet another reason to dislike studies.

 

[daxs]

Don't forget to stop smoking that can affect healing too.