Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[Tim123]

Hi, I broke tp 2 weeks ago had plate and screws and was a rare break had to be opened up round the back of my knee and down the side and have a scar of around 13inches . Have started pt and am told to bear as much weight as I can but the more I do the more my knee swells and the more it hurts! Does anybody have any idea how long the major swelling lasts and the pain?

[Mallen65]

Tim123, the swelling can last for awhile especially when you are bearing weight. Lots of ice and elevation.

[Ryanrene]

5.5 weeks post op from my type VI TPF. Returning to the OS next Wednesday to have more xrays. I returned to work on crutches last week, just part time desk work 4 hours per day. I am exhausted and feel so worthless. So hard to motivate myself to actually work on stretching my knee esp after working. I need to get it to 60 degrees by next week and Im at about 55 in pain. I have no new ideas on how to stretch and work my knee. Im not in PT yet so I have little material to work with. The pain is hard to get over and it's making me depressed...it's pity pot day today.

[miketheskier]

Hey guys..

CAST IS OFF! BOOOOM! So it will be 7 weeks on wednesday.. and I'm 50% PWB, hopefully FWB in next 3-4 weeks if lucky! Doctor seemed pretty surprised the bone healed so quickly. Guessing forcing 8 pints of skimmed milk down me each week did something..

Doc only gave me 1-2 exercises until I get an appointment booked with physio.. Was wondering if any of you out there had any ideas?

So far.. knees bit swollen but expect that.. Ankle is actually alright.. Bit of pain and stiffness but not really anything to even mention.. And my ROM is better than I expected after being immobile for 7 weeks.. I guess the biggest surprise is that I DO have a calf muscle.. just no thigh muscle. Not sure if crutching ~6miles+ every week up steep hills played a part in my calf muscle being used as I often raised my foot to raise the cast when it got loose.

Anyhow! Just thought I'd share the good news amongst this very murky thread. Thanks to a lot of you guys for just spilling your hearts out. It helped a lot in the beginning just to know how much more people have had to deal with, and managed.

[Mallen65]

Hey Ryan, I responded to your email, but I kept getting a "error" message when I sent it. I will try again soon.

[Ryanrene]

Hey Ryan, I responded to your email, but I kept getting a "error" message when I sent it. I will try again soon.

my regular email is Ryanrenee513@msn.com

maybe that will be quicker. thanks for the reply!

[sudyshewo]

Well... I am working on forgivness! First the dumb scrapper litterbug kids who limited my sitting cardio-fitness and then fate. I shouldn't have bought the sugarnuts. With my backpack loaded with a pawn shop drill and bit index for only 12.95-- to convert a golf bag carrier into a new boat roller, I RAN from one bus stop to the next. It was pittiful. The busdriver (yes, I made it) volenteered, "shit happens." The neoprene wrap and brace are essential but I'm able to limp around for eight hours, and even walk the four home when I have to. I even fantacize that the pain is something I'll grow to like--or respect! I'm on a bike, a low geared big butt one, but a bike none the less, and I even stood up a few times and went the circle without slipping off the pedal or screeching in agony. I feel like a total beginner again--but I'm going to try and keep the greatest part of this, which is smooth, soft, silky feet! The callous is all vanished, and I'm about willing to pay someone for a foot massage I'll feel like no other-- impatient that chances are I'll find my way back to rockbottom souls--though the salvation army has had some great cooshy thick socks almost new for next to nothing. Tender and new! Somebody call the pope and explain everything important and sanctifiable about superceeded foot washes.

[Moonstruck]

News: 2/7/12 - Had my 12 week Post Op appointment. My Dr was so impressed that I had made so much progress. My ROM is 112 degrees. I needed to get to 120, but my Dr wants to give me another 3 weeks. I still need to have surgery on my "good knee" ACL and Meniscus tears, but now he wants for my TPF to recover so at least I will have "one leg to stand on" so I can recover. So I guess I will have to wait. I go back to work Feb 19 and my have to go out on Short Term Disability again when I have to go out for surgery, In the meantime, I have found my solice in drawing and will be featured in an interior design show this week and have 15 drawings displayed! At least I can occupy my days with somthing productive!

Anyone with this injury needs to find something that they can do while in bed waiting to heal.

-If you like to draw..then draw....Write your memoirs!
- Put all those digital shots you took of your kids or from trips into online albums (Costco has a pretty good deal!).
-Write letters to long lost relatives
-Go and be your family historian via Ancestry.Com
-Volunteer to go to a nursing home and read to people....


Find Something to do that you never had time to do, or you will get depressed with this injury. Take advantage of this opportunity and discover things about yourself that you never experienced, because you did not have the time! You will get through it!

Good luck to all!

[Moonstruck]

Hi, I broke tp 2 weeks ago had plate and screws and was a rare break had to be opened up round the back of my knee and down the side and have a scar of around 13inches . Have started pt and am told to bear as much weight as I can but the more I do the more my knee swells and the more it hurts! Does anybody have any idea how long the major swelling lasts and the pain?

Wow...hang in there... I am 14 weeks since my accident and still am not allowed to bear weight. Ice your leg as much as possible and keep it elevated.

[Moonstruck]

Tim123 I can not believe your Dr told you that you can bear weight. I am at 14 weeks since my accident and 12 weeks post op and will not be able to bear weight until next week. What grade of TPF did you have for your Dr to tell you to bear weight?

[Echodad]

Tim, I've never heard of anyone with a tpf being told to bear as much weight as possible immediately postop. I think you better verify those instructions with your surgeon before you do something bad.

[Chope]

I noticed that several of you are looking for exercises specific to tp fracture. Me too, but I haven't seen any. Anybody out there with any help? I fell almost 8 months ago, was doing well after surgery for over 2 months. Then came staph infection and more surgery to remove all infected hardware and cadaver bone. Understand much of this happens in hospital, so get out of there ASAP. Surgeon doesn't think PT guy is aggressive enough with my exercise and won't write another prescription. Without that, I can't pay PT. Really need some good home therapy ideas. UP A CREEK!

[gregrnel]

Just thought I'd give an update, to encourage everyone and let you know that it will get better. I did my type VI on 09/03/11 and had 16 screws and 3 plates installed 3 weeks later. Weight bearing on 12/14, went down to one crutch a couple weeks after and without a crutch in the last couple weeks. Slowly, my limp is going away, and my leg is getting stronger. I have some strange snaps and cracks in my knee, I get sore by the end of the day, but overall I'm pretty impressed with how well things are going. I'm 41, so I know it's going to take a bit longer for me than the 20 something, but as desperate as I felt 8 weeks ago, I feel pretty damn good now. Keep working at it, going to the gym, doing your PT, and be thankful for those around you who got you through this!

[noparking]

well at work last week i snapped my tibia into 2 pieces and some how managed not to break my fibula. i am now the proud new owner of a rod running the entire length of tibia and 4 screws to hold it in place. any words of wisdom from people who have had a similar injury?

[Ryanrene]

well at work last week i snapped my tibia into 2 pieces and some how managed not to break my fibula. i am now the proud new owner of a rod running the entire length of tibia and 4 screws to hold it in place. any words of wisdom from people who have had a similar injury?

This entire thread has been a god send for me during my recovery. I read it from the beginning. Everyone has such positive and helpful things to say. Get educated on this injury so you can be assertive and smart with your recovery. I am 9 weeks from my accident and 6.5 weeks since my 2nd surgery (2 plates, 12 screws). I am just in the beginning stages. This thread has taught me that the pain is normal, the depression is normal and that someday, in about 6-8 more months, maybe this will all be in the past. Share your story and take the time to heal my friend.

[Ryanrene]

Just thought I'd give an update, to encourage everyone and let you know that it will get better. I did my type VI on 09/03/11 and had 16 screws and 3 plates installed 3 weeks later. Weight bearing on 12/14, went down to one crutch a couple weeks after and without a crutch in the last couple weeks. Slowly, my limp is going away, and my leg is getting stronger. I have some strange snaps and cracks in my knee, I get sore by the end of the day, but overall I'm pretty impressed with how well things are going. I'm 41, so I know it's going to take a bit longer for me than the 20 something, but as desperate as I felt 8 weeks ago, I feel pretty damn good now. Keep working at it, going to the gym, doing your PT, and be thankful for those around you who got you through this!

That is awesome to hear! Esp with such a type VI. You've just given me more hope with my type VI. Thank you for the update!

[97r82]

Just thought I'd give an update, to encourage everyone and let you know that it will get better. I did my type VI on 09/03/11 and had 16 screws and 3 plates installed 3 weeks later. Weight bearing on 12/14, went down to one crutch a couple weeks after and without a crutch in the last couple weeks. Slowly, my limp is going away, and my leg is getting stronger. I have some strange snaps and cracks in my knee, I get sore by the end of the day, but overall I'm pretty impressed with how well things are going. I'm 41, so I know it's going to take a bit longer for me than the 20 something, but as desperate as I felt 8 weeks ago, I feel pretty damn good now. Keep working at it, going to the gym, doing your PT, and be thankful for those around you who got you through this!

Gregrnel
thanks for the update. Stories like yours give me hope. I have a very similar injury and about 1 month behind you (10.07.11) and I am now on a cane with hopes of abandoning it in the next two weeks. I too have starnge knee noises and pains but I feel like I will be normal again at some point. Just takes time and good therapy plus determination to get well. The meds help you get thru the rough parts but if you are religious about the exercises they work no matter how stupid they seem. It took a long time to build those muscles. They go away so fast when you are NWB. I am 50 years old so I know where you are coming from. We really don't appreciate family and friends until life changing events come along. I sure miss working. Hopefully get back to that next month but I know that is going to be another hurdle. Thanks for sharing we all need to hear our future.
thanks
jesse

[Moonstruck]

I am now at 115 degrees and I have to get to 120 in two weeks. I did not realized until the last 3 weeks how important the IT band is in all of this recovery. I am thankful that I have a husband who gives me daily soft tissue massages. He says that when he starts on my quad and IT band, that it feels like gravel. After about 5 minutes he works out the knots and it is amazing how much more ROM I have with my leg. If you have the ability to have someone to help you with a massage, take advantage of it!

Also, has anyone had the surgery where your Dr goes back into your knee and does a "manipulation"? I hear that post op is terrible, but that the removal of scar tissue in post op is helpful to give you better range of motion. Any advice?

[97r82]

Moonstruck
I know the massages the PT does each therapy session makes a lot of difference in my recovery. I am sure a daily massage would do wonders.
I have not had ROM issues with my knee but the wife got walking pneumonia a couple weeks after total knee replacement. She went two weeks without any therapy and her knee locked up. The OS had to manipulate her knee to get it started moving again. They put you out and make it move as far as they can physically. She went straight to therapy session with the PT before the drugs wore off. She was back on track to recovering ROM then but it was painful. Seems like anything to do with these type injuries includes pain.I guess you take your pain meds as needed and deal with it? She never reached the ROM target the OS set for her but they finally agreed she wouldn't due to the fact she had went 25 years needing a new knee before she actually had it done and she walks just fine. Hope this helps?
thanks
jesse

I am now at 115 degrees and I have to get to 120 in two weeks. I did not realized until the last 3 weeks how important the IT band is in all of this recovery. I am thankful that I have a husband who gives me daily soft tissue massages. He says that when he starts on my quad and IT band, that it feels like gravel. After about 5 minutes he works out the knots and it is amazing how much more ROM I have with my leg. If you have the ability to have someone to help you with a massage, take advantage of it!

Also, has anyone had the surgery where your Dr goes back into your knee and does a "manipulation"? I hear that post op is terrible, but that the removal of scar tissue in post op is helpful to give you better range of motion. Any advice?

[Moonstruck]

Moonstruck
I know the massages the PT does each therapy session makes a lot of difference in my recovery. I am sure a daily massage would do wonders.
I have not had ROM issues with my knee but the wife got walking pneumonia a couple weeks after total knee replacement. She went two weeks without any therapy and her knee locked up. The OS had to manipulate her knee to get it started moving again. They put you out and make it move as far as they can physically. She went straight to therapy session with the PT before the drugs wore off. She was back on track to recovering ROM then but it was painful. Seems like anything to do with these type injuries includes pain.I guess you take your pain meds as needed and deal with it? She never reached the ROM target the OS set for her but they finally agreed she wouldn't due to the fact she had went 25 years needing a new knee before she actually had it done and she walks just fine. Hope this helps?
thanks
jesse

Thanks Jesse. Glad to hear she is back on track! I have heard that the manipulation surgery is brutal but can be worth it. My goal is to get to riding and jumping again, so if is can help me, I may do it. My Dr said it is up to me. I still need to have surgery on my other kneee for a torn ACL and Meniscus but he does not want to do this until I can sucessfully put weight on my knee the Stage VI TPF as I will need it to pivot. So I get to decide on next steps in 3 weeks. If I continue to improve, I may just stay with the therapy and keep working for full ROM because I do improve with every PT session when we measure. I guess you are saying your wife's knee locked up due to her inactivity with the pneumonia? Wow...bummer to get that after the surgery. I know a lot of people who get pneumonia from hospital stays! Thank for the info Jesse..and good luck. As everyone keeps saying..you need to keep moving the knee joint!

[Ryanrene]

so I have my 7 week post op appointment wednesday next week for my type VI TPF. I am hoping to be cleared for PT. this injury def. tests ones patience. yesterday was a tough pain day and i just couldn't escape the nagging and throbbing. i can't break the 50 degrees mark and my brace is set to 60. i bought a mini exercise ball (thanks to the advice of a fellow member) and use it to roll my foot back and forth to stretch. i can't go very far and it easily frustrates me. i want to avoid any manipulations that i've read about in this forum. hard to stay positive with so much pain and work ahead of me. so badly want to just WALK!

[liamy]

I walked a mile!! A whole mile! I never thought that walking a measly mile would be so exciting! Yay!!

[97r82]

You go girl.

I walked a mile!! A whole mile! I never thought that walking a measly mile would be so exciting! Yay!!

[SponsoredByDuctTape]

Hey all, thought I'd chime in. I had my own tibial plateau fracture in 2008 (thread called "Season = Over (via major knee injury)"). I had a grade IV/V fracture, medial and lateral meniscus tear, MCL tear and ACL spine evulsion, with a plate and 5 screws. Not that bad compared to some of the pics on here!

I had the initial injury in 3/08 and had the hardware removed in 8/10.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some real world experience and give you some rays of hope. You will likely have to learn to run again. I.e., your leg just forgets how to do it. For a while, I looked like I was skipping when I was jogging across the street. Kind of embarassing, but not the end of the world. I eventually made it back to being able to run with a totally normal cadence...for short periods at least.

Bike riding is no problem. I got into road cycling for a while and did a few longer rides with no issues. Even crashed really good once on the bad knee with no residuals except for a good scar from a rasberry.

I was playing ice hockey when I got hurt, and I'm back to doing that. Been playing once a week for the past two seasons with very little problems.

I've done bootcamp workouts with virtually no problems, boxing classes with virtually no problems, and one or two spin classes per week.

Sure, it bothers me now and then, but waking up in the middle of the night is long gone. I rarely take Ibuprofen - usually after hockey or a hard workout - and I only took pain meds (Oxycontin and Percocet) for a couple weeks after the injury/surgery.

Keep your head up, you'll be amazed at what you can still do if you keep yourself athletic. Move around as much as you can. Keep that knee going. Ice is your friend. I still ice quite a bit just because it feels so good. Figure out the difference between pain and damage. Ask a ton of questions.

There's always a lot of debate about knee braces for athletic activity (as opposed to post-surgery). FWIW, every doctor and PT I've seen has said avoid wearing one if you can. I never bought one and I don't wear one even when playing hockey. Just my experience, and your mileage may vary. Always consult your physician, blah blah blah.

Anyway, hope my experience gives you all some hope for the future.

[Harleygirl]

Thanks, It is so hard to deal with all the recovery time. Its such a long process. I have started doing alot better with my Pt twice a week. I am walking better with a cane now, I have also gotten some feeling back in my foot.Its just so hard to understand how your life can change in a second from some one being so Careless. The illegal mexican that hit us gets to go on with his life, but i have to sit and wait on my leg to heal. I get so upset thinking about that. But I am a firm believer Everything happens for a reason.

Welcome Cindi
You found a great place to learn more about your recovery. My accident was in early Oct and I am just now walking with a cane. Still going to therapy and lots of home exercise. I think everyone has the nerve damage to begin with. Mine has gotten better since the doc let me put weight on the foot. Felt like bees stinging me most of the time. The mental part is the hardest. Find something you like that you can do to occupy your mind. Hope you do well. Keep us informed on your progress. As you have probably learned this board has a lot of people who have been thru similar stuff like you are enduring now.
thanks
jesse