Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[Notorious]

looks similar to mine.

they don't tell you to take them out. you tell them. They have to be in at least a year. I didn't think it would make a big difference but people kept telling me it would. I don't know how much was the screws and how much was the clean up. I figured it was worth it to at least go in and look since it still hurt, and I don't like the idea of having them in my body permanently (foreign objects). and voila, all better.

Are you saying you had pain and that removing the screws got rid of the residual pain? Did they cut the same incision or could they remove them orthoscopically? Was this done outpatient? Were you over the second procedure in a day or so or longer? How long after your surgery were you back on bike?

Sorry for so many questions. I haven't talked to another person yet that has had this surgery. I am dying inside to get back to normal but judging by the responses here it will be a lot longer than I had imagined. Thank you so much for the info.

[sparkletarte.]

-yes. almost every step it hurt a bit but moreso under pressure, ie walking downhill, riding, etc. but like I say it might have been the screws or torn cartlidge or a bit of both. instantly gone after surgery. most people I'd talked to said that the screws would cause pain/weird feelings.
-same incision
-day trip- was suppossed to be a spinal so I could watch but it didn't take fast enough so I was knocked out. woke up partway through, that was fun, could feel the pressure of and hear the screwdriver!
-probably 7 days on crutches/cane total? can't quite remember. it was actually quite difficult because it brought back all the memories of how sucky it was to have the first surgery/recovery time.
-second surgery was maybe mid/late april? waited until the season was over. was on bike that summer.
-no problem. just do all your physio (get a good physio who knows sports). it's going to take a while, you need to let it heal right. and no limping once you start weight bearing- that trains your body to recover doing the wrong thing.

[mikedilia]

Hello

I agree with the saying that recovery depends on the person. I fractured my plateau tibial june 28 and received a plate, 10 screws and a metal stick. Could not bear weight for 3 months and experienced the most pain. After removing the cast. I was given a splint which I wore for 2 months and started physio 1 month into this. I was allowed to use a cane and it is now November and pain pretty well gone. Although the wierd feeling (seems like I have a 12 inch splint on one side of my leg) the recovery is taking time and others seem to notice this more that I do. The ways things are going I beleive that I should be rid of this and can walk normally mid December or there about.

Good Luck on your recovery and remember "one day at a time"

[Notorious]

Hello

I agree with the saying that recovery depends on the person. I fractured my plateau tibial june 28 and received a plate, 10 screws and a metal stick. Could not bear weight for 3 months and experienced the most pain. After removing the cast. I was given a splint which I wore for 2 months and started physio 1 month into this. I was allowed to use a cane and it is now November and pain pretty well gone. Although the wierd feeling (seems like I have a 12 inch splint on one side of my leg) the recovery is taking time and others seem to notice this more that I do. The ways things are going I beleive that I should be rid of this and can walk normally mid December or there about.

Good Luck on your recovery and remember "one day at a time"

Thanks for your input. I am relieved to hear some of the other people who have had this surgery. Sounds like yours was a lot worse than mine.

I have hit my PT hard since reading this thread. Much, much harder than I was doing it before.

The advice to not limp was perfect and something that another person I met had to have an additional surgery due to limping. I appreciate all of the advice.


I have a DR appt tomorrow and hopefully I can start putting a little bit of weight on it. I have begun driving (I feel 16 again!). So I am only 8 weeks from surgery but I am feeling pretty damn good.

Thanks for all the input.

[Nic L]

Hello,

I had a Tibial Plateau Fracture last ski season (Christmas Day). I had no idea it would take so long to recover. I still am not back to normal activity. My fracture was right medial and I have a plate and 6 screws. I was non weight bearing for 3 months and gradually started bearing weight after that. BTW- at the time my daughter had just turned 1yrs old.

Anyways, I randomly decided a couple days ago I want to take out the hardware. I still have a fair amount of discomfort and in reading some posts it seems like it can make a difference. I am having it done on Mon. I hope it is the right decision. It hasn't been quite a year but close enough. I am hoping I will be able to ski at least late season I also figure if I am going to be active it might be a good thing not to have the hardware so that if I do injure myself they can do an MRI. I understand the metal can make it hard to diagnose.

Any reassurance on this decision or thoughts otherwise would be greatly appreciated

Nicole

[Notorious]

Hello,

I had a Tibial Plateau Fracture last ski season (Christmas Day). I had no idea it would take so long to recover. I still am not back to normal activity. My fracture was right medial and I have a plate and 6 screws. I was non weight bearing for 3 months and gradually started bearing weight after that. BTW- at the time my daughter had just turned 1yrs old.

Anyways, I randomly decided a couple days ago I want to take out the hardware. I still have a fair amount of discomfort and in reading some posts it seems like it can make a difference. I am having it done on Mon. I hope it is the right decision. It hasn't been quite a year but close enough. I am hoping I will be able to ski at least late season I also figure if I am going to be active it might be a good thing not to have the hardware so that if I do injure myself they can do an MRI. I understand the metal can make it hard to diagnose.

Any reassurance on this decision or thoughts otherwise would be greatly appreciated

Nicole

I am uncertain as to if I will have my hardware out. I am now almost 3 months since the break and just over 2 months since surgery. Still on crutches but weight bearing @ 25 percent with 50 next week.

I found this site by searching for Tibia plateau fractures but I do not live in a cold weather climate.. Not sure if the cold weather plays a factor with the hardware or not?

[2fuels]

Wow, I stumbled across this forum in a search for "tibial plateau fracture rehab". I'ts been a week since the surgery and I've got all the usual pins and plates plus repair to the soft tissues (scope and debride). Reading all the past posts here it looks to be an interesting and long rehab in my future. I'm on the CPM 6 hours a day since the cutting took place and it feels pretty good, Obviously my biggest concern is fittness and getting back on my snowboard seems a far off challenge. It's hard not to whine about missing so much of life to this but I guess I'm still alive so I'll take it one day at a time and get to healing. The "good" thing is I've found out through this forum that I'm certainly not the only one with this issue so good luck everyone!

[burkie]

turning 40 kind of sucked. shattered my tibial plateau august of 09, broken in 13 places and dislocated the knee joint to boot. surgical repair left me with 11 screws and a plate (all of which are incredibly weather sensitive).

this is a SERIOUS INJURY and if you want to get your life back you must take the recovery seriously, remember that you are trying to get your leg back for the next 20years or so, it is worth spending a year or two to do that. all things considered i think i am doing pretty damn well. recovery of lifestyle is possible!

recovery can be broken into two words patience and persistence. i was careful not to do anything until i had Dr instructions in the first 4 months. i was pretty diligent with the PT to get my range of motion back (am currently 98% but that last 2% is hard to imagine), also did PT to build up the strength (atrophy was incredible, lost about 4" of diameter on my quad) as soon as i was given the ok, and continued with that for about 3months until it was becoming un-affordable.

during this time i did a LOT of time on my bike, on the stationary trainer. gradually building up from a couple minutes, to a couple hours per session (after about 6months) and continued that until i could be back outdoors on the bike in late spring. i believe this to be one of the keys to getting your leg back and cannot stress enough how much that helped me.

the next step for me was to build lateral stability again. my first efforts were with the PT folks but as soon as i was able i began to hike (walk) the local trails every morning (the dog was more than happy to keep me company) before work.

by mid winter i was on the bunny hill with my 4 year old, i stuck with my leather TELE boots to be sure i was doing the work on my skis and not relying too much on the gear. i can honestly say that after that first 2 hour session of bumbling around i was not sure if i would ever be able to ski again. lots of ICE and ADVIL that evening! no more skiing that weekend, only snowshoes (back to the happy dog).

following weekend did the same bunny hill routine, twice. same the following weekend, but switched to the full plastic TELE boots and ventured up the small lift under the guidance of my 7year old. the fifth outing (after a couple days rest during vacation week) i skied a full afternoon with my 9year old, was gritting my teeth, but could tell was not doing any damage (sometimes you just know). i literally could not walk across the parking lot to get to the car after that afternoon.

that was the progression, it took basically the whole season (maybe 5-6 more days on the boards) to get back to where i felt reasonably comfortable on the hill again. not yet able to be aggressive on the boards by end of season, but was skiing the whole mountain again, all terrain, including trees and some bumps. (ice and advil after every session). end of season i felt like i still had a ways to go but the progress was slow and steady so i am optimistic that this year will be the same, headed back to some level of normalcy.

this summer/fall the bike was my main tool for recovery, i was able to put in a number of rides over 100 miles (one was 150), and added in the MTB which lead to riding the VT50mile race at the end of the season. knee has been great on the bike.

i have also added trail running into the mix this summer and into the fall, ABSOLUTELY NO ROAD RUNNING. the trails (real trails, not fire roads) have been good for building up lateral stability and more well rounded strength. all running has been kept to under an hour per run, mostly in the 30 minute range.

overall assessment: i am still nervous and cautious on the leg, range of motion is still 98%, lots of crunching in the joint (assume its scar tissue), strength seems to be back to 95%, lateral stability is 75% although i try not to test it (still scared), hurts like hell when the weather changes, still dealing with swelling fluid issues in the knee and foot (advil helps foot, ice helps knee).

predictions: hard to say how long it will last, hoping for 20 years, DR said replacement was to be expected at some point, planning for long term by sticking to in-line sports as much as possible (skiing, cycling, running), plan to NEVER run on the road again but will continue to run trails to maintain bone density.

good luck, be patient, know when to push but know when to rest.

[kariberi]

I found this site by looking for recovery time from plateau fractures. It is reassuring to see through this experince many have shared my feelings. The fact that my ass is just as sore from sitting as my leg among them
I stepped on to a snow covered curb of all things and managed to break the bottom right half of my femur along with the tibial plateau fracture. I am amazed at the length of time many of you had to wait before surgery, and it again makes me glad for my healthcare.(I live in western Canada). I was in surgery within 6 hours of breaking it. have a plate and 6 or 8 pins.
Just passed my 5 weeks on December 24th, and am allowed to put 25lbs on it. Have only had a Zimmer brace the entire time and have been encouraged to have it off as much as possible around home and move my leg until it is unbearable.
Hate not being able to drive, and am bored silly as i am unable to work until i can walk again,so i am going to take classes at the local college.
What i am wondering is the feeling of blankets hurting must be new nerve growth, but how long does that last?
I also have the swelling in my ankle if i have been active during the day and my leg has not been elevated.
Can't wait until i can try the pool!

[karpiel]

Interesting observation- My right ski needs waxing 3x as often as left.
Done with PT, skied ~30 days so far. Only problem I'm having now is lack of strength, I think I need canting.


Thought I'd whore this out again.

[tspevacek]

Hello all,
My fracture occured on October 2nd 2010. I was laid up with no weight bearing until 14 January 2011. I have been givign clearance for light weight bearing with crutches. I do not have a full range of motion and have not been able to get my leg straight since the surgery. I can almost bend it to 90 degrees. I still get massive swelling in it as the day progresses. My injury was work related as I work as Asset protection and an arrest on someone under the influence of Meth got a little violent.

My question is mainly how long it took before people were back to work after thier injury? I have been cleared to return to light duty but have to remaion seated for most of the day. I tis extreemly hard to walk on the crutches with out my leg going all the way straight when i put the injured leg (left) out with the crutches I seem to only be able to make contact with my ball of my foot and toes. I was doing exercises almost the entire trying to get the leg straight but have not been able too. The doctor claims the physical threapy should be able to work on it getting straight again but it just starts to put pressure in the knee when I try to make it go straight.

Thanks for any input

[2fuels]

I'm walking now, 7 weeks post surgery. Riding my bike on the trainer and going to PT three times a week. My biggest issue is the atrophy of my quads, its amazing how much muscle has been lost (about 15 lbs by my scale). ROM is improving and no issues with the hardware (plate and 12 screws) so far. I still use the crutches going outside due to the snow and ice here but at work and at home they sit in the corner. Pain is limited to the knee itself, really stiff but riding helps a lot (along with copius amounts of ice packs afterwards) I see a light at the end of this tunnel but its still a ways off. Hang in there everyone!

[paradoc]

3 weeks out from a Tibial Plateau fracture. 5 on a scale of 10 according to my orthopod. 10/10 according to me. Required plate and dozen screws to repair. I also avulsed (tore off) my ACL at the attachment, but the ligament was intact so they screwed that back in and hopefully won't need to have that repaired later. Also had medial meniscus bucket handle tear that was repaired. It was a dumb fall... ripping a groomer, hit a roller wrong, landed and caught an edge right when my femur impacted. I could feel and hear the "pop"... it sounded and felt like a large tree limb snapping in half. I'm amazed by how debilitating this injury is. Here are my initial observations:

-Two days in hospital after surgery.
-Three weeks into "recovery", which means pretty much on the couch with my leg elevated.
-Pain was TERRIBLE first two weeks. It was OK when I had it elevated and on ice, but when I stood up, it HURT LIKE HELL. Didn't seem to matter how much pain meds I took. Even with a ton of percocet on board, it hurts like hell the first 2 weeks.
-Crossed a threshold after 2 weeks, and pain now manageable with just tylenol or nothing.
-If my leg is down, even for few minutes, it gets swollen and sore still.
-Make sure your ortho gets you on blood thinners so you have lower chance of a blood clot. A blood clot can turn a bad problem much, much worse.
-Started PT about 10 days out from surgery. Just pool therapy so far. Feels good to be working on range of motion, but it is a LONG way to go.
-Atrophy in your Quad will freak you out... don't panic. Everyone I've talked to says it comes back.
-Non weight bearing recs vary by orthopod, but count on 6-12 weeks of no weight bearing at all.
-Crutches suck. I'll say it again, crutches suck.
-Check out the Freedom off-loading leg brace. http://freedomlegbrace.com/Freedom_L...Leg_Brace.html
I've got one on order... lets you walk without crutches, and without any weight on the foot. I'll post a review after I've used it.

For those who say "at least you didn't blow out your knee", a tibial plateau fracture is generally a much, much worse injury than a simple ACL or meniscal tear. You completely destroy the bone that bears 100% of the weight in your knee, and often tear the ligaments too. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy...

[paradoc]

-Check out the Freedom off-loading leg brace. http://freedomlegbrace.com/Freedom_L...Leg_Brace.html
I've got one on order... lets you walk without crutches, and without any weight on the foot. I'll post a review after I've used it.

Update: Tried the freedom leg brace. It didn't work out for me, but I like the concept. Biggest issue for me was the ligament damage in my knee. Although the splint doesn't place direct strain on those... when you use it it does pull the muscles and skin in your thigh... which are attached to your knee. That didn't work out for me. I think for a mid-shaft tib/fib fracture or ankle/foot fracture this would probably work great. The other issue was their "Long" size brace was too short for me, and I'm only 6' tall.

[2fuels]

11 weeks post OP, signed up for a 5K run tomorrow. I'm guessing it'll be a 5k walk/jog but its better than the CPM! Everything you've read here about residual pain from hardware is true, its the only issue I have right now, in fact the four screws through the top of my shin are just a little too long which is a BIG pain in the ass and I feel them 24/7. If my current Ortho doesn't remove them I'll find one that will.
There is life after this injury and I'm guessing I'm at 50% "normal", but every week there's progress so I'll take what I can get.

[Notorious]

11 weeks post OP, signed up for a 5K run tomorrow. I'm guessing it'll be a 5k walk/jog but its better than the CPM! Everything you've read here about residual pain from hardware is true, its the only issue I have right now, in fact the four screws through the top of my shin are just a little too long which is a BIG pain in the ass and I feel them 24/7. If my current Ortho doesn't remove them I'll find one that will.
There is life after this injury and I'm guessing I'm at 50% "normal", but every week there's progress so I'll take what I can get.

Holy ! I am impressed. I am 20 weeks post OP and I just yesterday ran 2/3 of mile for first time ( and it took me 10 min and I used to be an 8 min/mile pace).

For those who recently went through this break just take your time. You have a long way to go but your whole life to get there.

My time line:
Surgery 10/1/2010 for broken Tibia Plateau
Crutches to cane in about 2 months.
Off cane completely 2.5 months post op.
Spin classes in late December (couldnt stand in saddle for another month).

Currently I am 5 months post op. I still have residual quad muscle issues and very little strength. I can swim without pain but get a lot of popping from hardware/screws. I can barely run at a very slow pace but pain free.

I can do a squat with no weight. I can do a lunge albeit awkwardly. I still have problems going up and down stairs but I think its mostly mental.

I feel great and my spirits are high. My advice is take it SLOW. It is going to take the average person a while to get back to "normal". My goal is an overly cautious 1 year from surgery.

FYI, if you get a cane get a medical cane that is adjustable. If you use a cane that is the wrong height it can be bad-news-bears.

Best of luck...

[agentparris]

Hi All,
Injury 2-5-2011, surgery 2-10-2011. Repair to tibial plateau (plate and screws), ACL, meniscus, cartilage cleanup. First two weeks: heinous pain, getting better now at end of week 3. Use Percocet to sleep, since I have to wear the brace, and 1-2 doses of IB profen during the day. I have been using a compressive wrap on the ankle to bring the swelling down. This lasts a few hours after removal, where the swelling returns when my foot is not elevated. In general, the pain has migrated all over my lower leg and ankle, spiking at different locations at different times. Seems to have settled in the ankle for the time being.

Had a 2-week post op. visit with the surgeon. He was impressed at my initial ROM, ~90 degrees. I let him know that I had been doing straight leg lifts and micro-crunches with my stomach. He said to keep it up.

I stretch every day. Work only on extension for the ROM, never flex the leg to anything close to stressing. I am able to sit with my leg dangling straight down without pain, but with this type of injury I find that ANY position begins to ache after a relatively short while.

Gave up beer! Drinking lots of kefir, eating whole foods such as fruits, nuts, etc. Lots of water!

Every break and everyone is different. Word is my cartilage is a bit of a concern. No telling what will happen, but off to a hopeful start. I have a follow up visit in about 2-weeks and will update any important findings. P.S. Cabin fever 110% (snow bound). Cheers

[2fuels]

I am motivated (and just a little lucky) I went Snowboarding on the final day here at our local little hill, nothing fancy just carving good turns. I bought an ASTERISK cell knee brace more for my piece of mind than anything and it works well (had to modify the padding a little because of the hardware issue). Riding my bikes and a little running too. There is pain, but not "tearing it up pain" and Doc says yes indeed, the plates and screws will be coming out after 12 months (thank GOD). A little note about percocet; its great while your taking it, stopping cold turkey will bring on the same withdrawal symtoms you get from smack, I was AWAKE for a week after quitting, shaking like a dog, if I had known this fact earlier I would have asked for something else for pain. A big thank you to everyone on this forum for sharing the info and their experience with this injury, its helped me make some crucial choices along the way!

[TMacinmich]

Just found site, awesome! answering a lot of my questions, broke TP Jan 7, 2011 - skiing. Had surgery 4 days after. Now starting 10th week Still no weight, on crutches, pain not too bad have good range of movement in PT three days a week, hoping for weight bearing next doc appointment this week. I really can't believe all the people considering skiing after this injury, I would never consider doing anything to do this again. My injury was from a very mild ski fall it didn't take much.

[mrdoja]

Found this site by searching "tibial plateau fracture". On Sunday March 13, 2011 (2 days ago) I received this injury. I am sitting in the Hospital waiting for surgey to occur on Thursday morning. Thus far, I am told I will need two plates; one on the inside and one on the outter portion of my left leg, and several screws to hold the metal braces in place. They will also use bone graft to support part of the plateau that was compressed several mm from the impact of my Femur slamming into the plateau. I don't know what to expect, and quite nervous after reading that this is one of the most dangerous injuries from which to recover. I was wearing EVS carbon fiber knee braces at the time of injury, and I can only imagine the muscle and tendon damage that would have occured if I had not been wearing them...?? I will keep a running update on my progression, but I am aslo looking forward to hearing from others that have already gone down the recovery path. Thanks again for a wonderful site that provides invaluable insight.
Doug

[LynneG]

Was happy to find this website when looking for info on recovery from a tibial plateau fracture... Mine was a result of a horse riding accident on Dec. 29, surgery within 24 hrs. My femur crushed the TP making a nice mosaic crater so I needed bone graft for that, plus the plate and screws for a long fracture. I'm almost 11 weeks post surgery and 75% weight-bearing. Until now I've been pretty good about accepting the reality of a long recovery but I'm ready to throw my crutches off a cliff--haha (only half kidding!).

For all you other athletes out there, how are you dealing with "being on the bench" while you recover, and when did you attempt to return to your sport? (I may be allowed to get back to riding in May or June but I've come to realize it will be in a limited capacity. For now, I watch others ride which helps to keep my skills up.)

[LynneG]

Doug, I really feel for you having to wait in the hospital for your surgery. (I also had bone graft...mine was crushed 15mm and was corrected with bone graft to within 1mm.) Hang in there, and don't be a hero...stay ahead of the pain with whatever Rx works for you. Ask your surgeon about getting a femoral nerve block--this will greatly help with post-surgical pain (mine lasted an unusually long time and it was a godsend). Your femor came down on both sides, can ask I how you did it? You must have come straight down on it...

Found this site by searching "tibial plateau fracture". On Sunday March 13, 2011 (2 days ago) I received this injury. I am sitting in the Hospital waiting for surgey to occur on Thursday morning. Thus far, I am told I will need two plates; one on the inside and one on the outter portion of my left leg, and several screws to hold the metal braces in place. They will also use bone graft to support part of the plateau that was compressed several mm from the impact of my Femur slamming into the plateau. I don't know what to expect, and quite nervous after reading that this is one of the most dangerous injuries from which to recover. I was wearing EVS carbon fiber knee braces at the time of injury, and I can only imagine the muscle and tendon damage that would have occured if I had not been wearing them...?? I will keep a running update on my progression, but I am aslo looking forward to hearing from others that have already gone down the recovery path. Thanks again for a wonderful site that provides invaluable insight.
Doug

[LynneG]

Wow another person that had to wait for surgery, I can't imagine. We had surgery a few weeks apart so I'm interested to hear what you're doing in PT. Good luck with your next doc's appointment.

Just found site, awesome! answering a lot of my questions, broke TP Jan 7, 2011 - skiing. Had surgery 4 days after. Now starting 10th week Still no weight, on crutches, pain not too bad have good range of movement in PT three days a week, hoping for weight bearing next doc appointment this week. I really can't believe all the people considering skiing after this injury, I would never consider doing anything to do this again. My injury was from a very mild ski fall it didn't take much.

[Bpearce2407]

I am 20 yrs old i have currently broke my tibia plateau .. i had 2 steel rods and 8 screws to replace it and fix it i am sorry i has a displaced tibia plateau... i broke it two weeks ago and waited a week to get it oprated on and that was done on the 11 of march.. i havent gotten into what i would say PT i am currently at home using a CPM machine and i can bend up to 45 with out pain but i am having trouble going straight i can do that to 0 in the negitive range is a little pain full... i have been told no weight bearing, and i still have my staples i am currently waitng to have them removed, maybe my leg will start to feel better ... i have been reading all over the web and i am not seeing anyone with the same injury any weight bearing before 3 mnths.. i am hoping that i get a little more PT experince..any thought s?

[LynneG]

Hi, sorry about your accident. I can't believe you waited a week for surgery :/

Interesting about the 2 rods, there must be a reason why your surgeon chose that hardware vs. plates--maybe you could ask when you go to have the staples removed?

Have you been given a prescription yet for PT? That will tell you what you're supposed to do from week-to-week. My PT has consisted of working on range of motion for several weeks, followed by strengthening exercises (and stationary bicycle), then toe-touching & gradual weight-bearing (from week 8 until now). I'm @ 11 weeks post-surgery & at least 75% weight-bearing, walking with one crutch (as of yesterday). I hope to be fully weight bearing at 3 months. Along the way, I always felt I should be doing more & that PT was pretty boring b/c you are stuck doing the same stuff. All that said, I have to admit it was all my body could take. Even now, I should be really happy about my progress but it swells like crazy when I use it. That tells me my body is still healing. Oh and, ice is your friend!

Let us know how you're doing along the way. Take care of yourself, and I hope you have a good recovery : )

I am 20 yrs old i have currently broke my tibia plateau .. i had 2 steel rods and 8 screws to replace it and fix it i am sorry i has a displaced tibia plateau... i broke it two weeks ago and waited a week to get it oprated on and that was done on the 11 of march.. i havent gotten into what i would say PT i am currently at home using a CPM machine and i can bend up to 45 with out pain but i am having trouble going straight i can do that to 0 in the negitive range is a little pain full... i have been told no weight bearing, and i still have my staples i am currently waitng to have them removed, maybe my leg will start to feel better ... i have been reading all over the web and i am not seeing anyone with the same injury any weight bearing before 3 mnths.. i am hoping that i get a little more PT experince..any thought s?