Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[splat]

I'm pretty sure you read the end of my story in the knee replacement thread but it bears repeating here since my original injury was tibia plateau back in Feb 2014. If the doc says you're likely to need a knee replacement down the line when arthritis sets in keep in mind they're gonna want to take the hardware out as a separate surgery then before the TKR.
Also keep in mind that 5.5 years after my original surgery the pain got to where I had a TKR scheduled for 10/30. My hardware was removed on July 31. The end of September things started to feel better. October 2nd I took my last ibuprofen (after 1200-1800mg daily since 2/2014). On the 17th, I officially canceled the surgery. Now I'm running down hills with a heavy pack and no pain.
Needless to say, my advice is to get the hardware out.

I have told the gf a couple times about your story, powdork, especially when she complains about the lump in her tibia where she spiraled it and got a shitload of hardware. An FYI for you peeps, too...she got amazing swelling reduction from cupping.

[ThreeRidges]

Just stumbled on this thread. Wife had a TPF a few weeks ago. Compared to the stories here, I think the fracture was mild, bone not displaced, procedure was plate with about three screws and repair of the dimple with cadaver bone. Check up about 9 days later shows bone fused properly and everything OK. Out of the hip to ankle brace and cleared to bend knee, PT starting soon. She’s super active, so is working on range of motion a lot. No weight bearing for 10 weeks or so.

The week after the procedure had a lot of pain, and was helped greatly by scoring a $130 Drive wheelchair from Amazon Prime. There’s no better way to keep the leg elevated and stable, it sucks but it was better than being bed ridden. From the stories here, she got off easy, notwithstanding the suckage she went through/is going to.


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[cat in january]

Just came out of ED with this diagnosis. Seeing surgeon tomorrow and expect surgery this week. Will read whole thread at some point, but if anyone has advice on specific questions to ask surgeon it would be appreciated

[BFD]

Just came out of ED with this diagnosis. Seeing surgeon tomorrow and expect surgery this week. Will read whole thread at some point, but if anyone has advice on specific questions to ask surgeon it would be appreciated

really sorry to hear this. wishing you the best for your surgery and rehab.

[cat in january]

Thanks man. Started reading this thread, got depressed and left it alone. I will get back in the saddle

[t-the-east]

Damn cat, sorry to hear man. Not sure how bad your fracture is, hopefully it isn’t too severe. If they haven’t told you yet, find out what type it is on the weird scale of 1-6. You should absolutely read through this thread, yes it’s depressing at times, but there is also some great info and good stories on here. Another good resource is a Facebook group called tibial plateau recovery that Spanky told me about.I set up a fake Facebook account just to read through it. It also has a pretty comprehensive list of exercises at certain stages of recovery when you get to that point.

Without knowing your specifics, I don’t have too many questions for you to ask the surgeon. Biggest one would be how long you’ll be non weight bearing for. That is probably the darkest time of this whole ordeal.

I was actually looking for this thread yesterday to write up a little recap, Wednesday is the one year anniversary of my surgery, it’s been a wild ride. As of last week I was mostly back to normal, even skied some knee deep powder two weeks ago! But, since some of my hardware was bothering me, I decided to have surgery last week and remove 4 screws. Tough saying goodbye to spring skiing, for 2 years in a row. And this time it was my own decision, but being reminded of your hardware on every step you take is no fun.

I’ll probably still write up the recap, this thread is a valuable resource for anyone who is unfortunate enough to go through this, and there really isn’t too much info online. So any and all experiences should be shared for others to read.

Keep us posted on what the diagnosis is Cat. Good luck man!

[cat in january]

Thanks man see the orthopedic PA today to go over surgery and expect it to happen this week. I will know a lot more after today’s meeting. Appreciate your positive thoughts. Big question floating in my mind is did I damage any ligaments and if so will those be addressed in the same surgery or later.

[detrusor]

I used Dr. Christopher's Bone and Tissue healing balm, massage oil and capsules I bought on Amazon that were posted on a blog for a woman who had wrote about her TPF surgery and recovery. All three products cost less than half of the CBD now cream. I am a smoker and smoking can greatly inhibit bone growth/healing, so I was a bit concerned as I tried initially to quit but with so much time of doing absolutely nothing during my 8 weeks NWB, I smoked within a week after surgery but by my 8 week check with my ortho surgeon, the bones were healed wonderfully and doc was pleased. I attribute the healing to my doing what I was supposed to do, having excellent surgeons and Dr. Christopher's B and T stuff. The massage oil stinks to high heaven and the pills have a gross after taste, but I applied the balm or oil regularly.

I think you just got lucky and healed. Smoking cause vasoconstriction and it’s absolutely crucial to have great blood flow to healing bones and for post op infection. So much so the VA won’t do joint replacements if you still smoke.

I guess if the smoking is more important than a functional leg.....

I guess you can see this kind of shit triggers me...it’s all the doctors fault


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[cat in january]

Met with doctor and surgery Thursday. Pretty bad break with broken part(s) depressed from joint. Bone graft, plate, screws. Three months no weight, then nine to twelve recovery. Doctor said I am not getting my old knee back

[splat]

I think you just got lucky and healed. Smoking cause vasoconstriction and it’s absolutely crucial to have great blood flow to healing bones and for post op infection. So much so the VA won’t do joint replacements if you still smoke.

I guess if the smoking is more important than a functional leg.....

I guess you can see this kind of shit triggers me...it’s all the doctors fault

One post m series spam?

Comparing CBD Now Cream to Dr. Whoever's Amazon salve is ridiculous. My cream has a Chinese herb vasodilator blend, DMSO, MSM, magnesium and CBD and is embraced by a boatload of testimonials, as well as my own personal experience, to support its efficacy. I make every small-batch produced myself. If CBD Now Cream didn't work, it wouldn't sell. Sales are based on recommendations and it is not some private label Jergen's lotion anyone anywhere can have made for Amazon sales.
I get spammed all day every day by private label companies offering to do what I describe for selling on Amazon. I go to trade shows for products like mine. I read their ingredients and have been given samples. Sure, they smell nice. But I can say in all confidence and honesty that 99.9% of salves, lotions, or creams on the market, whether they have CBD in them or not, are complete bullshit. This was an absolute stunner for me. I went to see and feel my competition and had none.

[cat in january]

Post op and feeling ok. Mine was a type 2 break with bone graft, plate and some number of screws (7?). Fortunately pain was low and only had to hit the oxy for two hour ride home. Boredom seems to be the biggest obstacle now. Not sure how I could manage without the support of my wife at home.

Broken piece on right side of photo. Just one break all the way through and depressed.

[dannynoonan]

Post op and feeling ok. Mine was a type 2 break with bone graft, plate and some number of screws (7?). Fortunately pain was low and only had to hit the oxy for two hour ride home. Boredom seems to be the biggest obstacle now. Not sure how I could manage without the support of my wife at home.

Broken piece on right side of photo. Just one break all the way through and depressed.

Dang, you popped that thing right off, eh. Hope you are doing well with recovery. If you got nothing else out of this thread, range of motion and not letting your quads/calfs atrophy too much should be a #1 focus. Keeping on top of those now will make life easier next season for sure.

Best wishes for your comeback, Mr. Cat.

[splat]

Post op and feeling ok. Mine was a type 2 break with bone graft, plate and some number of screws (7?). Fortunately pain was low and only had to hit the oxy for two hour ride home. Boredom seems to be the biggest obstacle now. Not sure how I could manage without the support of my wife at home.

Broken piece on right side of photo. Just one break all the way through and depressed.

Impressively clean break. Did they just put a couple screws in and call it good?

[cat in january]

Not sure on number of screws, will ask when the staples come out next week. There is a plate and bone graft was added in where I crunched the soft bone.

[cat in january]

Staples out yesterday and have a better understanding of injury. 2.5cm displacement of the break repaired with a 10cm plate and 8 screws.

Another six weeks until partial weight bearing with only work to build to ninety degree bend. Then should be another four to six weeks until fwb.

My trials are trivial in the scope of the world and so very fortunate for the support of my wife.

Need to find some upper body exercises to keep sanity. Loss of exercise outlet has been one of the tougher things

[Vicki66]

Reading all these posts is interesting and shows that recovering from this type of injury and surgery can take varying amounts of time. I had surgery in February for a type 2 tibial plateau compression fracture after being hit by a car while crossing the road. The pain after the surgery was way worse than the original injury and I had 5 days in hospital with a morphine pump which was used constantly. The next 5 weeks of wearing a brace and non-weight bearing were a breeze in comparison. Now that I'm allowed to start weight bearing 25% and increasing to 100% (supposedly over 4-6 weeks) I've had 3 weeks of not achieving much at all and the pain on the left side of the knee around the top of the scar area can get up to a 10/10 at times. Been trying to do the exercises I've been given - straightening the leg - nearly straight, bending the leg - nearly 80 degrees, foot and ankle exercises, putting some weight on my foot while standing. Walking is a non event - even with a walker and trying to do 25% weight bearing - too painful. Have decided to take this very slowly and just hope that one day I can walk without pain. Onwards and upwards as they say!

[mbc8ce]

Several new Dutch studies show that immediate permissive weight bearing after Tibial Plateau fracture has benefits over the "traditional" method of weighting for weeks and weeks. Has anyone had experience with this accelerated healing technique?
One of the articles is called "Patient-reported quality of life and pain after permissive weight bearing in surgically treated trauma patients with tibial plateau fractures: a retrospective cohort study"

After a year it doesnt seem to matter but earlier there are positive quality of life issues and healing issues.

Thank you.

[cat in january]

I would not want to stress the screws ^^^^

Been a week full weight bearing. Still waiting on getting in to see a PT. My biggest issue is my lower leg swells pretty bad if I do too much. So it is back in with the leg elevated.

[t-the-east]

I would not want to stress the screws ^^^^

Been a week full weight bearing. Still waiting on getting in to see a PT. My biggest issue is my lower leg swells pretty bad if I do too much. So it is back in with the leg elevated.

That’s gonna last a while unfortunately. I’m at almost a year and a half and my knee still swells up after long hikes or strenuous activities. Glad to hear you’re back on your feet!!

It does get better. You’re in the good part now

[powdork]

Met with doctor and surgery Thursday. Pretty bad break with broken part(s) depressed from joint. Bone graft, plate, screws. Three months no weight, then nine to twelve recovery. Doctor said I am not getting my old knee back

uggh. that's what mine said too. and he was spot on. it never looked like the other one, even when not swollen. 8/5 i get a new one. we'll see what this one looks like.
one of the hardest things for me, and something I never overcame, was the loss of muscle mass. no matter how hard I worked I couldn't get the quads past about 65% of the other leg.

[cat in january]

Yikes good luck with the new knee. I am feeling positive about my direction. Swelling still a problem, but range of motion has increased to 125* now that I am working with PT. Just started walking down stairs every other stair, but there is a slight hop. I have increased the distance I am walking. Eighteen weeks out from injury and another six to eight months was surgeons prediction to reach recovery with perhaps another full year to get all the way back. So far hardware is not causing noticeable problems.

Wishing you the best on 8/15 with the knee surgery powdork. Likely some time in my future as the meniscus was torn with the hunk of tibia.

[powdork]

Wishing you the best on 8/15 with the knee surgery powdork. Likely some time in my future as the meniscus was torn with the hunk of tibia.

That's mean!! The surgery is 8/5.
And it's hard to tell what different docs mean by 'recovery'. I can tell you, and I'm guessing your doc did too, but there is no 'all the way back'. There were a few things that kept getting better after the 2 year mark too.

[spanky]

That's mean!! The surgery is 8/5.
And it's hard to tell what different docs mean by 'recovery'. I can tell you, and I'm guessing your doc did too, but there is no 'all the way back'. There were a few things that kept getting better after the 2 year mark too.

How many years has it been since your tibial plateau fracture?

I’m 6 years post ACL reconstruction and 18 months post tibial plateau repair on the same knee. I’m nowhere near “all the way back” and at this time/age I’m not expecting to return to my pre-injuries function (lacrosse, running, basketball, etc). I would, however, like to still maintain skiing and biking abilities. But, I’m wondering how conservative I should be to fend off a TKR as long as possible.

[powdork]

mine was February of 14. I can still ski/climb/bike at reduced levels and with pain. The main problem for me is I'm a server and standing up all night, especially when slow, makes it stiffen up to the point walking is difficult. Since making the appointment things have mostly been better (I hate that), but I did have my worst night ever at work so that made me feel better. The stiffness seemed to be getting worse rapidly, and the combination of the possibility of elective surgeries going away again led me to get the process going. Hopefully I can make it work so i'm getting some form of covid pay during the recovery.

[cat in january]

That's mean!! The surgery is 8/5.
And it's hard to tell what different docs mean by 'recovery'. I can tell you, and I'm guessing your doc did too, but there is no 'all the way back'. There were a few things that kept getting better after the 2 year mark too.

Dyslexia strikes again. Best of luck on 8/5 too!

Yeah understand not all the way back. You seemed to be skiing well when I got out on tour with you back in ‘16