Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery

[Mallen65]

Started weight bearing last week. I am at 50 percent and will be 75 next week and will be using one crutch. I am doing ok but have a lot of foot pain, it feels like my ankle is sprained. I was wondering if anyone has experienced this and if so what if anything can you do about it. I have to introduce more weight but feel I am going do more harm than good. Any input would be appreciated.

[sudyshewo]

10/13 mopeds are not bikes, you learn when you have too... problem is i bike with boat to the river...so sad... i want to shake my surgon and scream, 'why didn't you at least bevel this scrap metal before it went in me!" i'm uisured so the first surgery was a gift. its huge! 3 cm protrusion --my skin --even after three weeks atrophy-- is so close to splitting. The metal seeks to rejoin the wind. i'm worried. aybody have the plate move or the screws pull apart the bone and bone fillers? loud snaps hault pt (none prescribed!) my docs name is gore-t-zen, 4 weeks till he wants to see me, but it looks so so wrong..name is poetry like victor's resplendant table, but i can't talk to the artist whilst i see butchery and screws that go three millimeters beyond the bone. kayaks are lonesome, this was going to be my year for the glloping gobbler. walks/runs are how this city parties--the only church for me. another year in the toilet! (with no way to capitalize on fitness as love) be patient little chick, not just a book from grandma) Its the strongest arm that stretches the bough...its the black swamp--old byways ghouls as bird friends. one day white man sew gupowder from hell into coats to stop rain... the future! called nylon wow.

[Bonesbc]

Hello fellow TPF guys & I assume women too.
I had depression non displaced fractures on both of my Tibial Plateaus from a hiking accident this summer. I am a 57 years old woman on a afternoon hike that turned into quite a recovery. I was non weight bearing and in a wheel chair for 7 weeks. One of my legs had to be designated as "the swish leg", and it is the difficult leg to get full extension, though I am making strides with PT. I have been walking for 5 weeks and almost ready to leave my cane at home. I did water therapy at the pool in Physical Therapy for three weeks. It really helped and gives one the sense of freedom, which is good for the psyche. I don't have pain in my knees but in my feet now that I am walking. Everything is thrown off since my alignment is not the same and my feet have YELPED. I see renewed strength, daily.

[Bonesbc]

Started weight bearing last week. I am at 50 percent and will be 75 next week and will be using one crutch. I am doing ok but have a lot of foot pain, it feels like my ankle is sprained. I was wondering if anyone has experienced this and if so what if anything can you do about it. I

(mallen65)
Move, just move. Your don't yet have full ROM or range of motion. The Pool got me moving without pain. Move, just move is what I say to myself.

[Bonesbc]

Hi. I'm starting to weight bear after three months. I have terrible foot pain with any pressure I put on it. It's from the ball of my foot to my toes. I'm assuming that it's from all the time that it wasn't being used. Have others experienced this? I'm hoping that didn't have an undiagnosed injury to my foot.
Thanks....amy.

Hi Amy, I too had more pain in my feet when I got to go weight bearing. Nothing is totally lined up yet. I fractured both of mt TP this summer. Working now on regaining strength, balance and full ROM:-):-) Foot pain disappeared for a number of hours yesterday. It was awesome.

[Mallen65]

Hi Amy, I have also started weight bearing and have experienced the same foot pain as well as knee pain. I have heard many opinions about it and come to the conclusion that it is totally normal to have the pain. I talked with my pt guy and he informed me that if there was something going on with the bones or structure of the foot and knee, you would be in a lot more pain than you have now. I am going to 75 percent and one crutch in two days. I have been using one crutch off and on the past few days and my foot pain has increased. I am resting my leg when I can but have no choice but to work through the pain. I have been told by many who have already gone through this part of recovery that all of this is what you have to go through in order to get to 100 percent or some where close to that. Hang in there as I am and keep doing your exercises and try to stay positive. I am trying to do just that.

[liamy]

Hi. Thanks everyone for your opinions. I saw my OS yesterday for a regular check up. He took some X-rays of my foot/ankle and saw nothing but what he called disuse osteoporosis. Thin, weak bones from prolonged non-weight bearing. So, the more I move the more bone will be layed down and the less pain I will have.
Yesterday I put the crutches in the closet and hope not to get them out again. It's nothing but a cane now!
He (the OS) told me that he is confident that I will eventually need a knee replacement and told me again how severe my fx was. One of the worst he's seen, and we're at a level1 trauma center. Awesome. I'm only 34, so hearing the words "knee replacement" were difficult ones to wrap my head around.
I'm still struggling with getting full extension and was prescribed some sort of splint to help. It sounds torturous but if it helps, it will be worth it.
I'm doing three days a week in the pool with PT and at home exercises. My mom brought me over her exercise bike so that's good.
Thanks again, and good luck to all!!!
amy.

[Mallen65]

I too was told that I have a 60 percent chance of having a knee replacement. I am 46 and never expected that I would have to deal with something like this. The worst injury I have ever had was a sprained ankle. I have not worked since August 25th and my target date to return is Jan. 2nd and I am doing what is in my power to get myself as close to 100%. It was a life saver when I found this site, it has helped me a lot knowing other people have and are going through what I am going through. Thanks to everyone for their help and advice. My next appt. is Nov. 30th and I should be 100% weight bearings and graduating to a cane. I will post on how it goes. Hang in there Amy, we are still young and have a lot to look forward to.

[lawmom]

I found this forum when I did a search for information about TPF. I am not really an athlete like most of you here, but here's my story. On 6/14/11 my husband and I were on a motorcycle trip and were hit by a deer. I was actually hit in the knee by the deer, which knocked me off the cycle onto the pavement. We were going about 45 mph at the time, I believe.
I was taken by helicopter to the closest trauma hospital. Initially they did surgery and put my in an external fixator. Then about 3 days later, that was removed and I had another surgery to put in a plate, bone graft from my hip and about 10-11 screws. I have seen lots of x-rays and everytime I count, I seem to come up with a different number.

I was in the trauma hospital for 10 days and then transferred to my local hospital in a "swing bed" program for another two weeks. So, overall I spent almost a month in the hospital. My experience seems quite different from most of yours, in that I was hospitalized for so long. But also, after the surgery I was put in a long leg cast, from the toes up to my upper thigh, so I was unable to move my ankle or knee at all. This cast was on for a total of about 6 weeks. Then I got a knee brace, which allowed some bending - but I couldn't bend it. I was non-weight bearing for 12 weeks.
I started physical therapy almost immediately after surgery, although there was not much I could do. They worked with me to get up with a walker and move to the commode which was right by my bed. I also did some very minimal exercise in my bed.
After I got home, I had a PT from home health come to my house and work with me, but didn't make too much progress. After about a month or 6 weeks of that, I started going to PT at the hospital 3 times a week, and made a little better progress. I am now 5 month post accident and have about 73 degrees of flexion and full extension of the knee. Still lots of swelling and pain. I am walking with crutches, although just "graduated" to one crutch. I last saw my surgeon on 10/29/11 and he wants to see me back in June for a one year follow up. He said that he "hopes to see me on a cane by then." I am pretty sure that I will be on a cane within the next couple of weeks, but my ROM is very poor and I am tired of the pain.
Currently I have 2 more sessions of PT approved by my insurance company, I am doing therapy in the pool at least once a week and looking for a gym that has what I need so that I can keep on working on my strength, balance and ROM. I also have a device called a JAS, which is similar to a Dyna-Splint, but I don't really see it making much of a difference for me.
My question is what exercises have most of you found most helpful in your recovery? It seems that my biggest issue is ROM, which was definitely set back due to the length of time I had the long cast on my leg.
In case it matters, I am 48 years old, work full time as a lawyer (lots of sitting) and am mom to 2 very active teenagers.

[sudyshewo]

10/14 u have it worse... its not a competition I'm not to rom yet 6ut the machiery is on the move...and the trauma doc winks me through 6illing...still get the incidetals 6ills--thank god its hell and no6ody wants to live here! docs don't know or care who 8ucky 8ush is and he passed out in here! well i get 2nd surgery--chx screws, remove the drifter replace it w/ locking variety--he used some lockers the first time, 6ut not all--must've 6een a reason w/ economy surgery revision is concession--I didn't see x-ray this time 6ut i feel the cracks quake i think my 6ones are a6ove averge seekers of like kind (rejectors) i crutch a lot 1 mile to vote--if i could sell my self to a taxi driver--masterpiece

[Mallen65]

Hi lawmom, All the excersise's and streches that I do we're given to me by my Physical Therapist. Stretching and movement is the best thing you can do. You just need to remember it takes time, I am almost at three months and my rom is 105 degrees with full extension. There is a lot you can do, just talk to your Dr. or P.T. and they will give you the correct information for your specific situation and condition. Good luck!

[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!

Update at 1 year: Hardware comes out next week, sweet. Boarding this weekend before the surgery cause its going to be 4-5 weeks of careful re-coup (again). Still getting better by the week.

[barbara21101]

Does a 75 y.o. whose sport is gardening belong here ? This is the best discussion I have found so far for getting along with this injury. I fractured my bones by falling out of my pickup while shoveling mushroom mulch August 21. I do want to contribute these thoughts: To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To a surgeon, solutions are surgical. Even at my age, I will be fiercely resisting knee replacement. Watch for other approaches. Medical science changes fast. Keep nutrition in mind. Get a Vit D level measurement and take supplements even if it is in normal range, if it is in lower end of normal range. Probably add the chondroitin/glucosamine on the chance that it nourishes the cartilage.
(The tablets are horse size so I pulverize them and mix into hot chocolate or a mocha with an insertion blender). I am also supplementing minerals. Research this for yourself. . . my take on it is that calcium supplements alone throw balances out of whack .

In My (not) Humble Opinion, muscle atrophy is not inevitable. For example, I can bike on my back.
That works lots of muscles. Done with good alignment, should support good symmetry. Ask the physical therapist. The isometrics, though boring, are effective. I am looking forward to swimming at the Y where no one will judge my aged shapes.

What I don't know are silly things like how one goes to 25% weight bearing ? And do you take crutches or a walker into the shower ?

As for swelling, spend the money on compression hose. Really helps.

Yesterday I had to lie on my back to put a sink drain back in place. Getting down and up off the floor
is both a mental and a physical exercise .

[Candice]

Im a 22 year old female and i fractured my tibial plateau and tore my meniscus tendon beyond repair. i have 2 steel plates and 10 screws. my surgeon said that my knee injury was the worst he had ever seen in all of his years in medicine. when i injured my knee i thought that i was fine, at first i felt no pain until after my surgeries of which i had 2! i never got to see my x-rays, my doctor said that normally the skin would break with an injury so great causing the bone to be exposed outside of the skin, but mine didnt it actually came back up in my leg. i have been doing pt for a month now and i cant straighten my leg out all the way. is there any way to stretch so i can straighten my leg out all the way? as far as flexing goes im sitting at a 70 degree angle as of now and my therapist is going to start weight bearing of up to 30 lbs. and not expected to start walking until mid january.

[karpiel]

Im a 22 year old female and i fractured my tibial plateau and tore my meniscus tendon beyond repair. i have 2 steel plates and 10 screws. my surgeon said that my knee injury was the worst he had ever seen in all of his years in medicine. when i injured my knee i thought that i was fine, at first i felt no pain until after my surgeries of which i had 2! i never got to see my x-rays, my doctor said that normally the skin would break with an injury so great causing the bone to be exposed outside of the skin, but mine didnt it actually came back up in my leg. i have been doing pt for a month now and i cant straighten my leg out all the way. is there any way to stretch so i can straighten my leg out all the way? as far as flexing goes im sitting at a 70 degree angle as of now and my therapist is going to start weight bearing of up to 30 lbs. and not expected to start walking until mid january.

Are/were you using a CPM machine? After my initial surgery I woke up in one, and damn near lived in it. I recall being told to do as much as I could stand, so I was in it something like 20 hours a day, I had a much harder time with straightening than bending, I remember laying there for hours in pain forcing my knee past what felt possible. The fact that I had nearly full ROM when I started PT blew their mind.

If you have actually been in PT for a month and have such a severe restriction in range of motion I highly suggest you find a new therapist.

[karpiel]

Now, what I actually came here for...

Was heading back to my car after skiing this Saturday and hopped off a ~2 foot snow bank onto what is normally flat ground, there was a sizable rock under the snow and I hyper extended my knee quite a bit. It's been swollen since then, has given out a couple times and just generally feels like crap. I'm wondering how long I wait it out before I go see one of my therapists or surgeons.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[jeremiahyawnson]

Im a 22 year old female and i fractured my tibial plateau and tore my meniscus tendon beyond repair. i have 2 steel plates and 10 screws. my surgeon said that my knee injury was the worst he had ever seen in all of his years in medicine. when i injured my knee i thought that i was fine, at first i felt no pain until after my surgeries of which i had 2! i never got to see my x-rays, my doctor said that normally the skin would break with an injury so great causing the bone to be exposed outside of the skin, but mine didnt it actually came back up in my leg. i have been doing pt for a month now and i cant straighten my leg out all the way. is there any way to stretch so i can straighten my leg out all the way? as far as flexing goes im sitting at a 70 degree angle as of now and my therapist is going to start weight bearing of up to 30 lbs. and not expected to start walking until mid january.

The best (and most painful) advice I got post op from my physicians assistant was to have your leg propped at the heel while sitting/resting.

THIS SUCKS ASS! It hurts, you'll cry and swear too. BUT when it comes to keeping yourself from developing a limp and all the associated problems that come with that (including eventual injury of the other leg/knee) it is crucial that you endure the pain and keep that effing leg propped at the heel (so that the weight of the leg forces the knee to extend).

[jeremiahyawnson]

Now, what I actually came here for...

Was heading back to my car after skiing this Saturday and hopped off a ~2 foot snow bank onto what is normally flat ground, there was a sizable rock under the snow and I hyper extended my knee quite a bit. It's been swollen since then, has given out a couple times and just generally feels like crap. I'm wondering how long I wait it out before I go see one of my therapists or surgeons.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Broke my tib.plat. on Valentine's Day 2010, lots o pain and pt from then until August. Went skiing June 6, 2010 (way too early, but I'm pretty good at skiing on one leg, so it was more of a touring pt exercise and a dangerous one-legged-balance-descent).

School started and it was really hard to keep with the pt routine, but I did as much low impact exercise as I could. Things were going really well but unfortunately I too ended up hyper-extending my knee on a powder day that December. Due to lack of good insurance and lack of money I was limited to seeing the campus doc's that my insurance covered. They figured it was a MCL strain, but wouldn't comment on further meniscus damage without a mri (which I still have not been able to afford, and I'm not sure it's even feasible with the plate and 7 screws). I took about a month off the leg before skiing again but only with a brace and only very conservatively at first. As my good friend has told me after skiing sick lines after his own knee injuries, "It's called finesse." I've slowly learned some "finesse" and it is kind of like learning to ski again in that you must force your bad leg not to let the good one do all the work. Through the pain, I've skied every month since June 2010 (18 in a row!) and hopefully for the rest of my life.

Recently I've started doing yoga and have noticed a good bit of gains through that, physically and mentally. If there is any piece of advice I could give to all of you that would be it. The mental toll that this injury has must be accounted for. It has been a priceless experience in many ways I never would have thought of before. My compassion towards those with any type of injury has grown exponentially, especially those that cause limited mobility. I've made a complete revaluation of my goals in life and have completely changed the course of my life.

Since my injury:

I've made some of the best friendships of my life.
I went surfing.
I jumped off some waterfalls.
I went to burning man and danced my ass off! (Dancing to funk music is great low impact pt!)
I've learned that floating a river is one of the best damn things to do on this planet (hence why there are fish).
I left the comfort of my hometown to chase after my highschool crush.
I asked said crush to marry me and she said yes!
I learned to be grateful.

I still have a lot to experience in this life and so do all of you! Don't let this injury stop you! Control your negative thoughts, they are overwhelming as hell but don't give in. Fight back and see the light! Find new ways to be courageous!


Everyone lives with some pain, and most of you will have some in your knees, but whatever you do, don't let it be in your heart.

[liamy]

Hi. I'm 5 months out form my fracture, also a severe one. My leg still doesn't have full extension. I'm close, but not there yet. I think what has helped me the most is this.....I get on my bed and lay on my belly. I scoot to the edge do the bed, so my legs are free hanging. All the way until my knees are just over the edge and then put a pillow or towel roll under the thigh of the bad leg. I started doing this at the advice of my PT at about 4-6 weeks post-op. I could only do 2 minutes at a time, and it would bring tears to my eyes. I now do 30 min at least once each day. I also will get myself down onto the floor while I'm watching tv and sit with my legs straight out in front of me and let it try and go straight. Even with all this, it's still not straight. My PT and doc agreed to get my into a splint. I haven't received it yet, I think I'll get it Wednesday. It's called a JAS splint. It looks like torture but it should help.
I think that the extension is slower and more difficult to come back that the flexion is. If you're going to start to bear weight, work on your flexion.
I wish you luck!!
amy
P.S. if your PT can get you in the pool for therapy....do it!!! It's amazing!!

Im a 22 year old female and i fractured my tibial plateau and tore my meniscus tendon beyond repair. i have 2 steel plates and 10 screws. my surgeon said that my knee injury was the worst he had ever seen in all of his years in medicine. when i injured my knee i thought that i was fine, at first i felt no pain until after my surgeries of which i had 2! i never got to see my x-rays, my doctor said that normally the skin would break with an injury so great causing the bone to be exposed outside of the skin, but mine didnt it actually came back up in my leg. i have been doing pt for a month now and i cant straighten my leg out all the way. is there any way to stretch so i can straighten my leg out all the way? as far as flexing goes im sitting at a 70 degree angle as of now and my therapist is going to start weight bearing of up to 30 lbs. and not expected to start walking until mid january.

[barbara21101]

Ice elevation and compression ! Right ?

[barbara21101]

Today I learned more about doing the bicycle on the back:
Back must be in neutral; that is, Do Not arch the back while lifting the legs.
Pull abdomen In: Monitor with palm above pubic bone;
Check muscle at hip bone: If it flexes, the core is established ? (check)
Lift best leg first: knee to ceiling. Check core stability.
Carefully and slowly lift injured knee toward ceiling.
Breathe "normally" maybe 3 to 5 counts in and 3 to 5 counts out.
Rotate foot slowly only for so long as back and belly are in control.
The PT called this core strengthening for the back (multifidi) sausages . . . ?
Lower legs separately with control when tired.
Probably there are better descriptions to Google.
I gained only 3 degrees of flex, but am at 115 (injured Aug 21) with 11 degrees to go
to match the other knee.

Also learned how to exercise calf without bearing weight: You all might as well Google that !

[gregrnel]

Hey all, just want to thank everyone on this thread for all of your experiences as I have been lurking for a while. I did mine on Sept. 4th in a freaky low speed (like 7mph) small CC dirt bike accident. Never broke anything at 40 years old (riding motorcycles, skiing, mtn. biking, running, active lifestyle), but damn did I do it with the TPF. PT seems to be improving my flexibility and stiffness and I am now 2 weeks away from weight bearing. I've been back at work since early Oct. but I will soon have about 3 weeks off to work on walking. Anyone want to comment on what kind of progress I can make in that time? I have a goal to be able to walk normally and ski at least blues by this time next year, am I being realistic? Anyway, I've included an x-ray for show and tell. Thank you all in advance!

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

[Mallen65]

I had my 3 month appt. yesterday. I finally met the surgeon who put me back together. He went over my X-rays and explained exactly what he did. I now know I have 3 plates and 19 screws which will never be taken out unless I end up having a knee replacement. I started walking with a cane, so far so good. I am trying to walk without a limp which is harder than it sounds. I am still dealing with emotional issue's that this injury has caused but I am working through it. I am determined to get back to the life I had so I am doing all my excersise's at home nd I go to pt 3 times a week which I believe has boosted my recovery time. I have full extension and flexion is 120 degrees. I am grateful I found this site early on because it has been very helpful. I hope everyone does what they are told to have a successful recovery, even when it hurts or you are feeling down, work through it and you won't regret it. Good luck to all!

[liamy]

YES!!! My three new best friends!

Ice elevation and compression ! Right ?

[Candice]

thanks to all for the excellent advice! i am now doing therapy 3 days a week and i am able to straighten my leg out a little bit more! and i am currently at 90 degrees! i am able to ride the bicycle for 15 minutes with very little to no pain! still on my crutches and no weight bearing yet! i was doing great until about 2-3 weeks ago... and i actually fell stunning my healing process! before my fall i was able to straighten my leg all the way! but like i said thanks to all for the advice it has truely helped! please keep up more advice tips for me! i enjoy reading them all in my down time!