I thought I would do an update for those of you who were wondering how I’m getting along these days. All two of you, anyway.
This time last year, I had only been walking unassisted for about 4 weeks. What a difference a year and partial hardware removal makes. Since my last update post partial hardware removal, I was finally able and felt comfortable enough to fly. So we took a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas. And what a fun family vacation that was.
Besides my children, I haven’t really seen my family members for over 2 1/2 years. The last time I was home to see my Mother and sisters, my daughter was graduating college December of 2015. I had been planning to fly home the summer of 2017, but my accident happened in May. And we all know the story after that!
I’m not going to sugar coat things. This injury was truly life changing. Yes, I’m doing fine and I can walk and go up and down stairs. I’m back to living a fairly normal life. But it ain’t all rainbows and butterflies. Some days I get completely pissed off that this ever happened to me. Everyday I’m reminded that I had a broken knee. Frankly, I don’t know that my knee or leg will ever feel the way it did pre injury. Maybe I’m still healing. Who knows? Only time will tell.
Even though it feels much better having some of this hardware out, my knee still feels odd. It feels odd when I walk. It feels odd when I go up or down stairs. While out for my evening walk a few weeks ago, I tried to run and about 3 seconds into it, my knee was like “Hey Sherri, why don’t you go f*ck yourself!” So I quit! Man, that 3 seconds of running really hurt for the next day or two.
I’m on a steady diet of anti inflammatories! I hate taking those things because we all know how it rips up the gastrointestinal tract and stomach lining. But it’s that or suffer from pain. I try to only take them a few days a week. Mostly after long walks or when I know I’m going to have a super busy day and be out and about with lots of walking or on my feet for long periods of time.
I sometimes forget to use my Arnica gel, and I’m tired of buying vats of it, so I’ve pulled back on that and the Biofreeze. However, when I use it, I do notice a decrease in the joint stiffness in my knee. That stuff isn’t cheap either.
Here is just a little laundry list of things that still bother me:
Annoyances
- Some sort of daily knee pain, twinges, creaking, cracking.
- Shin splints on injured side when I walk long distances
- Ankle pain on injured side
- Muscle atrophy & weakness on injured side
- Low back pain
- Decreased endurance and stamina
- Bilateral hip pain
- Knee pain & stiffness in injured knee
- Medial knee pain in good knee from overcompensation
- Bilateral shoulder pain & weakness from using crutches for 4 months
- Can’t run (maybe if I really really needed to save my life, adrenaline is strange like that.)
- Overall, it takes me longer to do activities
So yes, this injury still has an effect on my day to day living, but on the flip side I don’t let it stop me. I just deal with it as it comes, because I never know how I’m going to feel one day to the next. I really try to confront it with a positive and grateful attitude, but some days it gets the best of me and I’ll have a little hissy fit or breakdown and let off a string of expletives. Once I get it out, I’m usually fine and readjust my “tude” and carry on. That’s all I can do really.
Once you suffer this type of injury you’re more careful about everything you do. Or you look at other people doing dangerous activities and you’re like, “Oh my god, don’t do that! You’re going to end up with a tibial plateau fracture!” My worst fear though is that I’m going to be in a crowd and something happens and I won’t be able to run or flee. Hell, my coworkers won’t even cross the street with me at lunch to walk to a restaurant because they know I can’t run if a car suddenly came out of nowhere!
My quadriceps muscle is still not back to where it was and it’s probably about 25% behind my right quad. It’s taken me this long to finally feel comfortable and strong enough to do a one legged squat on my injured leg. So I’m doing about 4 sets of 10 squats every other day now. I’m hoping that’s going to help. The one thing I have noticed is that the stronger my leg muscles got, the easier it was to walk and go up and down stairs.
So that’s where I’m at for now. It’s nice to be traveling again. I’m much more appreciative of being able to get around and I try to feel present in the moment of events and spending time with friends and family. I could have easily lost a limb that day, or worse, I could have been paralyzed or died!
So I’ll leave you all to some of my vacation photos so you can see, there is life after TPF. It might not be easy, but it’s worth fighting of your recovery and to have your life back to as normal as possible again.
Cabo San Lucas was beautiful. I loved it. I felt like I could live there, and be happy the rest of my days just making pottery and selling it on the street for a living.
I’ve only been to Mexico once in my life and that was right after I had my daughter in 1993. My older sister had lived in Phoenix at the time and we took a day trip to Nogales. You didn’t even need a passport then! We just parked our car and walked right across the border. I’m not sure if it’s still like that or not. I just remember it being a really poor area. I can’t imagine what it’s like now that the drug cartel has taken over.
Here’s my daughter all grown up and exploring Mexico for her first time. I didn’t take her across the border then to Nogales because she was only 3 months old. I think we were fighting over our good sides here.
Admittedly, I was a little afraid to travel to Mexico, but after researching and checking things out on the web, I felt a little more comfortable and decided that you can’t live life in a bubble. Anything could happen here just as easily as it happens there… and it does. We just always traveled as a group and hired drivers through our resort to take us to and from town. They would wait for us most times whether we were just having dinner or exploring the town.
I think I’m going to end this right here because it feels like I’m now doing a travel blog, so I’m going to do a separate post about our trip to Cabo. The point I was trying to make it that despite this being a life changing injury…life goes on. That is what you have to remember.
Happy Healing TPF friends!
Hi my friend, my friend even thou I dont know you personally, but there are a very little amount of ppl the suffer from this terrible as us. I understand you so n very much, because that is the same way I feel. I am 9month post-op, and wow let me tell you, every single day of my life, I said “wow, why me?” Please don’t get me wrong, I am very Grateful with my Father God, for giving me the opportunity of walk again. However, we r humans, and this is a very drastic change in our lifes. I still limping when I walk, the progress is very small day by day, but I hope that soon I will be able to do more. I am soo afraid of getting out where there lots of ppl too, the sensation of me not be able to run if anything happend, n requires me to move fast its really bad. I am working in my self confidence everyday, I said “listen women you just have a piece of metal n few screws so you are just as normal as anyone else” ????♀️ n start my day. This injury can kill your self esteem quick if you dont work with your mind. Iam happy to hear from you Sherri, and hey we ate alife, and I know for sure that one day (soon) we gonna be normal as before. I pray everyday for you, and all my collegues that had this injury.
Thanks for this Sherri I am almost 6 months post op and suspecting that I will never get mobility back. I can walk without the uneven muscling of my legs throwing my back out finally. I gave up physio pretty quick. The exercises seem to bring nothing but pain but I still ride my exercise bike. One thing I have noticed is that after sitting on a seat that cushions and supports the back of my knee I have trouble walking. Couch, truck and even the recliner I lived in for 10 weeks while waiting to get out of the cast. Feels like when someone comes along and bumps the nerve in back of your knee and laughs. I hope that part improves soon. I can handle the pain if I over do it, i can handle the clunking in my knee but not the loss of support. It comes back if I wait a minute then limp around but it worries me. I dont let any of it stop me either. Still farming and happy I can get up in the truck or tractor and work but worry that if I have to run, because I cant. Anyone else had this happen?
Thank you, Sherri. Recovery from TBF surgery is indeed long — the surgeon and the physicians assistants didn’t tell me that. Perhaps they didn’t know.
Hi Sherri
It’s been 7 1/2 months since I joined your TPF club. I broke my leg on vacation in Mexico, just north of Cabo. Flew home and had surgery. The first months were hell….no weight bearing, no driving, no work, no life. Finally I went on medication to control my depression and anxiety, and it helped. During this time I faithfully did my exercises 3 times a day. I was determined to walk again. Finally 2 months after surgery my doctor lifted all restrictions and sent me to physical therapy. I was very fortunate to have 2 great therapists that taught me how to walk again. I loved water therapy but the weight machines were uncomfortable. Damn it was hard work! But I walk without a limp!
I am so cautious going down stairs and have had the same concerns about running. I still go to the gym 3 times a week and push myself with the hope the stiffness will someday go away if I exercise. But I always feel my knee it’s still is swollen and you can see my hardware which makes the knee look larger. I am very grateful to be where I am today, off meds, except for anti-inflammatories. And, I hope someday my knee will just be bad memory.
Thank you for sharing experience with the tibia plateu fracture. I am in the 11th week of recovery. I’m having these horrible muscle spasms that causes me to be unable to sleep nights. I’m taking Flexero
And does nothing . Did you have this problem also?
Billie, yes, I had awful muscle spasms , especially during the morning when first waking up. It subsided over time, more so once I was ale to bear weight again. I wish you all the best. Hang in there, it’s gets better.
Hi Sherri,
I am so grateful that I came across your blog about your tibia plateau fracture. I suffered a fracture on my left leg after misjudging my lab’s next move as he was doing his “zoomies” around our yard and he hit my left leg which turned and twisted underneath me as I slid down a slight hill in our yard. I was pretty scared as I couldn’t get up to stand, let alone walk. I was watching my then 16 month old grand daughter and scooted back to her on my butt and then back onto our deck and in the house. I called a neighbor who is nurse, and she came over immediately and somehow got me into her car and to the ER. You know the surprise I felt when the doctor said I was staying and he is going to do emergency surgery to repair the fracture. Talk about life changing – my world was turned up side down. I was a very avid walker (2-3 miles or more a day) and didn’t sit still very often. Being told I had to not put weight on my left leg for the next 3 months was so mind-blowing. But I did it as I watched the people running, walking and riding bikes on the path behind our house and I sobbed uncontrollably. But I have an amazing husband who did all those things for me that no one should have to do for another person. And my family was an amazing support system. I knew I had to remain positive.
I am lucky to have have had a wonderful surgeon along with wonderful in-home therapists who transitioned me to out patient physical therapy with more great therapists. I am 4 1/2 months post op and still hobbling but walking a little easier each day. I was lucky that my swelling went down pretty quickly post- op but that atrophy sucked right from the beginning. I know I have quite a journey to travel with this yet, but am so grateful to walk again and do so many things we all take for granted each and every day. My grand daughter is just now starting to come around me again as the full leg brace, knee machine, walker and me not walking really scared her. Our dog does not leave my side as if to try to say he is sorry. I truly believe that prayer, meditation, and mindfulness helped me get to this point.
I, too, am very cautious when I go out anywhere afraid that someone or something will disturb my healing and progress so far. I am very determined and cautiously optimistic about continuing to recover and get on with my life. I sometimes feel some of the sensations you describe and am so glad to know it is part of the ordeal.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. It helps to realize you are not alone on this journey!
Deb, I’m so sorry you are part of the running dog TPF club. I promise, it gets so much better. It just takes a really long time for the improvements to happen. I’m almost a year and a half out x 3 surgeries and still making improvements. The stronger my quad muscle gets, the better my legs feels. I wish you all the best in your recovery and thanks for taking the time to ready my story.
Hi,
Your story is very inspiring and gives me a lot of moral strength to fight back of TPF.
I am Sanjay (35 yrs, Male) from India and had TPF on 20th Aug 2018 when I met with an unfortunate bike accident in Mumbai. It was disaster in my life because I broke my left clavicle, left hand 2nd metacarpal bone and left TPF with some other injuries. When I was hospitalized after the accident, I was under impression that its just the broken leg and can be healed just like other broken bone. But on 2nd day I realized the seriousness of TPF as my doctor told me that I have to undergo surgery and after that it will take 4 months to walk without support and will take more than 1 year to start running and the trekking activity.
I was in shock after hearing this and very important thing is that my doctor told me that this trauma injury to tibial plateau will be recovered after surgery now but it is the major reason to develop post traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) after few years. It is not the kind of thing once healed you forget it. This thing weakening me internally and I started searching literature references and other blogs on internet to get answers of many questions.
My xrays is almost matching with yours as I also had bicondylar TPF and dr placed one plate and 9 screws to fix it on 3rd day of accident.
My question to you is have your doctor told about the PTOA as a long term consequences of TPF ?
thanks for your story. Very encouraging.
I am six months out with a plate a rod and 4 screws. Sometimes the pain is unbearable. With Parkinson’s I am using a walker now. P.T. was helpful. The anger and depression is bad. When I see anyone running or walking unassisted I cry, why Me.
What a huge loss. Will I EVER get over this? Is this self pity going to go away?
I’ve yet to find a comment about bending. My TPF was 4/23/18. My plate and screws on 5/4/18 (skiing accident). At 61 years young, it was my first injury, ever. I believe i got poor guidance as far as p.t. (my surgeon told me not to MOVE. Three weeks later at follow-up he said, how come you’re not moving). Then i received at-home inept p.t. I was naive, armed with zero information and education about p.t. As of 11/6/18, i was finally at 80 degrees (thanks to a wonderful doctor in Florida). As of mid-November, I limp unassisted. I’m back in another state and doing my own p.t., because i just don’t know where to turn. (Sucky insurance part of the problem). Pain has never been an issue for me. I simply have a cinder block where i used to have a knee. I remain swollen. Like another writer here, my leg is crooked from the knee down. i walk in pools; do an easy step-climber; lots of leg lifts, tightening the quad, daily. Today I even tried a little walking lunge action. I am dedicated, rarely down in the dumps (I just can’t go there, I like life too much) but deep down I’m scared. And of course sad about the loss of sports. A couple of awful results of my lack of good p.t. and range of motion early on, I have severe osteoarthritis/porosis in both legs. The foot of the TPF is also arthritic. (Still no pain, just very stiff). My leg and foot were blue/purple for months after surgery. Nobody was concerned. ANYWAY, can anyone relate? Thank you, Diane
Hi Diane, I’m so sorry for your injury. I can’t completely relate to your current issues but hopefully someone here can and share their experience with you. Shame on your surgeon for telling you not to move that leg. My surgeon had me starting to bend my leg at 2 weeks postop. They tried to put me in a Continuous Passive Motion machine several hours post op in the hospital, but I wasn’t having it! OMG, I just came out of a major surgery and they want to bend my leg!!!? F*ck off! I think 2 weeks was the right time for me.
I became obsessed with my recovery and getting my ROM back. As my ROM started to come back, I relaxed a little in that department. I was considered fully functional in regard to ROM when they released me from PT in Sept 2017. As time when on I gained even more ROM and I am only inches of being able to touch my heel to my butt again. It still bothers me that I can’t but then I think to myself, when did I ever really touch my heel to my butt before the injury? We always want what we don’t have I guess.
I wish you all the best in your recovery. Hang in there, I’m positive things are going to get much better for you with time.
G’day there,
Grade VI TPF here, plus other assorted tib & fib fractures. Skiing. 2 months in hospital and 9 operations, 6 of which were washouts due to infection. Injury 12 Sept 2018. 54 y.o male. Australia.
I feel inspired reading about the efforts of others who have posted here. It is hard work.
After being released from hospital, I spent a month at home and more than a month having a nurse attend the house daily to change my IV antibiotics.
PIC vacuum on leg and the IV finally removed in recent weeks.
Ankle has locked up as has knee. Can do 45 degrees on my own and 65 degrees with the PT pushes hard on the leg to benz ze knee.
Scans just before Christmas showed that the bones hadn’t fused sufficiently, so I am left to my wheelchair for another 6 weeks (expiring 29 Jan 2019).
Coming up to 4.5 months post injury, so in the context of others relatively short in the recovery timeframe. Fortunately (for want of a better word) it is my left knee and I can drive (steering wheel on the good side of the car) and have gone back to work (pencil pusher in an office)
Wishing you all the very best during this tough time in your life. Stay strong & positive 🙂
p.s Had to cancel the ski trip to Canada (which would have been this and the next 2 weeks). Sad about that, but just imagine the spending money I’ll have when I do get to go (in 2020 I hope)
Sherri!!!!! I just happened to stumble across your posts, thank goodness. My story, symptoms and feelings are identical to yours. I am about 14 months after my TPF, suffered a Staph infection, 3 surgeries in all within 1 month. I still have pain, can’t do stairs or long walks. I wasn’t sure if this was normal after so long, your story made me feel better. Thank you for posting your story. I’m going to inquire about removal with my surgeon. I just want to be back to where I was before. Any words of encouragement or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks for your posts beginning to think I was alone. Fell off boat in my garage June 29, 2018 with severally shattered lateral tibia and fibula,(5)
sent home from our ER With pain meds and brace to see surgeon on the 2nd of July, but did not see until the 3rd and immediate surgery with plate and 9screws. Also
shredded lateral horn of the medial meniscus.
Your blogs have been a god send! Not knowing what to expect had been the hard part. I spent 12 weeks non weight bearing on crutches and wheelchair and logged at least two miles a day on crutches for exercise. It has been a struggle but thank goodness for my physiccal therapist and the pool. My surgeon told me last week recovery could take up to 2 years and would like to wait until 1 year post until he looks At any repairs. I get very frustrated with myself. Having never had a broken anything I struggle but thanks for your inspiration, appreciate your blogs!
Thank you Deb. I’m glad I’ve been able to let others’ know that we’re not alone in this journey. I’m almost 22 months out and still making gains. It really is a long recovery and unless someone personally suffers from this injury, they WILL NEVER understand the full struggles we go through. Even after recovery. It’s not a break that just heals and we move on with life as it was before. I think I will always have issues, but at this point they are manageable. Sure, I miss my old knee before the accident, but I’ve adapted and adjusted. Hope the same for your and wish you all the best in your continued recovery.
Hi…..your my savior right now!!! I’m 52 and Prior to my TPF I was very active working out and hiking. Mostly keeping my back problems at bay. I rode horses my whole life…daily( I’m so sorry that’s what caused your injury) and never had an injury like this…. mine is all from tripping on a dog bed in the dark! You are so articulate of the feelings physically and mentally that go along with this. I’m only 6 weeks in and freaking out that my leg will never straighten. My surgeon seems to think I can do this without pain meds which I’ve had none in the last 4 weeks. For the PT that is getting more intense I’m not sure how that’s going to work. Anyway, thank you for putting your journey out there. Its very helpful and relatable!
Hi Alison, I’m so sorry for your injury. Gah! I hated PT but wouldn’t be as far as I am if I hadn’t committed myself to it. It’s a necessary evil unfortunately. I can still see many differences between my two legs i.e. smaller quad muscle, a tiny bit of varus, at least I think so. But it doesn’t prevent me from walking normally. I just try not to focus on it. It’s easier not to think about the flaws as recovery moves along, but when you’re smack dab in the middle of it like you are, it’s hard not to think about so many different “what if” scenarios in your head. I wish you all the best in your recovery.
Hi Sherri. Just passing by to check and see how you are doing with your leg. I am 14 months post op, and I still limping a little. I stop my therapies when I was on my 7 months, due to insurance etc, and do some at home. I feel good compare to few months back, still long, I feel recovery is longer than what I thought, but I am grateful, I can walk and I know and have faith I will get better and better.
Hi Rachel. Thanks for checking in on me. I’ve been thinking I probably need another update, but I guess that’s a good sign that I’m not writing about my injury as much as I used to. Overall, I’m doing well. Still get annoying manageable pains from time to time, mostly when I overdo something, which is weird because overdoing something now, is what my regular level of activity was before the accident. I’m 22 months out and coming up on a year post partial HWR this coming May and know for a fact that having the hardware out has contributed to my overall well mental and physical well being. So when my knee is sore, well yeah, I limp a little as well. Hahaha, Tibial plateau fracture recovery problems…am I right?
Any yes, you will continue to get better and better. We all will. 🙂
hi all, i originally posted on january 8th. one thing i’ve learned is while we have some issues in common, we are all quite different. my heart breaks for alan from australia. god that must have been a hell of a fall. i’m faring better than you, but do not have faith that i will ski again. (it was my passion) we shall see. i’m sorry for all who have suffered infections and multiple surgeries. i’m 10 months out of my one and only surgery and bending at only 95. up from 80 in mid-november. i’m sure there’s another surgery in my future, but i will work my butt off at my own bending/p.t. to avoid that. i hope everyone keeps improving and can avoid multiple surgeries.
Hi Diane, I hope your healing is going well. And yes, we’re all quite different but have many issues in common.
Last March 30, 2018, while out on a photography adventure day, I made the mistake of jumping down to what I thought was fresh snow. What was really there was a thin layer of fresh snow with sheer ice underneath. When my left foot landed, it twisted and my leg followed in this twist and I heard my leg snap. Oh my god, instant pain and the inability to walk. Fortunately with some determination and assistance, I made it to my friends Betty’s car and off to emergency as I had nothing better to do on a Friday night. I thought it was just a break, cast, no big deal right? After X-Rays and a CT scan, the emergency doctor said I think you might need surgery as we see a gap in the bone. I was put in a leg brace, given crutches and sent on my way with a handful of prescriptions. Thank god for great friends, as Betty stayed with me, got the prescriptions and delivered me home at almost midnight. The next day at about dinner time, I received a call from another hospital in my city (this is Canadian healthcare) and it had been determined I needed surgery, my name was put on a board and the first hospital that had an opening called me and told me to get in ASAP. I am single and was 62 years old at that time, I called the friend network and they had me packed and delivered to the hospital within 2 hours. Once admitted, I was delivered to my bed and then once midnight arrived, no water or food and I just had to wait until the first surgical opening. The next day is now April 1 and Easter Sunday, is this going to happen and is anyone going to believe that I had surgery considering it was April Fools day? Finally around noon they told me I would be having the surgery in a couple of hours. I feel I was incredibly lucky to have my surgeon as he was so very kind and before my surgery he explained my break and that it was a long recovery. My thoughts at the time were “Hell NO, you don’t know me, I am Superwoman and I will heal faster than anyone else”. Post surgery, I had a plate installed with 7 screws – 4 at the top and 3 down the leg. I was non weight bearing and I saw my surgeon at 3 weeks when he gave me instructions to work at bending my knee now. Another visit at 9 weeks and I was sure he was going to let me walk and bear weight. I was devastated when he said I had to go another 4 weeks, I cried and went to a very dark depressed place in my head. Finally at 13 weeks I was allowed to use a walker and bear weight, yahoo!!! I choose to use the walker as I had a few falls with crutches and even worse a door sensor failed and squished me twice as I was not moving fast enough through the door and knocked me to the ground. The whole time I was non weight bearing, my amazing friend Lori came and stayed with me, cooked, did laundry and generally entertained me. She lives 3 hours away and had just retired and said she was glad to be here to help me… kindness like this can never be repaid.
I started with physio therapy in July and why are their offices always farthest from the elevator? I went through the exercises and slowly improved but my back hurt so bad and my therapist was not much help with this except to give me IMS (like acupuncture). I decided to take this recovery in my own hands in September once I was walking with a cane and so I started swimming. I went daily for an hour doing swim jog doing 20-22 laps from 4 to 5 times a week. I cannot believe how much my overall strength and stamina increased from this point forward. I saw my surgeon in late August and then in early November and he could not believe how much I had improved. At the November appointment I had gone in with what I call my list of whines, as he had previously said he could possibly take out some screws at 9 months or the whole plate out at a year or year and half. I was in constant pain in my knee where the 4 screws came close together and I could walk up stairs but going down was awkward and painful. I was totally shocked when the doctor said he would do the surgery in January to remove all the plate but told he also me to keep doing the swimming. By December, I was walking without a cane and now able to walk about 1.5 km or a mile on my daily walks. Finally February 4, 2019 I had my surgery for hardware removed and it was day surgery and all went great. The pain I had initially post surgery was from the incision but a week later the second level of pain was from all the screw hole locations. I have accepted that these will take time to heal like a broken bone and the benefits have been great already as that chronic pain is gone and the pain I feel now will heal as time passes. Yes the knee is stiff but there is definite improvement when going down stairs and I can start swimming and walking once again next week but my knee will determine my schedule.
Overall I am so grateful that this break was not worse than what it was especially after reading what many of you have gone through. I totally understand the frustration and depression we feel at the loss of freedom as a result of this break. I am eternally grateful for the kindness of my friends and community for the assistance they have provided me for getting me to this point. I know this is long winded of me to write but I was so glad to read about you Sherri and to know I am not alone and I only wish I had found this blog earlier. Best wishes to all of you on this journey that we have no choice but to do. There is so much power in sharing our common experiences with others.
Denise, I’m so sorry for your injury. You’re right, it’s nice to know we are not alone in our injury and recovery journeys. No worries about being “long winded.” If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly a woman of few words myself! I enjoyed reading your story. There really is power in sharing our experiences and I’m so glad I journaled my thoughts and feelings about this whole ordeal. I’ve honestly have never faced a tougher situation in my life than this injury and recovery. I hope the universe will keep it that well at this point. Thanks for sharing your story and I wish you all the best!
Did my TPF Jan 11 2019; snow skiing. I have a plate, 11 screws, bone grafts. I am 57 super active, an RN (stand all day) an avid horseback rider (have a 20 acre ranch)…so to say this is life changing it is. I figure you only get what you can handle but man this is so hard! I went to rehab after my surgery for 9 days. Just had brace adjusted to 90 degrees last week and cannot bend the leg all the way. Start PT today which I am glad but also nervous about. Dr says brace off next week and then 4 more weeks and on to weight bearing…I have been going to the gym twice a week and working with trainer to do as much as I can. I am glad to hear about strengthening the quad…am really going to work on that! My goal is to be on my horse by summer…hope that happens. Please continue your blog…it is so encouraging but also a real eye opener…my Dr told me I can ski next year…doesn’t sound like such a good idea now. My knee looks so deformed! And my leg turns purple and cold when dependent for any length of time…am assured this is normal…Good to know about the pool…sounds like I need to join the local gym soon and get on that once I can weight bear again. Thank you Sherry for keeping it real. Please continue to blog…it gives me hope!
Jona, I’m so very sorry for your injury. You’re one of us now! It’s a long recovery and you’re in the hardest part of it. It gets easier as weight bearing continues, I promise. Try to keep your spirits up because one of the worst things about this injury is losing our independence and ability to do things for ourselves. It’s so hard to watch everyone else carry on with their daily lives while we are stuck on the couch or bed waiting to heal. The puree leg and deformed knee are all normal.You’re going to constantly compare your legs now. I still do even at over a year and a half. Glad you found us. And yes I will continue to blog about my injury. I’m due for an update. Thanks for your comment and I wish you a blessed recovery.
Great thread Sherri. Thanks for posting it! It always helps to read about others going through the same thing–maybe a little, maybe a little better. I was injured in Feb 2018 skiing–displaced fractures of the lower tibia and fibula and a tibial plateau fracture, both required fixation. Additional humerus fracture, at the shoulder joint, did not. I was wheelchair and, even worse, bedside commode bound. My husband and I became closer than we ever wanted to be. 🙂 Everything was going well until December when I found out I had an improperly fused fibula. A ski boot was unbearable (to walk in) and I had persistent ankle pain. So, back to surgery in January for fracture and fixation. Tibial plateau hardware was also removed at the same time. Another 6 weeks of non weight bearing after I had just stopped walking with a limp. Healing is picking up a little more than 2 months after surgery, but I think I lost all of the muscle I had gained through PT. As everyone seems to agree–the post op therapy is the most challenging. Fingers crossed for next ski season! Good luck to all!
Thank you so much for sharing . I was playing cabbage ball , jumped up to catch a fly ball and my right leg came down in a divet or depression in the grass . When I fell I knew something was very wrong . Diagnosed with TPF of right leg , 2 fractures needed plate and screws . This happened April 3rd 2019 , has surgery April 17th 2019 and was just cleared this Tuesday June 4th to start weight bearing excersises. Dr. Wants me to walk for a week with both crutches, the 2 weeks walking with one and then to try to walk without crutches. The feeling is very odd , my quad is weak, but I am getting around slowly going heal to toe . Hoping it gets easier with time . My PT is working very hard with me to strengthen my quad/ leg and my flexion. I just hit 90 degrees this week . My Dr. warned that I needed more flexion (I assume 90 degrees or more ) the next time I see him in early July or he would maybe want to do a MUA. (Manipulation Under Anesthesia) I was only off 3 degrees when I saw him but feel good about the flexion being where it needs to be by July. Also will be getting a DynaSplint to assist in the flexion as well . When I do walk on the crutches I can look at my knee because it is so distended compared to my left knee and red still. I had a feeling I’ll probably have this forever and just need to get use to it . The hardware is something I’m trying to get use to , feels different and it’s obvious where it is in my leg . All in all hoping that I start feeling somewhat normal and can by July start working again some and driving . That would put me just under 3 months lost op and 4 months since injured . This has been life changing but hoping to do more with my kids and wife in the weeks to come , with PT of course . Thanks for sharing, please tell me I’ll feel better , more normal soon. 🙂
Brilliant to find this site and the posts about tibial plateau fractures, though the reality of recovery is making me feel quite gloomy. I fell over in the garden and did this, and tore all the ligaments off my fibia…I see the surgeon in a week for new instructions when it will be 6 weeks since the operation. My leg brace is set at 90 degrees and after a month of no weight bearing I am allowed to use crutches and a Zimmer, toe touch weight wearing (hardly any) hoping behind, or sliding my foot through …..don’t know what happens next…
I just found your blog, Sherri, and so grateful for it. I fractured my left tibia plateau, while skiing, had surgery and was non-weight bearing for 12 weeks. I had some PT and had a good range of motion. Somehow, I made it through the 12 weeks, with three adult kids who visited on the weekends. Sadly, I lost the love of my life, my husband to cancer, and I missed him like crazy. Just as I could put weight on my leg, we are quarantined for the Coronavirus and I can’t get PT. I found your blog, because my leg/knee hurts like crazy and I had no idea that this injury can take so long to just walk normal again without pain. Reading your and other people’s journey’s is depressing to me, but reassuring that this is normal with this TPF. I am 62, in good shape otherwise. I am going to try to do virtual PT, and maybe order one of the cycle equipment you have. How long does it take before I can walk without pain. (I am only on week 13). This is all made harder with the Coronavirus because I can’t go out and I can’t have anyone come in and I live alone. Thank you.
Hi Anita, I’m so very sorry for the loss of your beloved husband. I can’t imagine having to go through recovery in a time we are living in right now. Sounds like you’re definitely going through a rough and lonely period. But have faith this too shall pass.
The good news is, I’m doing really well at almost 3 years out ( 3 years May 20.) It just takes a really long time to recover from this injury with so many other health issues that can hinder our recoveries. Have faith that if you’re in overall good health that you’re going to recover just fine.
To answer your question about… “how long does it take to walk without pain?” Well, much like our injuries are unique, it’s much the same with walking. If I’m being 100% honest, even though I don’t experience excruciating pain when I walk, I still feel a slight annoyance in my knee/leg when I walk. Sometimes, it’s more prevalent than others. However, it’s nothing that stops me from doing my activities. As for me, I don’t think this feeling will ever truly subside. I’m very used to it now.
That said, I have noticed a strong correlation between building muscle in my leg and less pain with walking. Having some of my hardware removed was also a game changer for me. I highly recommend finding a self PT program that is right for you. Such as a stationary bike or pedaler. Even walking around your house will help to build your leg muscles. I don’t know if you’re allowed out at all, but I go for long walks around my block and move far away from people when walking. Seems everyone is respecting the social distancing..at least in my neighborhood.
You need to keep in mind that your injury is fairly fresh still and it takes the body a long time to heal from a traumatic bone break such as this. Even after our bones have healed, we’re still healing on so many other levels. Try not to be so hard on yourself and take it a day at a time. Before you know it, you’ll be a year down this journey and look back with gratitude (hopefully.)
If you’re on FaceBook I highly recommend you look up and join the a support group called Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery. It’s a great group and I pretty much lived in there during my recovery. I’m still part of the group but participate less and less since I’m doing so well. That group gave me so much hope and lots of advice during my early stages of recovery.
I wish you all the best in you’re recovery and with this whole COVID-19 mess going on.
I had a displaced bicondylar fracture of my right tibia in February 2019. I was cycling with a group of friends in Belize when I crashed my bicycle. It was an extremely traumatic experience since we were in a remote part of Belize with limited healthcare resources. We couldn’t even get an ambulance to come get me. Once I managed to get to a “hospital” it was determined I needed to get flown back to the states for surgery. It took about two days to accomplish that. I am now a year and 4 months out from surgery and still have pain. I don’t have any knee pain. My pain feels like having shin splints whenever I walk. I also have bilateral hip pain. I can ride my bicycle forever without any pain but walking is very painful. I’ve decided to get the hardware removed as a last ditch attempt to get rid of this pain. I’m not so sure that’s going to happen, though. Any thoughts????
Gah, what an ordeal you had to go through. I can’t imagine being in a remote area with such an injury. Getting some of my hardware removed helped my pain. I still have mild pain on some days when I walk, even after 3 years. It’s a decision not to be taken lightly when it comes to hardware removal. Once we decide, then some of us have to convince our surgeon’s we don’t want the hardware anymore. Some are very stubborn about removing it. My surgeon only removed some of my hardware. He refused to remove the hardware behind my knee because he said it was difficult to place and going back in and trying to remove it and getting around all the vascular structures is not something he wanted to do. I respected his decision and took what he offered. I trusted he knew what he was talking about. I don’t even feel that side of the hardware at this point. I wish you all the best.
Thank you for writing this blog! It’s really helping me get through my tibia plateau fracture – It’s nice to finally have something to relate to (there is very little information online for this type of fracture). 8 weeks post injury for me – I should be walking soon as well!
Hi Heather. So sorry for your injury. If you’re on Facebook join the group Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery. It’s a closed group and only allows people with our specific injury. It’s very helpful. Wish you all the best in your recovery. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hello, I just want to let you know that you have been and angel to me. I am not much of a chatter so let me quickly just say THANK YOU! I was lucky enough to find you pretty quick after googling the hell out of Tibial Plateau surgery. Dog attack 3/18/20, surgery 3/26/20. (what a year huh?) I am now roughy 7 months out. I am 55 years old. . I continue to hope for a full recovery. It just feels like eternity and that I should be back at a 100% by now. No such luck. I hope you are doing well .
Thanks again! Jan in opposite coast / California.
Hi Jan. I’m so sorry for your injury. Yes, what a year! I’m over 3 years out and I still don’t feel 100%. I don’t think I ever will feel back to 100%. That said, I’m really doing amazingly well. I’ve adjusted to my aches and pains and I’m still making gains even this far out, so don’t ever give up.
This is an injury that has a long recovery period and honestly, it’s based on how far you push yourself to regain muscle and strength. I’m glad I don’t have to write about my injury as much anymore, and I’m happy that I’m able to provide some insight for anyone else going through this awful injury.
I’m grateful I’ve recovered as well as I have and the painful and sad days are all in the rearview mirror now. Still, something I’ll never forget as I get out of bed each day and thank the Universe/God that I’m able to walk. I really try to be cognizant and not to take ANY of my physical abilities for granted, like I used to. A very hard lesson I learned, but one that I’m happy to receive.
I wish you all the best in your recovery. Be well and blessed.