Recovery time after compound fracture of tibia/fibula?

[onetrickpony]

Had an unfortunate mishap July 2 with my new horse, resulting in a compound fracture of my right tibia and fibula with a butterfly fragment on the inside of the tibia. Underwent surgery that day to install a fancy rod and screws. I have two incisions at my ankle, one on the front of my knee and the inside of my knee, and the original gnarly wound (now sutured, of course) about midway up my calf.

My first follow-up with the ortho surgeon is this Friday. Has anyone here been through a similar injury and recovery? I’m wondering how long I will have to rehab my leg, and when I can expect to return to riding. It’s obviously still painful but manageable. I was discharged with the leg OKed as “weight-bearing” to whatever level I’m comfortable, so I have been using it a little but mostly still hop on the left leg with the help of a walker. The most annoying discomfort is in my ankle. It’s very stiff, and it feels like the screws are messing with soft tissue (the ends are not flush with the bone, per the x-rays). Blah.

[drawstraws]

This was mine from the end of April, 2012. My greenie spun and I basically “dismounted” and my leg snapped when I landed feet first:

https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1450789_10152115449154903_989301275_n.jpg?oh=acd927f450757f70d112109c0e58e213&oe=56142663

https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11130106_10153315809729903_6482874869398419390_n.jpg?oh=e20cebcfcde981715df99f9d1a4226d9&oe=56579785

Happened on 4/26/13, I had two surgeries the first week and a third surgery 10 days after that. Was completely non-weight-bearing (the surgeon said it looked like “a grenade went off in there” and that he “had to put humpty dumpty back together” - I completely demolished both bones) until late August/early September when I started doing PT and gradually was able to start putting weight on it (used only one crutch for a few weeks and then started going completely without as I got strength back in that leg). I did PT 2-3 times a week for only a month or two - my ankle wasn’t affected by the break itself, it was just stiff from non-use for so long.

I didn’t have much pain most of the way. The worst was when they released me to start walking again - I got horrible pain at the top of my leg (where it joins the body) at the front, right where you bring your leg forward. I don’t know if it was nerve, muscle, ligament or what but it was horrible and just slowly went away the more I used that leg.

I didn’t try to ride until spring of 2014, no reason to try to ride in winter in Illinois. It was a little stiff and sore at first, but it didn’t last long and I feel like I have full flexibility. Two years later, I do get swelling in that ankle and lower leg from where I tore the skin where the bone was sticking out - the disruption to the lymphatic system was pretty bad. It normally goes down at night, although it will always be a little bigger than the other leg, and I’ll wear a compression sock if needed (For example, when I showed my horse last week, I wrapped it up overnight and put on a compression sock until I put my boots on).

Six months after injury:
https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/1470376_10152115588964903_1648493372_n.jpg?oh=f6c95f576c631b775058735f77a0e259&oe=560FD803

https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1016869_10152115588944903_1207922832_n.jpg?oh=d7db26629cbf3be6ef53532b8959e6bd&oe=56156975

Yours sounds a little different since you’re allowed to put weight on it right away. I met a trainer a couple of months ago with the same injury as mine and iit sounded like she was back to riding within a few months (I know she took the same horse that broke her leg back in for training exactly six months later, so it didn’t take her as long as mine did). Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or need some support - the worst part was the waiting around and having to rely on my family to do everything for me. I couldn’t drive for the first couple of months, which sucked. And my horses live at home so I had to pay someone to come feed and clean stalls for a few months. Good luck to you - hope you have a quick and easy recovery!

[drawstraws]

Wanted to add, when I was in for a follow up visit somewhere after the surgeries, I made a comment to the surgeon about how great it was going to be to be able to ride again and he said, “Oh yeah, next summer will be great.” Gee, in my head I was more thinking like, August… Very disappointing. But I literally had a huge hole that I had to grow bone back to fill in. I took x-rays this past May and while there’s a “bridge”, there’s still a hole in the middle of the bone. He had me drinking a couple of protein drinks a day at the beginning - he said that we were doing it the old-fashioned way (I actually asked about Tildren and if there was an equivalent for humans - ha ha!)

[onetrickpony]

Drawstraws, before I click the links, tell me. Are they x-rays? I can’t stomach seeing more bloody, grotesquely misshapen legs. I’m sure you understand, lol.

[drawstraws]

Oh, sorry! Yes, the first ones are x-rays (before & after surgery) and the second ones are the scars six months after - they’re actually not that bad.

[amastrike]

Been there, done that!

May 20, 2010 - Fell off my horse (100% my fault). My foot caught in the stirrup and my leg snapped over the saddle… knew it was broken before I hit the ground. Arrived at the ER via helicopter around 9PM. I had surgery early in the morning to put in a rod and 6 screws (2 at each end of the rod, plus 2 more in the broken ankle).

X ray pictures:
Before surgery
After Surgery 1 2 3 4 5

I was discharged from the hospital non-weightbearing, so lucky you being able to use it at least a little!

At my 2 week followup, my hard cast/splint was changed to a walking boot (even though I wasn’t allowed to actually walk on it).

5 weeks post-op, I was allowed to bear weight as tolerated… so naturally I got on a horse, lol. (Not the one I fell off!)

I don’t remember much about the broken leg after the 5 week mark because that’s when I found out I tore my ACL in my “good” leg, so all my focus was on getting that fixed. I think by about 2 months after the accident, the broken leg was healed pretty well and I was able to use it more or less normally, including riding.

Initially, I was dead set against having the hardware removed, because why have more surgery if you can avoid it? But within 6 months, I was pestering my ortho to get it out because of the pain. Unfortunately, you pretty much have to leave hardware in for a year before they’ll take it out. So if yours is bugging you, suck it up, you’re stuck with it for at least a year.

Honestly, recovery wasn’t really that bad, more annoying than anything else. I didn’t need PT or anything.

Lasting effects…
-Repetitive impact (jogging) would make my leg ache where it was broken. The phrase “damn tibia” became my motto.
-Loss of range of motion in ankle. I don’t know if this was because of the broken ankle, the screws to fix it, or the screws to anchor the rod. But I lost ~15 degrees of flexion, so “heels down” isn’t going to happen. Ever.
-Permanent cankle. The foot on the broken leg is a little bigger than the other foot.
-Back pain. I couldn’t spend more than 30-45 minutes on my feet without excruciating lower back pain… went to a podiatrist and had custom orthotics made, which solved about 90% of the problem.
-I have a dent in my calf where the bone came through the skin.
-A couple areas of skin have lost some/most sensation. My calf below where the bone came through doesn’t have full feeling. And weirdly, the outside of my knee has almost no feeling

[dreamswept]

I had my first broken bone on Memorial Day of this year. I was in my pony cart, my extremely experienced driving horse objected to a jump someone had left up in the arena and shot left. Being that my cart was an easy entry, those also count as easy exit and I slid across the seat and got dumped out rather unceremoniously. It just so happened, I landed and broke the bottom part of my femur where it sits into the knee, I think that’s the lateral condyle or something.

I went to the ER, was admitted that night to the hospital for surgery scheduled for the next day (Tuesday), and was sent home Wednesday afternoon with a knee brace and a walker. I had 2 screws inserted. I also had a wheelchair sent in for excursions and outings outside the house.

I was told I was to be non weight-bearing for 12 weeks. I’m just about through with week 7. I started PT 3 weeks ago and was told I could get 45 degree flexion with a CPM machine. After seeing my doctor yesterday and the x-rays that were taken, I’ve been released from leg restriction and my brace has a full 120 degree flexion. I have to start increasing the CPM machine by 5 degrees every day to get range of motion back in my knee.

My doctor said the next time he expects to see me, which is 4 weeks, he will probably allow me to be weight bearing again.

[kdreger]

Well, pray you heal. Not all long bones will heal.

[janedoe726]

Been there, done that! I hopped off a horse on December 27 of last year and broke both my tibia and fibula in pretty much the worst way possible. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and had 2 surgeries.

I was non weight bearing for 3 months, then partial weight bearing for another 6 weeks or so. I went back to work on May 1, but only half days through the school year.

I’m currently walking pretty well on flat surfaces, but hills and uneven ground is tricky. I went to the beach last week. It hurt really bad to walk in the sand, but I think it was really good for loosening up my ankle.

The one thing I cannot emphasize enough is that the recovery is a roller coaster! I remember having to get my crutches back out several times after I thought I was done with them. I can go pretty much a whole day without limping (except for the first few steps after getting out of bed- that’s still tough!) to barely being able to walk the next day. But I have to say, I have more good days than bad now.

Hang in there- it’s a long road, and there will be times that you think your life will never be normal again, but you will get over it… In time!

[pony-girl]

I had knee/tibia surgery two years ago this fall and had the hardware removed last September. Leg bones take longer to heal than say your arm because of the force you put on it even when in a cast/brace etc. I wasn’t allowed to ride until 4 months post op of the original surgery. Riding after the hardware removal was almost immediate (2-3 weeks). The first year I had a lot of pain mounting and dismounting. My horse was very good about me dismounting next to the fence and slowly using it to step down while leaning on her. Mounting was also difficult but I just grunted my way through it and took some deep breaths. After the hardware removal surgery things got much better. I am just now one year later from that starting to really feel healed. The sports medicine orthopaedic practice at mass general hospital (where I had my surgeries) also has a dr that I’ll be seeing next month who specializes in non surgical approaches to injuries. I still have some residual pain on occasion (weather related etc.) and also some issues with my ankle and foot.
One last suggestion that has helped me more than I could imagine is massage. I was able to get a note from my dr for massage treatment at a regular “spa” type of massage place and my FSA could be used there. Obviously it’s not covered by insurance but using the FSA money for it almost feels like I’m not paying for it.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress.