Tibial plateau fracture and more.

[Belmont]

When I googled it, it didn’t sound that serious. However, my Sports Med Ortho has already waved the no, no finger to me to do anything. I’m out 4-6 weeks, with no weight on my left leg. The fracture is non-displaced, but she said if I fall, put too much pressure on the leg, or bump into something wrong I could displace. I also have two other areas of bone swelling on my fibula and another area of my tibia. Those other areas of swelling are likely just bone contusions, but she said there is a possibility of small fractures among the area. However, they are not too worried about investigating them further due to no significance showing up on MRI.

I am also supposed to start PT twice a week to get motion back in my knee. She said if I don’t start the PT and start getting motion, then I may not get full motion back.

I’ve never felt so useless or helpless. My boss won’t let me back at work. I had to cancel my farm sitting gigs over the next few weeks due to my inability to get around on the crutches while throwing hay, feed buckets, and navigating around.

Has anyone else experienced this? What was your turnaround to getting back in the saddle and feeling “normal” again?

ETA: I should say I am very lucky that I didn’t tear anything, and that my fracture is not displaced. I just never expected something so small to impact everything so severely!

[Laurierace]

A woman in my husband’s bike club was clipped by a car and got this type of fracture last week. She had surgery the next day and was told 3 months of no weight bearing and that she would never been able to run again. I personally think never is a very long time, but it does illustrate the severity of this type of injury. Take the time and do it right, that is your best chance of getting past this. Jingles for a complete recovery.

If you scroll down the page you will see some similar threads that may have info that can help you.

[AKB]

My daughter had a nondisplaced tibial plateau fracture along with an ACL avulsion about 10 years ago. The ortho had her wear a long leg immobilizer splint and allowed her to ride at the walk, as long as she didn’t fall off. She was nonweight bearing for 2 weeks, then as tolerated. I suspect this orthopedist (a competitive bicyclist) was pushing the limits a bit, but it healed really well. At 8 weeks post fracture she was doing all of her usual activities. You might get a second opinion, as occasionally a quick return to activity is ok.

[BigMama1]

I had the exact same fracture, except mine was mis-diagnosed as an ACL tear. So after 2 weeks of rest and limited weight bearing, we started physio for ACL - weight bearing, strength training, single leg exercises that, needless to say, are the absolute worse thing to do for the fracture.

As it kept getting worse I went for an MRI and lo and behold, ligaments were fine, lateral tibial l=plateau looked like a cracked eggshell. I almost burst into tears when the radiologist said if it had been diagnosed and treated properly from the beginning, it would have been almost healed by then.

At that point I had lost 6 weeks of my life, my income, my hobby, etc. and I was not happy. So back on the crutches for 6 more weeks and now - 12 weeks post injury - I am back on my horse, able to comfortably go for walks etc.

LISTEN TO THE DOCTOR. Follow instructions. Don’t put weight on the leg, even though it’s slow and annoying and frustrating and feels fine. TRUST ME. 4-6 weeks is better than 10-12.

[HPFarmette]

I had this a couple years ago, unplanned dismount. 8 weeks non weight bearing, many periodic x rays.

I borrowed a wheelchair for home and work. (Desk job).

No problem now!

[Belmont]

[QUOTE=BigMama1;8941516]
I had the exact same fracture, except mine was mis-diagnosed as an ACL tear. So after 2 weeks of rest and limited weight bearing, we started physio for ACL - weight bearing, strength training, single leg exercises that, needless to say, are the absolute worse thing to do for the fracture.

As it kept getting worse I went for an MRI and lo and behold, ligaments were fine, lateral tibial l=plateau looked like a cracked eggshell. I almost burst into tears when the radiologist said if it had been diagnosed and treated properly from the beginning, it would have been almost healed by then.

At that point I had lost 6 weeks of my life, my income, my hobby, etc. and I was not happy. So back on the crutches for 6 more weeks and now - 12 weeks post injury - I am back on my horse, able to comfortably go for walks etc.

LISTEN TO THE DOCTOR. Follow instructions. Don’t put weight on the leg, even though it’s slow and annoying and frustrating and feels fine. TRUST ME. 4-6 weeks is better than 10-12.[/QUOTE]

I waited almost two weeks for the MRI, but stayed mostly NWB due to the pain when I tried. ER misdiagnosed me!

I go in for my 4 weeks on December 1st. I have been able to do very little PT due to my insurance and the Holiday, but I have been doing exercises at home. I have a bit better mobility, but I’m still having a lot of pain and discomfort. She said we would discuss the weight baring at the appointment if the pain was gone.

I feel like one of the biggest hurdles once I’m cleared to fully weight bare will be getting on. I lease a large TB, and when I wasn’t hurt it was a stretch to get on him. Now my mounting leg will be all sorts of weak! :lol:

I’m so tried of the house and my couch! I wish I could go to work, but she still won’t let me. I actually started applying for new jobs all together because of this. I figured it might be a sign or something that it’s time!

[QUOTE=HPFarmette;8942301]I had this a couple years ago, unplanned dismount. 8 weeks non weight bearing, many periodic x rays.

I borrowed a wheelchair for home and work. (Desk
No problem now![/QUOTE]

How long did it take you to get back to normal riding?

I wish I could do the wheelchair! Our house is on stilts & two story split level. Of course, our bedroom is at the top. The only other bathroom is up one level of stairs. I’ve only fallen down them once, luckily it was just the last few and I was able to catch myself with my arms. I’m getting pretty good on the crutches though!

[Derby_Lyn_Farms]

In 2005 I had the same fracture from a silly dirt bike accident. I went to the doctor the next day and x-ray showed no break, just a torn ligament. I have broken bones before but never tore a ligament, so I didn’t know the difference in pain and symptoms. However, I have learned that I always know when I break a bone. It is definitely a different pain. And I hear the bone crack when it happened.

So misdiagnosed at the dr’s office, the leg was not as swollen and sore and I was walking on it. I complained of a tightness under the kneecap and the dr finally sent me for a CT scan. The scan showed a break, then I had an MRI. Followed by surgery because I had compressed the bones together.

4 months absolutely no weight bearing. First month or so I wasn’t even allowed to bend the leg. I went to PT during this time. My leg lost all of its muscle. The week before labor day I was given to ok to walk on it. The next weekend we did 6 hours of trail riding on the dirt bikes. It was a bit much but I couldn’t sit still any longer. Took a while to get the muscle back for normal riding. Just took time. I actually joined curves at the time because it was a low impact way to get back into shape. I think that helped the most. I had the pins removed eventually that they had put in to realign my bones. They hurt and now my leg feels better. It is still weaker than the other, and I get the aches and pains. I can’t kneel down because it is and always will be super tender.

Best wishes to you. Just take it slow.

[YARN_SQUIRREL]

Hello I am new to the group.
Tibial plateau fracture with surgery 6 screws and a plate.
Accident was 3/3/18 surgery was 3/5/18.
Just needing to reach out hoping to find some compassion.

[Laurierace]

Hope you are well on your way to recovery Yarn Squirrel

[Bogie]

@YARN SQUIRREL

Hello I am new to the group.
Tibial plateau fracture with surgery 6 screws and a plate.
Accident was 3/3/18 surgery was 3/5/18.
Just needing to reach out hoping to find some compassion.

Raises hand. I hear you and I feel for you.

I had a tibial plateau fracture on 1/20. I did not need surgery, but I was non weight bearing for 6 weeks, then 25% weight bearing for week 7, 50% weight bearing for week 8. Because I also broke the other ankle and my collarbone, I was really screwed. Spent the first six weeks in a wheelchair which was terribly boring.

Hardest thing was being patient and doing exactly what the doctors said. Because I couldn’t use crutches or a walker until my collarbone healed, I really did baby that knee. The brace was completely miserable and I did the happy dance (in my wheelchair) the day I stopped wearing it.

Good news is that my knee is completely and totally fine. Full range of motion. No pain. Some of the other injuries are taking longer to heal but I’m making a lot of progress.

Bad news is that, at least I lost a lot of muscle. It’s taking me awhile to build up my strength. Non weight bearing takes its toll.

It sucks to go through this but you should recover fine. I got back on a horse three months after the accident. If I hadn’t been so weak, i would have tried sooner but with both legs affected, I erred on the side of caution.

Good luck and hand in there!

[sorrelfilly721]

Just saw how old this thread was - hope you healed up nicely.

I had this same fracture. Mine was so bad they had to build up the plateau with bone and pin into place. No weight bearing at all for 8 weeks. I was given exercises to do on the couch - bend and straighten the leg. The doc said if I did not work on straightening, I would never be able to stand. I did what I was told and before 8 weeks, I was riding (don’t tell doc - it was non-weight bearing). Years later, I have full range of motion and I can run, ride and anything else I want. I will say that I had pain for two years when getting up from a sitting position and even sometimes standing. I went back to the doc to see if something was wrong. Nothing wrong - just took a long time to really heal.

[BigMama1]

@Belmont

When I googled it, it didn’t sound that serious. However, my Sports Med Ortho has already waved the no, no finger to me to do anything. I’m out 4-6 weeks, with no weight on my left leg. The fracture is non-displaced, but she said if I fall, put too much pressure on the leg, or bump into something wrong I could displace. I also have two other areas of bone swelling on my fibula and another area of my tibia. Those other areas of swelling are likely just bone contusions, but she said there is a possibility of small fractures among the area. However, they are not too worried about investigating them further due to no significance showing up on MRI.

I am also supposed to start PT twice a week to get motion back in my knee. She said if I don’t start the PT and start getting motion, then I may not get full motion back.

I’ve never felt so useless or helpless. My boss won’t let me back at work. I had to cancel my farm sitting gigs over the next few weeks due to my inability to get around on the crutches while throwing hay, feed buckets, and navigating around.

Has anyone else experienced this? What was your turnaround to getting back in the saddle and feeling “normal” again?

ETA: I should say I am very lucky that I didn’t tear anything, and that my fracture is not displaced. I just never expected something so small to impact everything so severely!

I was 12 weeks from injury to almost normal. Could have been as fast as 6 weeks but was initially misdiagnosed as an ACL tear and was told to do weight-bearing exercises to build muscle and regain strength - ouch!!! Lateral tibial plateau fracture was only discovered 6 weeks post-injury; I went for an MRI because he pain was getting worse, not better. 6 weeks back on crtchs and I was fine.

Do listen to your dr, both about the complete rest and the PT. I got back in th saddle too soon and really struggled with the non-weight bearing thing as I had a manual labour part time job, plus kids to run around after. It definitely delayed my recovery.

The good news is it really is a straightforward injury to heal and now, 2 years later, I have no lingering after-effects.

[SallyB]

I fell off a bike in Amsterdam visiting my daughter Dec 11. I continued to walk for the next week. When I returned home X-rays and CT scan revealed a non-displaced TFP. I have a leg brace and told NWB for up to 12 weeks. I am a little depressed and going stir crazy for sure. I have a trip planned for my girlfriend’s birthday on Feb 8 and I am praying I will be able to start weight bearing before the trip. I did not require surgery and I have done a bootcamp class for many years.Can anyone give me any guidance? Im anxious to start PT and do anything I can to progress healing. I will see the dr again on Thursday. Any pertinent questions I should be asking??

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

[BigMama1]

@Belmont

I waited almost two weeks for the MRI, but stayed mostly NWB due to the pain when I tried. ER misdiagnosed me!

I go in for my 4 weeks on December 1st. I have been able to do very little PT due to my insurance and the Holiday, but I have been doing exercises at home. I have a bit better mobility, but I’m still having a lot of pain and discomfort. She said we would discuss the weight baring at the appointment if the pain was gone.

I feel like one of the biggest hurdles once I’m cleared to fully weight bare will be getting on. I lease a large TB, and when I wasn’t hurt it was a stretch to get on him. Now my mounting leg will be all sorts of weak! :lol:

I’m so tried of the house and my couch! I wish I could go to work, but she still won’t let me. I actually started applying for new jobs all together because of this. I figured it might be a sign or something that it’s time!

How long did it take you to get back to normal riding?

I wish I could do the wheelchair! Our house is on stilts & two story split level. Of course, our bedroom is at the top. The only other bathroom is up one level of stairs. I’ve only fallen down them once, luckily it was just the last few and I was able to catch myself with my arms. I’m getting pretty good on the crutches though!

Getting on was tough and painful for me too, especially since my then horse was 17.2! Luckily our barn had a huge mounting block, which helped a lot. I also rode without stirrups first the first few weeks back in the saddle.

[Jumpshorsez]

I have not had that specific injury but whatever you do PLEASE listen to them. It’s not “cool” to hop up on a horse before you’re allowed to and I will never understand why people think that makes them look tough. It makes you look STUPID. I am still paying every single day for an injury in 2009 that was misdiagnosed originally and so I started riding 2 weeks later. Take care of it now the correct way.

[Laurierace]

@Jumpshorsez

I have not had that specific injury but whatever you do PLEASE listen to them. It’s not “cool” to hop up on a horse before you’re allowed to and I will never understand why people think that makes them look tough. It makes you look STUPID. I am still paying every single day for an injury in 2009 that was misdiagnosed originally and so I started riding 2 weeks later. Take care of it now the correct way.

While that is definitely good advice I am sure it has healed completely in the past three years.

[BigMama1]

@Jumpshorsez

I have not had that specific injury but whatever you do PLEASE listen to them. It’s not “cool” to hop up on a horse before you’re allowed to and I will never understand why people think that makes them look tough. It makes you look STUPID. I am still paying every single day for an injury in 2009 that was misdiagnosed originally and so I started riding 2 weeks later. Take care of it now the correct way.

Agree 100%! I initially rode far too early, since I was misdiagnosed as well. Once I got the correct diagnosis and took the needed time off, getting back in the saddle easily and riding comfortably was a slow process, as mentioned above, especially mounting, which would have been impossible without an oversized mounting block. It started with riding on the longe with no stirrups until I could keep my foot in the stirrup with my leg in the right position without pain. It also involved riding on the longe with my eyes closed for short periods, as my proprioception was a bit messed up, probably due to the concussion.