Fractured Tibia

[David Rosa]

Hello,

On the 8th of November I had a nasty crash while training MTB of which I sustained a fractured tibia, a deep cut on the tibia and a swollen knee.

The fractured tibia is a "clean" one, with no misalignment, but it's on the upper part of it.

The deep cut is not on the same place has the fracture, and it's the thing that hurts the most.

Whereas the doctors tell me to just stay in bed and recover, I would like to know what can I do to speed up recovery and some exercises to not suffer so much muscle atrophy.

Any help is welcome, especially from the Fitness Panel members of CyclingNews

Thank you and best regards

 

[elapid]

Was your fracture repaired surgically or casted?

Has your deep cut healed?

There is nothing much you can do to hasten bone healing, but there are things you can do to minimize muscle loss depending on how the tibial fracture is being managed. I presume a cast from the instructions you have been given by your doctors, but more information would be good.

 

[David Rosa]

Elapid:

The fracture is casted and there was no need for surgery. The cast is in the entire leg, because the fracture is in the upper part of the tibia.

The deep cut has not healed yet, I had stiches in it. But it's healing fast. The thing that hurts the most it's this cut. When I stand up the cut tends to open, because the leg starts to swell, hurting like hell.

Thank you

 

[elapid]

A non-displaced stable fracture should heal well in a cast. The problem is a cast limits your ability to minimize muscle atrophy in your fractured leg. The intention of a cast is to immobilize the joint above and below the fracture, meaning that all joints in your leg are immobilized except for your hip joint. This severely limits your ability to do any exercises on your leg. While it is best to avoid surgery, surgery avoids the need for a cast in most cases, minimizes muscle atrophy secondary to disuse, and permits a more rapid return to full function. In your case, the best thing you can do is maintain your fitness and flexibility, but you will unfortunately lose muscle mass in your leg and this will take a while to get back once the cast is removed.

 

[Black Dog]

Load the leg as soon as you can do so without sever pain. Loading the fracture site will promote faster bone growth and thus speed healing. You can gradually add pressure while using your crutches. As soon as you can get the cast off and get into a pool the better. This will allow for some activity that will help with reversing the atrophy of the supporting muscle groups and help stabilize the knee joint. All the research shows that a active recovery yields faster healing and better long term outcomes. Good luck and you will definitely get past this.

 

[brianf7]

Main thing with these injuries is to be sure it heals without blocking the nerve to the lower leg if your feet start feeling numb get a nerve conduction test quickly.

Otherwise consult Robie McEwan he seems to be an expert on that sort of thing.
Note the worlds this year have no plant pots on the course.

 

[pedalagain]

I'm recovering from an open(bone thru skin)tibial plateau fracture, which is where the tibia goes into the knee. Happened July 5th from a cycling accident. I ended up with an external fixator on my leg for 3 months, so my leg was completely straight. My bone healed but now I'm struggling with ROM on my knee, I still can't turn a pedal revolution.

My advice to you is to make sure your bone heals as quickly as possible and get out of the full cast and start moving the knee asap. Don't worry about your muscle, it will come back. Getting the knee moving again is the biggest thing, but your leg shouldn't be immbolized as long as mine. If your OS has said no weight bearing then don't, take it easy and get that bone to heal, you don't want a set back. Putting weight on it will promote bone growth, but only do it if OS ok's it. Take lots of calcium and vit. D., also ibprofen is a bone growth inhibitor, so find other pain meds if you need them.

Here is a good website about the knee, lots of good info, I wish I had found it sooner in my recovery. Good luck!
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?board=21.0

 

[coachkev]

It's best to speak with your doctor and ask to see a physical therapist once the cast comes off. Have you expressed to your doctor about the amount of pain ongoing from the cut? You want to be aware of any signs of possible infection. Good luck with everything.