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Hello all,
I’ve scoured the web, and read and read and read, about the world of TPFs – so many different stories, one line brings me up, the next I’m crashing down.
Remember…there are no two identical injuries OR two identical people! Believe me I have tried to find someone who has gone through the same thing, but I can’t. Soooo, I settle for taking bits and pieces from here and there, working to solve my own ‘puzzle’ about how long this ‘recovery’ will take. Thanks to the person who started this one!
My physio has ‘warned’ me off of reading things on the net, easy for him to say, but ‘we’ (tpf sufferers) know that we just have way too much free couch time on our hands not to go searching!51 year old female -active but not too much so (no triathlons!)
Nov. 14, 2013 – injury playing ultimate frisbee (the word ‘ultimate’ makes it more high risk I guess) jumped to catch a frisbee, foot twisted on landing and bones ‘cracked’.
Result: broken ankle (fibula) and TPFNov. 15 – external fixator put on for 1 week to reduce swelling prior to surgery
Nov. 21 – surgery with 2 plates and a bunch of screws for Tibia (one on front and one on back of leg) Ankle put into a cast – NWB for 6 weeks – no surgery required
* too afraid to use crutches – used wheelchair and a walker/hopper to keep good leg strong and walked laps around for exerciseJan. 8th (6 weeks post op) – Visit to OS – TP fracture is healing well- referred to physio at week 8 post op mark to begin therapy to progress to full weight bearing over 4 weeks. Cast on ankle comes off. Biggest problem – Numbness in various places from knee to big toe – constant pins and needles.
Jan. 23rd (8 weeks post op) – use a walker to get to physio appt. Quads gone, ROM 120 degrees, approx. 8 degree bend in leg at resting straight. He suggested putting heal on a pillow when straight to cause ‘gravity’ to allow knee to get back to straight. It worked but hurt a bit. Told me to bring the crutches to next appt. (didn’t like the walker). Gave me 6 exercises to do to strengthen quads – couldn’t even lift heel up with leg straight from flat.
Jan. 30 (9 weeks post op) Took crutches to appt. Was shown proper way to use them and
went home on them but still NWB. Did my exercises faithfully.Month of Feb (up to 13 weeks post op) –
slowly weight bearing, but a lot of pain and crunching in the knee. Physio says that will work itself out.March 10th (15 weeks post op) – have done over 22,000 exercises. I made up a chart and tick off the sets I do each day, record stationery bike use and any pool work too.
Leg is stronger, but still can’t fully weight bear using 1 crutch. I still carry around both crutches and can stand and cook for much longer periods but I have pain now as it clicks. I think the numbess is easing but was told possible nerve problem is from use of a tournequet during surgery, but should get better in time. Having pins and needles feeling in leg and foot has made trying to weight bear and walk scary and hard. You just can’t feel properly.Best advise I’ve heard is be patient – it is a slow process. Stay positive and do those exercises. I recommend a chart to keep track of your progress, at least you can prove you’ve tried!