Tpf full leg cast

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  • #1555 Reply
    Bryan
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    Great site. Just wanted to share my experience so far. Broke tibial plateau on June 28/14. Piece of bone broke off that is attached to acl. Was sent home from er with knee brace. Saw specialist 5 days later. He sent me to hospital for full leg cast. I have to keep this for 6 weeks then he will determine if acl needs to be rebuilt. It hurts all day non stop. My leg itches constantly. It’s such a pain to go to the washroom, get dressed, move around the house. I am 30 yrs old and had never even heard of someone breaking they’re knee. Still can’t believe how long this is going to take to get back to normal. Sorry for the rant, good luck to everyone else that’s dealing with this

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    • #1874 Reply
      Lisa
      Guest

      Hi Bryan. I had something similar to your injury. It is called a tibia spine avulsion, instead of the ACL tearing, the bone snapped. I am 3 weeks post accident (fell 30 feet while climbing on July 13 and had to be choppered out), and in a leg brace with a range of motion limited to 30 degrees. It sounds like your doctor opted for a restrictive treatment. I had my CT scan on August and I find out more next week. I don’t have too much pain and find that I am able to bend my leg to 90 degrees with little pain.

      Everyone is sure different- Hang in there!

    • #1853 Reply
      Bryan
      Guest

      Thanks to everyone for the replies. Just wanted to give an update. Had a moment of weakness and used a coat hanger to scratch down in my cast. Long story short there is no longer any cotton padding left inside my cast. Also my leg is about 1/2 the size that it used to be so now the cast is no longer an issue. It’s comfortable now when laying down and I just stuff a soft towel down inside so its not loose when moving around. Have started doing crunches and upper body excercises for the last week or so. Makes me feel a bit better. Leg still doesn’t feel great, I thought it would feel more healed by now. 2 more weeks to go until cast is scheduled to come off.

    • #1678 Reply
      Christina
      Guest

      Aww, good luck with it. I’m not (yet?) at the going crazy stage, but it’s definitely not a walk in the park. I was finally starting to leap along on my crutches, gliding the equivalent of someone else’s four steps…when I pinched some skin under my arm. Now, I’m stuck to using one crutch in a new way and going super, super slow.

    • #1647 Reply
      Bryan
      Guest

      This cast!!!!!! I don’t know how people can stand it. Every day I ask my wife to cut it off and let me put the old brace on. She always says no. I stare at it at night wondering if I can do it but I can’t really reach the end of it and my wife would be angry.If not for the cast it wouldn’t be so bad. If I need something my wife or children are super helpful. I get to watch movies/tv and play video games. If it hurts I just pop a few pills. It’s almost like a Holliday.(if not for the stupid cast). I have an appointment on aug 11 for MRI and if ok, cast off on aug 13. I have a calendar next to couch that I cross off the days. Makes me feel a bit better.

    • #1635 Reply
      Christina
      Guest

      Hi Bryan

      It was a full-leg cast for me, too. At first, I had the knee immobilizer on and wasn’t too happy about it, but at least I could take it off and wash myself. And then when the medical staff told me I may have to get a full-leg cast, I want to slap their faces with a leather glove and challenge them to duels, and then tell them how ridiculous they were, that I absolutely would not submit to a full-leg cast.

      I submitted to a full-leg cast.

      What I found worked really well for me was taking painkillers. They gave me Percocet; at first, I was really hesitant to take them unless my leg was in throbbing pain because I’d heard how addictive they are, and it doesn’t take me much to get hooked on anything. But one doctor explained to me the difference between taking painkillers for pleasure and taking them to alleviate pain, so I’ve been keeping on a regular schedule. I know when I take one, it takes about an hour to kick in, so I time the onset with whatever I have to do so I’m a little numbed for more physical exertion. But I’ve also found that when I’m in the thick of a dose, it’s not a good idea for me to physically exert myself too hard, otherwise I end up a sweaty mess with a glazed look on my face.

      If your leg is aching that much, sometimes, it may just be a case of having to take painkillers more regularly. I’m not crazy at all about the idea of popping a Percocet every 4-6 hours, but I’m not in pain all the time, either, and I can manage a happy portion of my daily activities.

      Christina

    • #1627 Reply
      Eileen
      Guest

      Bryan,

      Whoa! First, if your cast is pushing on your calf, you should contact your doctor and see if this should be remedied. Second, try to hang on. It does get better. Although it took a while for the fog to clear after the shock, the anesthesia, etc., it got easier as I talked to people who supported me and prayed with and for me. Although You will feel bad, grieve, and be angry, just try to make yourself stay calm. Keep mending.

    • #1614 Reply
      Bryan
      Guest

      Update- it helps to write things on here I think. Have had cast on now for 1 week. Can finally get off the couch on my own and get around the house without too much pain. But foot turns blue if I’m up for more than a few minutes. I rested my leg on a chair and it dented the back of the cast. Now it digs into my calf. Also a lot of the cotton has rubbed off now my leg rubs against the Fiberglas. Might freak out at any minute and rip this cast right off……..

    • #1576 Reply
      Bryan
      Guest

      “Safe scratch” I like it! I have been using a plastic ruler with mixed results.i’ll try that out. Thanks for the advice. I will read some more in the forum. Thanks Eileen.

    • #1575 Reply
      Travis
      Guest

      I have had a long history with my knee. I “broke” my knee after having several ligament reconstruction. The fracture formed from the tunnels that were drilled during the repairs. I am currently on my third surgery to fix the TPF (7th total). Each time they go in the hardware fails before the bone heals. Needless to say I have been in a full leg cast for the last month and have another month to go with the new cast. The number one item I have found that helps with the itching and dampness from this heat is the castcooler (http://www.castcooler.com/). I recently ran into the safe scratch (http://www.safescratch.com/). Both of these products work very well and have made my life sucks less while in a cast.

    • #1574 Reply
      Eileen
      Guest

      Bryan,

      After I posted my last response, I was reading more on the forum and saw other people who have had casts as well (easy to find if you use Control F and type “cast”). Note that no surgery means no hardware to worry about. Regarding the ACL surgery, I understand, is done after the bone has healed. Again, if you look around the forum, you will find more info. When I was diagnosed a month ago, people encouraged me saying things would get better. Things have gotten better bit by bit, so, I offer you the same encouragement.

    • #1573 Reply
      Bryan
      Guest

      Thanks for the support. I haven’t heard of anyone having the cast. Wish I could of just had the surgery and got it over with. Can’t wait to get rid of this cast. Has anyone had to have there acl repaired after this? Any idea how long recovery is from that?

    • #1567 Reply
      Eileen
      Guest

      Bryan,

      I am so sorry about your injury. You must be an unusual case because most people seem to end up with surgery and a moveable brace instead of a cast. The hard part of TPF, I believe, is accepting what has happened and meeting the day-to-day challenges. Five weeks into my immobile summer, I think things are improving for me. I wish you peace and a speedy recovery.

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