I am a little over 15 weeks post op for a fractured patella rehabilitating from ORIF surgery. The knee was fractured in to six pieces, four ligaments were torn and I ruptured or tore (not quite certain if it was one or the other but lots of stitches in it) the medial retinaculum. All from doing a somersault on water/detergent on a polished concrete floor in my kitchen. This happened in the same 12 month period that I had recovered from fracturing my tibial plateau (non displaced, no surgery required) and foot when my large dog pulled my down a bank on to some rocks. The second accident came as a huge shock given I had worked so hard at recovering my fitness and ROM with the tibia fracture.
I am a 65 year old woman who has always been physically active and fit. I have practised yoga for over 30 years at a reasonably high level, hike, swim and am generally participating in some type of daily physical activity. My bone density tests show a small amount of ostopenia but at the low end of the scale and my doctor isn't too concerned about it.
These accidents have made me rethink my diet. I have always eaten cleanly, almost a vegetarian plant based diet (a little fish and chicken) and have always had an interest in healthy food intake. I have concentrated this last year on making sure I have much more in the way of calcium/protein type meals adding lots of nuts, beans and calcium rich foods in to most meals. I make bone broth and drink that and smoothies with lots of stuff in them that help increase bone healing and bone density.
Fracturing your patella is not for sissies! The first four weeks were almost intolerable, a huge shock to the body and the pain and discomfort along with lugging the body around in a heavy immobilizer day and night and not being able to bend the knee or move well is a difficult thing to adjust to.
I must add I had been in an immobilizer for 10 weeks with the fractured tibia so I knew what to expect but as this injury was hugely more painful the immobilizer felt way more cumbersome!
In that first month I spent hours online reading stories from others, gleaning information from You Tube and Dr Google and generally trying to find as much information as possible.
My OS set the immobilizer to 30 degrees from the outset but suggested I did not try to do anything in the way of bending, heel slides or any other physio for the first few weeks. That was pretty much all the info he gave me so I visited the PT I had seen with my fractured tibia as I was very anxious not to lose the ROM I had got back to (140 degrees) after working so hard to recover it.
They explained to me how this accident was out on its on with how you recovered and stressed I worked super GENTLY and not even to the point of pain. That I went to a mild discomfort level only with anything I did in order to allow the bone to heal.
I actually listened to them LOL - usually I am very stubborn and push the limits with anything I do physically but my body was telling me this injury was substantially different. There were many days I was close to tears and feeling quite down about it all but usually I managed to pick myself up quite quickly by reading articles on people with way more severe injuries or long term disabilities. That is a sure fire way to stop feeling sorry for yourself!
I could write quite a lot more here but where I am now is this. I saw my OS yesterday for x-rays and he is really happy with my bone healing.
I have a problem with a couple of screws that are very prominent and burn and cause me quite a bit of discomfort. I have done daily physio on my own plus some help from a PT and although my ROM has slowly increased it is very slow and it feels like I have a very tight band across the top of my knee and that this will inhibit me reaching my ROM goals.
My PT manipulated my knee last week and said my knee feels like it can bend a lot further, he couldn't feel any blockages and over time my ROM would increase so that was good news.
The OS felt the same but was concerned how close to the surface and prominent my screws were and was anxious that if I knocked one of them it could tear the skin setting up for infection and problems. He has suggested early removal of my hardware - probably at the 7 month mark. I told him I would need to think about it as I had read that 12 months is usually the minimum length of time that most hardware is removed. He said my bone had healed really well and in a few months it would be ready for surgery.
He has suggested I wear a pad of some sort in the leg sleeve I am wearing (my knee feels way more supported wearing this). He kept stressing he did not want e to knock that area of my knee where the screws protrude so I am guessing that is why he wants the hardware out. I am not keen to undergo more surgery, let's face it, who does want to do that all over again. I realise this one will be less invasive and easier to recover from but there are still side affects to consider.
As far as knee strength is concerned I still have to work on my medial muscles as there are times my leg/knee feel a little weak. As mentioned I tend to wear an elastic support brace with straps when I am out and about, it feels more protective and I still get a little stressed about falling. I am sure that will go in time. So lots more short arc quad work and other exercises to keep building muscle strength. I might add that one of my legs is a little slimmer than the other which I understand from others often never gets back to being the same as the other leg. And I have a fat knobbly knee
So there you go, that's my journey to date. If anyone has been through all of this and are out the other side I would love to hear your story. If you want to know more about the tibial plateau fracture journey happy to chat. I have been relating to @Aplace2rest (Trey) who injured himself around the same time as me and along with the administrator he suggested I start a new thread. His story is interesting as well.
Look forward to hearing from others, this is a fascinating journey we are on for sure!
25 Oct 20 - fractured patella 6 pieces, tendon/ligament damage - surgery with K wire and screws
08 Nov 20 - dressing removed, stitches out - ROM 30
24 Nov 20 - ROM 50
15 Dec 20 - ROM 60 - xrays bone healing well
06 Jan 21 - ROM 80
31 Jan 21 - ROM 90
08 Feb 21 - ROM 105
09 Feb 21 - OS appointment, suggested hardware removal 7 month mark (May 2021) - considering
I am a 65 year old woman who has always been physically active and fit. I have practised yoga for over 30 years at a reasonably high level, hike, swim and am generally participating in some type of daily physical activity. My bone density tests show a small amount of ostopenia but at the low end of the scale and my doctor isn't too concerned about it.
These accidents have made me rethink my diet. I have always eaten cleanly, almost a vegetarian plant based diet (a little fish and chicken) and have always had an interest in healthy food intake. I have concentrated this last year on making sure I have much more in the way of calcium/protein type meals adding lots of nuts, beans and calcium rich foods in to most meals. I make bone broth and drink that and smoothies with lots of stuff in them that help increase bone healing and bone density.
Fracturing your patella is not for sissies! The first four weeks were almost intolerable, a huge shock to the body and the pain and discomfort along with lugging the body around in a heavy immobilizer day and night and not being able to bend the knee or move well is a difficult thing to adjust to.
I must add I had been in an immobilizer for 10 weeks with the fractured tibia so I knew what to expect but as this injury was hugely more painful the immobilizer felt way more cumbersome!
In that first month I spent hours online reading stories from others, gleaning information from You Tube and Dr Google and generally trying to find as much information as possible.
My OS set the immobilizer to 30 degrees from the outset but suggested I did not try to do anything in the way of bending, heel slides or any other physio for the first few weeks. That was pretty much all the info he gave me so I visited the PT I had seen with my fractured tibia as I was very anxious not to lose the ROM I had got back to (140 degrees) after working so hard to recover it.
They explained to me how this accident was out on its on with how you recovered and stressed I worked super GENTLY and not even to the point of pain. That I went to a mild discomfort level only with anything I did in order to allow the bone to heal.
I actually listened to them LOL - usually I am very stubborn and push the limits with anything I do physically but my body was telling me this injury was substantially different. There were many days I was close to tears and feeling quite down about it all but usually I managed to pick myself up quite quickly by reading articles on people with way more severe injuries or long term disabilities. That is a sure fire way to stop feeling sorry for yourself!
I could write quite a lot more here but where I am now is this. I saw my OS yesterday for x-rays and he is really happy with my bone healing.
I have a problem with a couple of screws that are very prominent and burn and cause me quite a bit of discomfort. I have done daily physio on my own plus some help from a PT and although my ROM has slowly increased it is very slow and it feels like I have a very tight band across the top of my knee and that this will inhibit me reaching my ROM goals.
My PT manipulated my knee last week and said my knee feels like it can bend a lot further, he couldn't feel any blockages and over time my ROM would increase so that was good news.
The OS felt the same but was concerned how close to the surface and prominent my screws were and was anxious that if I knocked one of them it could tear the skin setting up for infection and problems. He has suggested early removal of my hardware - probably at the 7 month mark. I told him I would need to think about it as I had read that 12 months is usually the minimum length of time that most hardware is removed. He said my bone had healed really well and in a few months it would be ready for surgery.
He has suggested I wear a pad of some sort in the leg sleeve I am wearing (my knee feels way more supported wearing this). He kept stressing he did not want e to knock that area of my knee where the screws protrude so I am guessing that is why he wants the hardware out. I am not keen to undergo more surgery, let's face it, who does want to do that all over again. I realise this one will be less invasive and easier to recover from but there are still side affects to consider.
As far as knee strength is concerned I still have to work on my medial muscles as there are times my leg/knee feel a little weak. As mentioned I tend to wear an elastic support brace with straps when I am out and about, it feels more protective and I still get a little stressed about falling. I am sure that will go in time. So lots more short arc quad work and other exercises to keep building muscle strength. I might add that one of my legs is a little slimmer than the other which I understand from others often never gets back to being the same as the other leg. And I have a fat knobbly knee
So there you go, that's my journey to date. If anyone has been through all of this and are out the other side I would love to hear your story. If you want to know more about the tibial plateau fracture journey happy to chat. I have been relating to @Aplace2rest (Trey) who injured himself around the same time as me and along with the administrator he suggested I start a new thread. His story is interesting as well.
Look forward to hearing from others, this is a fascinating journey we are on for sure!
25 Oct 20 - fractured patella 6 pieces, tendon/ligament damage - surgery with K wire and screws
08 Nov 20 - dressing removed, stitches out - ROM 30
24 Nov 20 - ROM 50
15 Dec 20 - ROM 60 - xrays bone healing well
06 Jan 21 - ROM 80
31 Jan 21 - ROM 90
08 Feb 21 - ROM 105
09 Feb 21 - OS appointment, suggested hardware removal 7 month mark (May 2021) - considering