broke my effing leg!

Hi all, thought i'd spread some xmas cheer.

 I broke my fib in 2 places, displaced my ankle and chipped a few peices of bone. For xmas i got a metal plate and some screws. Bang goes my spring marathon, and subject to the consultants appraisal of the op... possibly any future marathons.

Anyone out there can tell me they have recovered from something similar to make me feel slightly more optomisitc? I am so irritable. Was in hospital for 4 days waiting for the Op, had the op and it aches and the scars on my leg are irritating and painful, not infected pain, just can feel my stitches pulling.

Hi

Didn't do the same but managed to fall over in the ice and snow, broke arm, was 50/50 it needed op to pin, got told on xmas eve it was OK as is, in cast even though bones have moved slightly. Consultant happy for me to go to the gym - but can't get there easily without drving car, and can't go for a decent walk yet until snow/ice gone.

Sympathies to you, i had my spring 10K races all planned out.

Itching is a nuisance i keep having to do make believe scratching over my cast to try to tell brain the itch has stopped.

i was 50/50 for the op, so you had my share of the luck! Cant drive for min 8 weeks, cant bare weight on it.... i am going stir crazy. The whenever i feel this irritable i go for a run. I~ cant do anything.

 Have had an itch on my ankle all day, keeps coming back.... btw, i broke it playing 5 aside, and they commeneted at the hospital that i was their first non- ice related injury in days!

Sham Plodder, Hi there I broke my Right Fibula about 5 years ago. I did a really good job on it (spiral Fracture !) and  I now have a 4 inch metal plate in there. I was on Crutches for about 3 - 4 months (No weight Bearing) but I only ever had a Aircast on it no plaster so I was able to start basic physio (rotating my foot  - 12 CW / 12 ACW) after about 8 weeks.  It took me about a year to get full movement and strength back in to the joint.  I have no problem running on the ankle now (I did two 1/2 maras in 2010). I overpronate and I am careful to wear cushioned and supportive shoes but touch wood I've not had any problems.

I hear what you are saying about the stir crazy bit but the bad news is I reckon you will not be running for  a fair few mths. My suggestion would be to get some good physio advice and build it up gradually and sensibly. You said you did it in 5 a side if you look at Eduardo he dislocated his ankle and broke his fibula (and compounded It) and he was back playing top class football 12mths later.

One thing that always stuck in my mind was that shortly after the op I asked the  surgeon how long before it would be back to normal. His response was that it is not "normal" to have a 4" piece of metal in your leg and we agreed that "back to normal" was not a phrase we would use in future conversations He suggested that perhaps the question I wanted answering was how long before I could expect to be doing certain things (Sports etc.) and if there would be limitations. His view was that I should be able to do pretty much everything I could before provided I built up the physio gradually and sensibly. 

BTW my ankle still itches !

Hope this helps .... Plan your marathon for April 2012. You'll be back!

Hi Sham,

My dad broke his fibula just above the ankle in August. He was 50/50 for an op but luckily didn't have to have it in the end. He's 69 so they were worried about how well the break would heal. But, he's back up to running 5 miles already. They told him it would be swollen for up to a year and he does get really bad swelling where the break was, but is pain free. He basically had a really good physio who was a fellow runner, who appreciated that not running in the future wasn't an option, so she encouraged him to get back into it, but sensibly.

I realise my dad's break probably wasn't as bad as yours as it didn't need plating, but just wanted to give you a bit of hope that you can get back to running. Good luck

Oh shit, sorry to hear that.

I broke my ankle about 3 and a half years ago now, but it was a very clean fracture.

The biggest problem I had when I tried to get back running again was with the ligaments, I'd really messed them up.

You will get back out there eventually, for now put your feet up (see what I did there) and let people peel grapes for you.

When I was a teenager I did my knee in and spent six weeks with my leg in plaster. When the cast came off my leg had wasted away to about half its size and had grown a pelt like a gorilla (which subsequently moulted off, thankfully). I thought I'd share that with you.

The leg also itched like buggery and drove me mad ... until I nicked my mum's knitting needles to scratch deep inside the plaster cast. Bliss.

Thanks everyone for your words of support. I also play water polo, so i am hoping to get back in the water once this cast is off, the water seems to be good physio for most things. Will wait and see. Havent actually spoken to a Dr since the op as it all happened over xmas. Have an appt in early Jan, so i'll see what they say the. My break is a bit eduardo esque.... i dont know how big the plate in there is, but i know there are screws and a scar about 6 inches long.

 i feel slightly more hopeful!

thanks

Sham, I broke my fib a few years back, also playing football.  It took about a year to recover in total with physio etc

 I kept the 2 plates/11 screws in for a year but they had to come out (I got fed up of feeling the screws )   I did get to keep them tho!

Good luck

This thread reminds me of the joke:

Patient: "Dr, will I be able to play the violin after my operation?"

Doctor: "Of course - we are only taking your tonsils out."

Patient: "That's good, as I couldn't play the violin before"

 - sorry - I'll get me coat.

@SP - About 20 yrs ago, I broke tib, fib and femur in my pre-running days.

Every runner is an experiment of one and this break just means that you are even more unique than other runners (apart from me - and some others).

Learn to listen to your own body and how quickly it is recovering / capable of doing new things - further things or faster things.

Listen to the medical professionals that give you advice and go at your speed of recovery rather than anyone else's.

You may want to take a year (or two) to allow yourself to get back into the shape that you were.

Just want to say.shit luck..............

would it help if when ever your ankle started itching you could imagine a differnt person being employed to scratch it for you..................

you could work through any real or imaginary characters you know................even the queen could have a go

Hi people,

Keep reading RW and getting frustrated. Good news is my cast is coming off next monday, cant wait, but then i will have to learn to walk before i can run!

 I thought you'd be interested to know that when i had my proper cast put on i mentioned that i swim a lot and play water polo, so the bloke gave me a water proof cast, it's made of rubber, something like polyurethane and something else mixed. So i have been able to go swimming once a week, and do a bit of light training, mostly my arms, but a little bit of cardio nonetheless!

 looking forward to being able to swim and run properly. I am more determined than ever to improve my running and shift some more weight.

just re-read this post.... and if anyone reads it, in a similar boat, i thought i'd offer a small piece of optimism.

2 years on...  i am 2 stone light and training for my second marathon (first since i broke it). Been up to 17 miles on the bionic leg and the most i feel is a dull ache in my calf. I have hit pb's over every distance over the last year or so... ankle still swells up a bit, but i think it always will... oh, and i cant do that cossack dance like keith lemon any more..... My running has never been so consistent over such a long peropd of time. The break made me understand my mortality... and change my lifestyle for the better!

Good for you! Fantastic stuff, puts my little niggles right into perspective!

good to hear the update sham plodder..............hope the marathon goes well