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Removal of plate and screws from tibia fracture
Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: Sep 8 10:36am | Replies (83)Comment receiving replies
A lot of you know me from other discussions on Connect, and I'm joining you here because in a recent injury, I dislocated and broke my ankle, both the tibia in 3 places, and the fibula which was open and broken through the skin. The first surgical procedure placed external fixation with 2 pins that were screwed into the front of my shin (tibia) and 1 pin that passed transversely through my heel bone with external rods that connected it all together with a frame. That was a difficult thing to live with, and the external fixation was recently removed in a surgery at Mayo. Now I have 2 small titanium plates screwed on my tibia, and a screw placed internally into the fibula. I am still in my first splint/cast and on my next visit will have the stitches removed. I am at the beginning of what will be a long journey in recovery. With all the incisions and wounds, no matter which way I turn my leg, the cast will rest on a tender spot. This has been very painful, and I don't do well on pain medicine, but I have reached a tolerance level for pain and weaned off the pain medicine in the last several days. On my X rays, I see the holes left by the pins that had pierced my bones, and I know my body will heal these and fill in the bone. I've learned what is is to be disabled and have to think about how I can get from one place to another which is difficult. At least now, I don't have the immediate pain from lowering my leg out of an elevated position when I need to hobble around with the walker. I've learned to slow down and rest. When I need to stand at the sink, it helps me to have a canvas folding stool, so I can put my knee into it and be balanced against the normal leg. I also have added some webbing straps to a walker, so I can use my knee in the same way and take some pressure off my arms and hands. It helps to be a patient person, and there is no other choice because all I can do is wait for my body to heal and do my best to help that happen.
Replies to "A lot of you know me from other discussions on Connect, and I'm joining you here..."
I thought I would give an update on my ankle fracture. I got a fiberglass cast for 4 weeks after the splint/cast was removed. At that time the stitches were removed and that felt a bit better because they were no longer being pulled on by the cotton liner inside the cast. There was a bit of swelling and the first few days in a hard cast were the worst. I would have ankle pain and some pain and numbness in my toes on the pinky side and all I could do was elevate my foot and use pain drugs. It got easier as the swelling got better, and because my leg muscles got smaller from non use. Last week, I was happy to have the cast removed and now have a Aircast walking boot. I am supposed to put a little weight on my foot and gradually increase it. That is easier said than done. If I increase the weight, I have a lot of pain and it can last an hour or more after I stop and elevate my foot. The incisions still hurt and are very tender to the touch. I still have swelling and the ligaments hurt on the side of my foot when I move it. I am supposed to be working on getting back the range of motion. My calf muscle just hangs there and is pretty small, but today is the first day that I can see some movement in it when I flex it. I've been calling this my bird leg. Last night, I tried some myofascial release to try to help loosen the tightness of the incisions and scar tissue and I think it helped because today there is visibly less swelling and I am starting to see the normal shape on the top of my foot where all the tendons head toward my toes. Another big improvement is that I have been able to walk up and down stairs by leaning a lot on the handrails and no longer have to sit and scoot to do this. My foot does turn purple and blotchy in a downward position and elevating it clears that, and I think the degree of this is improving too. My next followup will be a 3 month post op appointment.
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Hello @jenniferhunter
I appreciate your post on two levels. The first is an update on your injury and surgeries, but also sharing with us your philosophy about patience.
You have really found accommodations for your current physical injuries. I find it especially interesting that you, "added some webbing straps to a walker, so I can use my knee in the same way and take some pressure off my arms and hands." I'm trying to picture this. Can you provide a few more details as to where the webbing straps are attached to the walker?