Tib-Fib fracture

hoover27 · January 23rd, 2008, 03:17 PM

Anybody ever have a fractured Tibia and Fibula? I fractured my right Tib/Fib in December and was wondering if anyone had the same and how long the recovery period was.

**sleepyles** · January 23rd, 2008, 05:56 PM

Well I have had a fractured Tibia by fluke many years ago while training/ studying Muay Thai. We have to condition our shins to become more dense so kicks hurt and come with more power.

Either way, when I had this injury which I wish I never get again, this is where I gained A LOT of weight since I could not move and put weight on it. This is my experience with this injury, and recovery and healing depends on the person as well as how bad the fracture is. I think I have broken almost every bone in my body.

1. 12-13 weeks in a cast to prevent further damaging and helping with the healing process.
2. After the cast was taken off, I could put light weight on it like 3-4 weeks afterwards but still needed crutches.
3. Within 7 weeks after the cast was removed, I was able to put full body weight on it, but was advised by the doctor not to do full range of motion and still keep it somewhat immobile. (Still with crutches for a part of it)
4. About 12 weeks after the cast was removed, I was able to do some light workouts, don't start with heavy/ moderate weight as this will only make it worse. At this point when I started actual therapy it was only 65% healed.
5. It wasn't until a good 2-3 months after I started therapy that I was able to workout normally.

This is one of the most common fractures to happen, but it also one of the most time consuming, and patience injuries I have had to overcome. Your time might be less than mine, since I was stubborn back then, and was trying to push myself back into my routine, but it only negated the recovery time.

It took me a good 6-8 months to really recover from this. But again it depends on how severe the fracture is. Mine was due to kicking bamboo and being hit with bamboo to condition my shin, but one wrong move, and then BAM!

Listen to your doctor, take the advise they have given you, and truly listen to their suggestions for recovery. The funny thing is when they took off the cast, one leg looked so big (non injured), and the other one (injured leg) of a chicken. . . .

This is the injury where I learned about Shark Cartilage and the calcium it contains and it's other benefits.

Best of luck with recovery, hopefully others here can provide input as well, but my time was probably due to my own stubborness.

**wildstang** · January 23rd, 2008, 06:27 PM

mine wasnt both bones just the fibula. mine was compound so i wouldnt be much help in estimating time but since it was compound fractured they put a plate and screw in and i was walking on it in 2 months. not by any means normally at 2 months either. 5th month i had the plate and screws removed due to body rejecting them. wich actually i was glad because the doc said id have the hardware in for life.

**tooncesthecat** · January 23rd, 2008, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildstang

mine wasnt both bones just the fibula. mine was compound so i wouldnt be much help in estimating time but since it was compound fractured they put a plate and screw in and i was walking on it in 2 months. not by any means normally at 2 months either. 5th month i had the plate and screws removed due to body rejecting them. wich actually i was glad because the doc said id have the hardware in for life.

You're lucky because the fibula is essentially a non-weightbearing bone. I agree with sleepyles. It will depend on your particular injury, but could take several months to return to "normal". It is common to have a progression of weight-bearing as described, and it is very important to maintain these weight-bearing precautions as you will only have one chanced to heal!

Once you are allowed to weightbear on the leg, do so to the extent possible because this encourages the new bone formation by your osteoblasts.

dannymax · January 24th, 2008, 12:53 AM

Hoover, Looks like we both suffered *some* of the same injuries, but I broke a couple more bones than just the tib/fib. Take a look at my ' Motorcycle Accident... ' thread I posted a couple weeks ago for some more info.

**wildstang** · January 24th, 2008, 01:17 AM

i'd also supplement with some high quality calcium such as shark cartilage as sleepyless mentioned. i supplemented with all my broken bone injuries and feel as if i recovered quicker as a result of it. maybe just my thinking but it sure felt i did.

**sleepyles** · January 24th, 2008, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannymax

Hoover, Looks like we both suffered *some* of the same injuries, but I broke a couple more bones than just the tib/fib. Take a look at my ' Motorcycle Accident... ' thread I posted a couple weeks ago for some more info.

Here is the link to dannymax's thread about this motorcycle accident. If you are interested in reading it.

http://www.extremefitness.com/forum/...-accident.html

hoover27 · January 24th, 2008, 12:45 PM

Wow nasty acccident. I am glad you were not hurt more seriously. I have been taking Calcium and going to the gym (upper body only). I certainly can't wait to get back to 100%.