Bone grafting for Right leg tibia and fibula fracture

[pudding_bowl]

Hi Guru,

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply, I was vacationing and working the United States and have been away from the forum for a very long time. Please update us on your progress at present?
Tell me do you smoke? - this is a high risk factor for delayed bone healing and is a major factor in non-unions. If you don't then that obviously isn't a factor here.
Based on your history it doesn't sound like you'v been very lucky after surgery, I would have expected these bones to have united after what is now about 6 months.
As far as I can tell you are doing the right things - Partial weight bearing will help to encourage bone growth... too much weight however will be detrimental. Bone union is tricky and can take a very long time, your surgeon is the best one to answer the question of how long it should take - I feel like you should have been seeing some union by now.
If the Bones unite then yes you should be walking normally and in time you may be able to run again - this will all depend on the rehabilitation of the ankle as to your progression towards running, but many people return to running after a healed fracture of the tib/fib.

I will leave it there for now, hopefully you can update on how you are feeling?

[gurumath2001]

Hi Pudding_bowl,

Thank you very much for responding to my query, hope your vacation was full of fun.

My present status is still the same, As i have Undergone Bone grafting surgery on 26th July so i'll be completing 3 months on this month 25th.
So I'll be meeting my surgeon on 25th of this month(October). I m keeping my fingers crossed to see some positive results this time. I am Still using Walker and bearing partial weight.

As you said, Smoking isn't a factor in my case as I do not smoke at all and no alcohol as well. So nothing much from me as of now. Will send you the x-rays after my meet with the surgeon on 25th. and I'll Keep you posted with the further updates..

Thank you again.. Have a good day

Regards,
gurumath2001.

[fracture]

HI,
This is Brijesh, From Bangalore, India. Have gone through the same accident. Fractured my shin bone on 4th September 2009.Internal fixation surgery(One nail fixed inside the bone with two screws just above ankle and two just below knee) was done on the 6th(after 36 hours).
followed all the doctoral advise with utmost care, Doctor failed to advice me the timeline for the nail removal timeline and got Dynamization done after 4 months(Hope it's not too late), went for routine xrays to find out the progress, All was well and the bone was healing and doctors decided to take the nail out in feb (one and half year after the accident), But was nt sure about the complete healing, Was advised for a CT Scan to get a clear picture, and was told that its a case of non union, Now Grafting is required. Please suggest:
1. Complications and healing period.
2. Dos and Donts
3. I am still a regular smoker and social drinker. Please suggest how much it delay or affect the healing.

PS: I have been walking a good 1-2 Kms daily for almost a year, And drive a car also. Is that fine to drive a Car.

[gurumath2001]

Hi All,

gurumath2001 here after long time..

Well, Let me share my recovery updates with all of you, i hope it helps to set positivity to those who are going through the phase i crossed..., I'll continue with my last update,

I met my surgeon on 25th OCT 2010 and he suggested to use walker with partial weight bearing and asked me to come back after 45 days again. I kept followup with him and i used walker till December end( total 5 months ) Finally, the day came when he allowed me to use single stick and bear full weight.

So i started walking with single stick from Jan-2011 and continued till mid of march ( almost 3 months ) and then i was asked to walk independently. though i was trying to walk normally, it was difficult to get that normal walking balance and i was limping. Limping gradually decreased as i started walking everyday and now i am walking normally.. however, its not the same as i used to walk before but its hard to recognize my walking error by general observation.

Above all, the best part is i am back to normal life and i am going to work independently, seems like life is back on track after almost 1 and half years and 2 major surgeries.

Hope my experience helps to those who are undergoing bone grafting surgery, My doc said that bone grafting is successful in almost all the cases and it surely forms union, only thing is, it might take longer than expected time frame.

My sincere THANKS to everyone who contributed to this thread and special thanks to Pudding_bowl for addressing my query - Thank you very much.


@Brijesh--->>

Hi Brijesh,

I am sorry to know about your non-union, My doc had referred me for Dynamization but after taking second opinion, i decided to go for Bone grafting directly to minimize the disability period and even the chances of union were pretty less for me after dynamization.

So, If you are undergoing bone grafting now, I think it'll surely form union. In my case, it took around six months and they said it was delayed union, so i think you should be fine in 3 months, however healing period varies from person to person. all i can say is to have patience and indulge in activities which keeps you happy..

As far as i know, there ain't any major complications, provided you follow doctor's instructions. I suggest you to minimize/quit smoking till you recover (read pudding_bowl's response to my query)

I'll leave it here.. you and edgewise can post updates.. I Wish you both a speedy recovery!



Thanks and Regards,
gurumath2001