Anterior Tibial Stress Fracture - Please Help!!!

[physiobob]

Interesting post. Sounds like you've had all the right investigations. It is somewhat bizarre that the stress fracture did not show on a bone scan. One might suggest that it is NOT a stress fracture, or not active at least if that was negative. Bone scans show up just about any increase activity in the bone and can be overly positive as a result.

That begs the question, what is painful in the bone but doesn't show up on a bone scan? Myeloma doesn't always show on a scan but you normally see something on a plain x-ray over the area. Do you have any private health insurance? A PET scan might be useful.

All that said if the diagnosis is definitive then you need more time. Perhaps why the bone isn't healing so fast also needs addressing. Diet in terms of what you eat, but also how much of that is getting to the point needing it. Other systems could be draining the calcium from the diet thus slowing your healing process. A good dietitian might assist with this.

[sarah81]

Thank you both for your replies, was starting to feel unloved. It has been such a long and draining process (5 1/2 months of non-weight bearing), I have seen another surgeon since - who thought I had been misdiagnosed, he had a senior radiologist look at all of the films (who then also questioned the stress fracture diagnosis). Last week I had another bone scan - which showed a def hot spot, the senior radiologist then completed a supplementary report from all films and confirmed the initial diagnosis. The report said that it involved the fascia??? rather than being a compaction stress fracture and was a chronic healing anterior stress fracture. So it looks certain that I will be having the IM nailing op. Has anyone had experience with this op before? Ie. recovery time, rehab, how much time non-weight beaing, cast/brace??? etc. Thanks again for your replies - much appreciated.