Advice Please?

Hey all I am new to the site and I am looking for some advice.

March 19th this year I suffered a multi-segmental fracture to my Tibia and a fracture of the fibula also whilst playing football.

I had an operation on March 21st which was to correct the bone position and insert and intradullmery nail, for which I have 3 screws at the top of my shin and 2 at my ankle.

I visited the hospital on Monday where my doctor told me that I would not need anymore X-Rays as my bone is completely healed and I am now able to full weight bare, I also spoke to a physiotherapist who gave me a couple of small exercises to get on with.

My doctor told me that I should not need my crutches anymore and that I should be able to walk, however the physio said to me that I need to be careful doing this as if I walk without crutches I may start to limp.

I have tried walking and I am doing well, I am also doing my exercises daily, however, one of the exercises I was given was a calf raise, when I try to do this the front of my tibia is slightly painful.

When I perform other exercises like squats or anything, then it tends to be the back of the leg (just below the calf muscle) that tends to be painful.

The physiotherapist said to me that my calf was tight and that my knee was weakened.

So my question is, is this normal due to the lack of strength in my knee and the tightening of my calf, or is my bone not strong enough to perform such actions?

Hi Barry

Your bone *should* be strong enough at this stage of the game, and if your consultant says the X-ray shows good healing, then that's a good sign.

What happens when you poke about in the area where it hurts? If it's sore, I'd suggest getting some massage there, as it may be that there are adhesions in the muscle (or where the muscle attaches to the bone) that need releasing. It's quite usual for there to be some soft tissue damage with a fracture (particularly a complex fracture like yours) and massage can help with muscle compliance and flexibility, which should help reduce the pain on exercise.

Good luck!

Nell

Hi Nell,

Thank you for your response.

If I poke around the area I have no pain or anything, only as I try and walk.

I can put my whole body weight on my bad leg whilst standing, but when I try to walk, I can get as far as putting my foot down on the floor, which is fine, but as I go to push off from my toes, that is when the pain kicks in.

I have heard about massages, apparently breaking up the "dead" muscle/tissue in order for it to regrow, not sure if that is correct?!

I also have my physiotherapy appointment Monday, so I will keep you updated from that.

Thanks again