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just broke a fibula, anybody have experience with this?

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just broke a fibula, anybody have experience with this?

Old 11-04-05, 10:15 PM
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just broke a fibula, anybody have experience with this?

who is me.. broken fibula down near the end where it meets the ankle.. not all the way thru, but more like a splinter at the end..
I had been fighting a nasty cold all week and had'nt been able to ride for 4 days.. was planning to ride tonight after the "Family Night Basketball Party"... was fun watching all the kids play.. then near the end they group some of the coaches and dads together to play the big guys(8th graders)... I didn't really want to play.. I never played organized bball before anyway, and games like that are never worth the risk of down time from injury.. but they talked me into it.. and I was actually having fun for the few minutes I lasted, until there was a lose ball on the ground, I was picking it up, and the biggest of the 8th graders came diving in and took be out at the ankle.. now I go 6'2" 220lbs.. and this kid? was at LEAST 6'2" and had to have over 50lbs on me.. (they call him Shaq).. so wife dropped me at the local emergency room and went back.. by the time the smoke cleared they said I was right.. it was fratured.. good news is they said the bone density looked good(I'm 50 so I was curious if I had lost anything).. but now I'm down for the count(happened about 2 hours ago) in a splint waiting to schedule a visit to an ortho guy monday.. got some vicadin for the pain.. but that wont help with the pain of facing weeks of down time.. anybody have any experience with a lower fibula fracture? how long might it be before I can start PT on the bike?....good news is that it was not the tibia(weight bearing bone).... tell me something good, Chaka Kahn...
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Old 11-04-05, 10:29 PM
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If you're gonna break a bone in your leg, the fibula is a good choice. As you stated, not a weight-bearing bone. They will probably keep you in a walking boot, tell you to take it easy for a couple of weeks, then shoot some more films. The less you use it, the faster it should heal.

Last time I played basketball, which WILL BE the last time, I broke my ankle. 6 weeks on crutches, and right in the middle of track season. Never again...
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Old 11-04-05, 10:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Namenda
The less you use it, the faster it should heal.
Not sure that's true.
R
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Old 11-04-05, 10:38 PM
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ill have to see what the ortho says.. I'm hoping it will not be that long before I can start riding lightly.. the good news it its the stronger side.. so a little extra load on the right for a while isnt so bad.. for now. it's as big as a tennis ball and sore as hell.. but the vike will be kickin in soon.. i have the perfect 1mi crit loop thru our development to train on.. no big hills just one slight one.. will be a good place for pt.. but I have no idea how soon that may be allowed to being..
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Old 11-04-05, 10:43 PM
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Originally Posted by cooker
Not sure that's true.
R
In my experience, for a non-displaced fracture, it is. Splinting (immobilizing) prevents stress on the affected area caused by tendons and ligaments pulling during movement. Rest and elevation aid healing by decreasing inflammation and swelling. Aside from the questionable benefit of ice packs or heat, there is not much more that can be done for an fx of this type.
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Old 11-04-05, 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Namenda
If you're gonna break a bone in your leg, the fibula is a good choice. As you stated, not a weight-bearing bone. They will probably keep you in a walking boot, tell you to take it easy for a couple of weeks, then shoot some more films. The less you use it, the faster it should heal.

Last time I played basketball, which WILL BE the last time, I broke my ankle. 6 weeks on crutches, and right in the middle of track season. Never again...
I bet the coach was thrilled about that, I remember spraining my wrestling a week before districts, coach told me I had to choices run on it or run on it
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Old 11-04-05, 10:59 PM
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now the bad news, im finding while seaching he subject on the net, is they say the closer fib break is to the ankle the more likely it is to require surgery.. due to its envolvement in the mechanics of the ankle.. specifically the ligaments between the tib and fib...so I got that going aginst me.. my break is right down at the ankle end.. i
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Old 11-05-05, 07:15 AM
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I broke my tibia and fibula rather dramatically and it has affected my cycling. When the fibula healed (the breaks were down by the ankle), something didn't return to normal because now I can't do any ankling with that leg. This was 7 years ago and it still affects me.
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Old 11-05-05, 08:00 AM
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yeah no tellin what I'm in for with this one.. I also see mention of a syptom called 'foot drop' that can result from breaks to the lower end of the fibula that causes the foot to drop, or flop, when walking... I like to do a lot of other things too, roller blade, roller-ski, running etc.. no telling how those activities may be affected.. I sure don't want to lose the ability to ankle the pedal stroke.. I figure I'm about done for the season, tho depending on how bad it is I may be able to start some light pedaling again in Dec..
I may set up a windtrainer now.. I haven't used one in years, I ride an old MTB with studded tires and fenders all winter instead..
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Old 11-05-05, 08:22 AM
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I've had pretty much this same break. Walked around in a removable splint that worked in conjunction with a normal running shoe for six weeks, and have had no further pain or movement limitations. HOWEVER, that ankle was already weak from multiple sprains, so the ankle already had a tendency to collapse (this was the situation that precipitated the break--literally--by dumping me down a flight of stairs).

Doesn't seem to affect cycling or running at all, but I can't wear anything with a high heel like pumps, clogs, or cowboy boots, and I sure as heck hold on to the bannister when going down stairs. I believe all that comes from the sprains rather than the break, though. I'd think you should be fine once it heals.

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Old 11-05-05, 08:31 AM
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A few years ago I broke my fibula but also my tibia plateau. It wasn't the fibula my doctor was worried about, but the tibia plateau required surgery. The fibula healed on it's own (but it was also a break at about the mid-point of the leg). It's actually what got me into cycling because not only did I break the top of the tibia bone but also displaced the knee joint, thus raising my chances of arthritis in that knee. The doc recommended low/non-weight bearing exercises to recover and I chose the bike and haven't looked back since (thankfully there's been no real pain from the leg in the last year and a half).

My guess is once the leg is healed, or pretty close to it, you can ride without much pain. In fact for me I had to walk in crutches over to an exercise bike during my treatment and could ride for an hour without pain. I just couldn't walk on that leg yet. Funny how that works out.
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Old 11-05-05, 09:03 AM
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Whatever your ortho says, do it. The lower fibula is VERY important in the ankle joint, and holds important ligaments.
You don't want aggressive degenerative arthritis to develop because the bone heals crooked or misaligned.
If you're lucky, it will be a lighter regimen. If not, what is 3 months in the greater scheme of things? esp in the Northeast, where I doubt it is warm and balmy right now?
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Old 11-05-05, 09:36 AM
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^^^ Right. At least it's not late spring when the weather is getting good.
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Old 11-05-05, 09:54 AM
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I had a similar fracture about 15 years ago - aside from being able to feel a ridge there, I didn't have any real long-term complications. I believe mine was fairly mild to begin with, though, requiring only a couple weeks in an aircast. I would imagine the outcomes vary greatly depending on the specific nature of the injury.
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Old 11-05-05, 10:16 AM
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actually we have had a week of beautiful warm and balmy weather here..colors are peaking.. and its supposed to be close to 70 again.. amazing weather.. but you are right.. ill follow the docs advice to a t... no need to intruduce any risk..
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