bioman63

I broke my heel 3wks ago. The surgery went well and I should be able to put weight on my foot in 4wks. This is a long shot but has anyone else had this type of injury and would be willing to describe their recover. I am planning on using the trainer as soon as the Doc gives the ok but realy don't know what to expect. I have not been on my bike for 3wks now and am about to go nuts!! Cheers Scott

JoelS

Matter of fact, I did! It was back in 1990 though and surgery wasn't an option. I was in a cast for several months and then another several months of PT. Still don't have full mobility of the joint, and it does get sore from time to time.

I wasn't cycling at the time though, but I expect you'll be off the bike for a while yet. Wait until the Doc ok's it.

Jurgen

I fractured my calcaneus about a year ago. My injury didn't require surgery, but I was off my bike for about 6 weeks. But I found I could bike without pain well before I could walk without crutches or a cane.

The physio I did involved a lot of stretching of the foot and achilles, and a lot of balance exercises to get everything good and strong again.

bioman63

Thanks for the info. How is your pain level? Scott

JoelS

No pain on the bike. Periodic pain off the bike. Kind of a general background pain. I don't notice it most of the time anymore. What bothers me more are the hips I broke at the same time. It was a pretty bad rock climbing fall.

JoelS

I should add that after the bone healed, my foot changed shape dramatically. Buying shoes is problematic and I had to go custom for cycling shoes. And getting fit for hardshell snowboard boots is quite an exercise. Before then, it wasn't a problem at all.

sandieganLA

I am just getting back onto the bike after 12 weeks non-weight bearing from a badly comminuted calcaneus fracture / dislocation, fixed with plates and a big screw. My biggest issue is my sit bones are incredibly sore/tender now (on my Fizik Aliante which has historically been fine), after 2-3 days of really light spinning. I am thinking I may have to saddle swap until I am back in shape. Curious if anyone else has had similar issues after a long recovery period. My entire leg is atrophied. I would have thought I would have more issues with my actual foot area...

RPK79

Sounds like me every single year after winter. Just takes time on the saddle. If you're doing indoor training that compounds it. I always get saddle sores riding indoors on the same saddle I can spend all day on outside.

popeye

How does one fracture their heel? The falling off a rock thing I understand but........

Dan333SP

Having worked in insurance and dealt with lots of claims for ortho injuries, seems like heel fractures usually resulted from falls. Slipping off a ladder, falling off a roof, that kind of thing. Usually it's not the only injury.

Sy Reene

I gotta imagine most peoples' sit bones would be sore after spinning for 2-3 days.

f4rrest

I fractured mine when the hood of the car hit my ankle while I was clipped in.

Hurt like hell.

popeye

My sympathies to you guys I'm going to try to avoid that although I know I can't. Stuff happens.

sandieganLA

My fracture was actually a mountain biking accident. But like the poster above said, I was told it's usually either auto/motorcycle accidents, or ladder falls. I was going too fast down a very steep hill, hit a bump, hit my head on the handlebars, somersaulting myself airborne down the hill, landing on my heel in my stiff Sidi. I was fortunate enough to be able to make it to a somewhat nearby housing tract on my good leg and two arms so they could call me an ambulance. I also tore the skin on my knee open and got 13 staples, but it was otherwise okay. I am about to start weight bearing again in two days and am very excited after 14 weeks of not walking, not to mention no cycling (my previous means of transport, resulting in my having to get a car). Also very grateful I am not paralyzed.

How long was recovery?

f4rrest

After surgery and 2 screws to close the fracture, about 3 months.

It's still stiffer, slightly swollen, and scarred compared to the good foot 3 years later.

B. Carfree

I wish I would have broken my calcaneus bone. Instead, my injury pushed the talus up through the ankle joint, blowing apart the tibia and fibula, which snapped. It took five days to get a surgeon to see me, but he put a nice screw in the next morning.

I was in the best cycling shape of my life before my mishap (100 mile round-trip commute three or four days per week), but three months off the bike left my right calf looking like it had lived through a famine.

My mishap? Falling off a soccer ball with my right foot when my left foot found a rut. Eight inch fall did all that damage in spite of the ortho calling in all his colleagues, including Eric Heiden, to see the ridiculously dense bones.