Weekend Wipeout = Broken Leg
 

After a lot of close calls over the years, last weekend my luck ran out and now I’m out for the rest of the year with a spiral fracture of the tibia. I was out on a nice Saturday morning ride when I rounded a bend and slid on a wet manhole cover. As I went down, my foot twisted and I heard an awful pop, I knew right away that something was broken. I tried to get back on the bike but the pain was real bad, so I called my girlfriend to pick me up.

Hours later at the ER, the X-rays confirmed a spiral fracture of the tibia. The doctor said that the break appeared to be stable and probably wouldn’t require surgery, but that I would have to see an orthopedic specialist on Monday. They placed a huge splint to the leg to stabilize it until I got to the OS on Monday. I spent the rest of the weekend eating pain killers and trying to keep the leg elevated and the swelling down. I had all to do to get from the bed to the couch.

I saw an OS on Monday and he took a couple of additional X-rays. He advised me that surgery was an option that would hasten the recovery, but that the fracture would heal naturally without any hardware. Fearing possible complications of having surgery, I decided against it. I was sent home with the splint due to a fair amount of swelling and told to keep it elevated at all times. I was given a follow up appointment for Wednesday to get a cast put on.

The OS who I saw this morning turned out to be a triathlon guy and helped reassure me that everything would work out. We talked about the surgery option, and he said that most people who choose it as an option do so for the potential of quicker recovery. He felt that people who are in good physical condition tended to heal more quickly and are much more diligent with rehabilitation. He removed the splint and the swelling was at an acceptable level. About 45 minutes later, he had my leg in a fiberglass cast from toes to hip. I’m looking at 4-8 weeks in this monster.

I got home and decided to check the bike out. Just the trip down the steps to the garage and back up wore me out. The bike looked OK from my vantage point. By then, the leg was throbbing in the new cast and I had to lay down. Instead of figuring out how many miles I would try to ride in a day, now I have to figure out how to go up steps, take a shower, navigate the bathroom, etc. Its pretty depressing.

dude, heal fast. Sorry to hear that :(

Ouch!!! You can take solace in the fact that a broken bone is far better than a lot of other things that take much longer to heal or never get back to 100%.

I feel for you being an ACL surgery survivor and currently suffering from Osteitis Pubis for the last 18 months that prevents me from running. I can bike though.

When researching for my ACL surgery I ran across a study that showed working the the good leg actually tranferred to the bad leg. Like stationary bike with the good one while in the cast and the broken leg will be in better shape when the cast comes off.

Get right on the rehab when you can and good luck.

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your crash. On the plus side, it is the start of the "off" season ( at least in most places).

At least the bike is OK. Hang in there.

good luck with the recovery.. I'm right there with ya.. fractured fibula at the ankle friday.. not at bad as the tibia.. but i'm still in a cast for at least 4 weeks.. doc also gave me a special shower bag that goes over the cast and tries to seal at the top to keep it all dry(you can pick one up at drug store).. tho im nowhere ready to try that yet and I will need to put down a rubber mat in tub first anyway.. I just kneel by tub and wash hair... sit on toilet and wash with wash cloth with soapy water from sink... this is no fun.. be ready for some aches and pains from the rest of the body from walking on crutches and keeping the bad leg unweighted.. today is my 5th day and I'm acually feeling a little better... yesterday, I got into the gym(yeah hobblin around on crutches) and did some light upper body work (free weights and machines, but never putting weight or strain on the leg).. that felt great.. I was so sore from the crutches... today I got in to see my favorite masseusse... he is a miracle worker.. I am seeing him again tomorrow becaue he will be out next week.. something to consider, once you get all achey from walking on crutches, keeping weight off bad leg, and laying around so much it hurts.. you will be looking for releif... I only took vicodin twice, the first 12 hours... then its been 1000mg of tylenol 3 times a day(roughly 7am, 1pm, and 8pm).. hang in there and try to stay positive.. the first 3 days are rough.. but it should smoothe out soon.. the hardest part is making it to the bathroom on short notice... I have been drinking a lot of water...
Oh and ask your doc to fill our a temp handicap parking permit if he didn't already.. you can take that to your local townhall for the pass.. I finally got that done today.. when you are on crutches, every foot counts(no pun intended)..

at least you have a bike crash story to tell. one of my buddies just broke his leg when he slipped on spilled rubbing alcohol at work. he does need surgery.

you didnt mention if it was the left or right leg.. I was lucky enough to break the left.. I can still drive.. a good tip for stairs, especially for a full leg cast, is to slide up and down on your butt rather than try crutches.. much less risk too!..

I feel your pain. I had a tibia/fibula fracture (displaced) after being run over by a car from behind while on a motorcycle as I waited at a red light. Due to complications from the injury, they were not able to operate, so as a result I lost around 1/2" of length from my right leg.

For what it's worth, I made a complete recovery, and in fact rode better after the break than before, because it gave me a little more focus and made me ride that much harder.

I know it sucks now, but you WILL be back on the bike soon, and kicking butt!

Sorry About the crash and resulting injury.

Get well soon

Look on the bright side. The crutches will help to build up your upper body some while you heal up. Sucks that you cant ride for the rest of the season but i guess its best that it happened this late in the season as compaired to say begining or middle.

Ooh, that sounds painful. Here's wishing you a strong recovery. You're now battle scarred and tested. Lucky your girlfriend was available to pick you up and have to say that I would have done the same thing regarding the natural healing or surgery. There's really no "right" choice, just individual preference (perhaps intuition).

If there's a bright cloud (two in this case), it would be that (1) it could actually have been worse and (2) better now than in the beginning of the riding season.

Again, rest and heal up Brad.

All of you are making me thank my lucky stars right now that the worst I did was sprain my foot this weekend. No cast and it's almost walkable now:(. Ugh May you all heal quickly and be ready to ride again in a few weeks.

Glad to see that you're getting great emotional support here. Get well soon.

John Wilke
Milwaukee

Feel better dude. Focus on the positive.

Yep. I was on crutches for nearly 4 months after a severe ankle sprain, and was forced to use crutches to travel EVERYWHERE...during winter. Almost cratered from slipping on ice a few times. 10 blocks to the nearest supermarket to shop for food, which I'd take home in my backpack. Steep staircase to get to my room...man, it was grim. Later, when I discovered I could bench over 200 lbs with little problem and no other training, it didn't seem so grim after all. Too bad 'that' doesn't transfer to the legs!

Take care of yourself and try to do what the doctor says. YOU WILL GET BETTER!

I got on the bike (hooked up to a trainer) tonight for the first time in almost 7 weeks due to a broken pelvic bone. It felt great. You'll be back.

Keep us informed about how the recovery goes.

Ralph