It is now April, 3 months after I had my accident and had an intramedullary nail (IM Nail) put into my lower left leg and 1 month after my original post. I’m happy to report that things are progressing well.
Two days after the last post I made it to the kitchen and back to my room without the aid of crutches. I was walking! Well, I say walking, it was hobbling and moving at the speed of a 150 year old man. I was able to put my weight on my bad left leg very briefly, maintaining my balance before my right leg would take over in a much more assured way.
Leg 3 Months on - I still have a bruise from the Tibia break and you can see the scars from the screws attached to the lower part of the IM Nail
I then made another attempt and I began to feel more confident in my hobbling. It was brilliant! Using crutches is so limiting and annoying it is extremely liberating to have both arms free and I have never had so much pleasure in making a cup of tea for my flatmate and was able to hold both cups of tea!
It wasn’t pretty, but it was technically walking.
Leg 3 Months On - The scars just below the knee are healing well but are still quite visible
Since that day, I have not used my crutches (except once to get sympathy from a delivery person). The progress was quite good the first week of walking and then has been slow and steady after that.
I initially practised walking around the flat and going up and down a couple of steps. The next test was to make it to my local shop and back (down 7 flights of stairs and a 50yrd walk) and it felt so good to be independent.
The next test was to go to my friend Alex’s house in Tooting (Yes American readers, there is a place in London called Tooting; British readers, Americans use the word tooting to mean farting) which meant a small walk and a bus ride. I passed both tests well and boy does that feel so good. You know you have a long way to go in terms of recovery but you know that you have got the worst of it over and you can resemble being vaguely normal again.
I'm not going to miss these
My mood had definitely improved and I was feeling very positive and could not wait to start my physiotherapy. This ended up being nearly 3 weeks after my last hospital visit due to some rather poor bureaucracy between St. George’s hospital and St. Thomas’s hospital. My postcode meant I would not have physio at St. Georges, where I had my operation, but would be referred to St. Thomas. I spent nearly a week chasing this up, not being able to get through to anyone who could tell me what was going on.
Then I got a letter from Kings’s College Hospital saying I could come into one of their open physio sessions on a first come first serve basis. I wasn’t sure why they had been in touch, but was pleased they had and was so looking forward to starting physio that I didn’t mind the hour and half wait to be seen.
The physio was really good and I was glad I had my x-ray photos on my phone as I was able to show him in detail what had happened and he said this was very useful. I was given a long bit of rubber (shown below) which looks like some sort of bondage sex aid. You use it to help strengthen the ankle muscles by pushing on it away, to the left, to the right, etc.
My Physio Aid
I mentioned to the physio I was a member of a gym and asked if I would be able to use any of the equipment. He said absolutely and seemed pleased I suggested the idea. He said that I could use the bike, the cross-trainer, the one where you push your legs together, the one that you push your legs apart and the one where you sit and push your lower legs up. He said not to go crazy, but it would all help build up the leg muscle again and help stop the limping.
He also suggested I slow down my walk as the quicker I walked, the more pronounced my limp was. He said slowing down the walk would get the leg used to walking normally (as a small part of the limp is psychological) and combined with the physio and exercises it would all help me lose the limp. The physio also said to listen to my body in the sense that if you are feeling intense pain, then stop and rest and don’t push it, but that feeling a little sore and having swelling is all very normal and part of the healing process.
I’ve been to the gym three times since the physio appointment and although I realise how unfit I have become it felt good to be able to do these exercises and be proactive in my recovery as the first 2 months I felt very passive as you have to be patient and concentrate more on healing and looking after your leg. I’ve had the flu unfortunately this last week so have not been to the gym, but I am still making progress.
Leg 3 months on - Scars below the knee
My walk still has a limp but when walking slowly it is not very noticeable, but I am able to get about just fine (buses, London Underground, stairs, walking about, etc.). I have found walking down stairs the most tricky and for the first couple of weeks I went down one step at a time (i.e. one foot on the step, then the other before moving onto the next step) but have progressed to walking down more normally but I do notice the transition from stepping down on my left foot to the right foot is a bit heavy and fast. There is still not quite the control and fluidity that should be there.
Walking long distances (more than 15mins) does take its toll. My parents came up to London for the day and I met up with them and we walking around for a couple of hours and although we were not walking fast, it did feel sore and my Dad noticed I was limping more by the end than at the start. My leg had swelled a fair bit and was sore that evening and the following day.
The improvement in the leg means sleeping is better as I can get into my more normal sleeping position, but still get woken up with a bit of pain if I have been lying on it wrong somehow.
I still have a fair bit of recovery to go, but feel good about where I have got to in 3 months, especially as I was told it would be 6mths before I could do all the things I wanted to do. I feel I have got over the halfway point.
Recovery does seem slow with only gradual improvements (e.g. you notice little things get slightly easier, like getting in and out of the bath shower, putting on trousers whilst standing and walking down stairs), but it is nice when friends notice you are walking better than you were a couple of weeks ago.
I have my next and suspect last hospital check up later in the month and it will feel very nice to give the crutches back. I will not miss them. I also think that I will be quite close to being as recovered and able as the guy I saw at my last hospital visit. He was able to walk quite freely and easily but had a very slight limp.
My next goal is to be able to walk without a limp at all.
April 11th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
[...] Read ‘Me and My IM Nail Part 2′ – (1 month after this post and 3 months after the … [...]
April 12th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Glad to hear your’re mending, you’ll be moonwalking (dancing) and caterpillering soon..
April 15th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Hi Jake,
just read part 2.
You are very strong willed and optimistic. I see I have a lot of hard work before me…
Keep us informed.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Just found your blog and found it very interesting and also very encouraging. I too have had the same operation 5 weeks ago, and am finding it now very tedious not being able to do much for myself, when I am normally a very active and independent person. But I see I have a way to go yet before I can walk again. I am not allowed any weight on the right leg and cannot master the crutches, but have a walking frame instead, and a wheelchair (from the Red Cross) both of which have been my life savers. It’s interesting to see what lies ahead for me, from your experiences and yes it is a serious break (tibia and fibula) so should not expect it to be fixed in such a short period of time. thanks anyway for your encouraging report. Regards Jean Summers
August 24th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Thanks Jean …. keep focusing on those short term goals/improvements and you’ll get there.
April 16th, 2011 at 1:28 am
Hi there, I m thrilled to find your blog. I have a very similar case to yours, but with the added bonus of an open wound.(sort of medieval hit and run involving horses instead of cars) . Any way, when I left the hospital I knew absolutely nothing , I was in horrendous pain ,so asked nothing and was told even less . I have gradually gathered information and here is where I m at 8 weeks after surgery. .. I am pretty much bed bound, and after my check up today , I am to start physio straight away because my circulation , well, is very crappy . I have nerve and artery damage to add to my original list of broken tib and fib plus a nice big nasty open wound. I have about 5 minutes on crutches before my foot turns blue , 10 minutes and I m lying down with my grape like toes in the air …. gravity is not the best way ,but its my only option at the moment. WARNING TO OTHERS IN THIS POSITION…. keep wiggling. Your toes from day one , kinda scrunch them up , count to five and release . Another thing …. if you are a sportsperson , do get a second opinion as whether to have nail removed or not … the original hospital I was admitted to pretty much said, no way , second opinion . Who actually asked me questions about my lifestyle !!!!! Said I would be safer having it removed at a later date, (high risk of recurring injuries ) . Also at my second consult, I was much less shocked and learned what to expect. First time , I couldn’t hear any thing over the little voice in my head screaming, no howling.. get me out of this hospital now!!!
December 16th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
I read your 2 months post op article, I had the same procedure done and was wondering about recovery time as well. It helped me a lot as to what to expect in the up coming weeks. Thanks a lot.
December 17th, 2011 at 1:39 am
That’s very kind of you to say! Hope you recovery is going well?
December 17th, 2011 at 1:55 am
Slowly but surely. It’s only been three weeks today since my surgery. I hope to be up and walking (limping around) in about three months, I’ve been doing a lot of walking putting minimum weight on it and the ankle exercises, which my doctor also suggested.
February 11th, 2012 at 6:54 am
Finally! Something to read – post op vs. those UTube videos I should not have looked at pre-op. Terrifying, even if it was the reality I was facing!
I started with undiagnosed stress fracture for 6+ months. Phys Therapist finally sent me to the right ortho guy who took the right xray, and put me in cast, then walking”boot”, then after 6 months of his initial diagnostic xrays revealing “the dreaded black line,” then followup CATscan showing “non-union” of fracture – with an additional one above the original one he had seen, decision was made to “rod” me. “Non Union” and “IM Rod” were equally scary terms. But I’m tough, had it done 10 days ago, and finding it tough to be tough right now! Thank goodness for my mate who has really risen to the call. Neither of us realized the dibilitation would be like this. Now as I read your account, the road ahead to “normal” will be a little longer than I anticipated. Guess I didn’t ask doc right post-questions. Doc has been great, but am really anxious for Mon am appointment to see xray of my not-so-friendly new tibia resident. Doc will also discuss future of additional stress fracture in other leg! This one appeared as he prepared for surgery to check out my complaints of pain in both legs! Right leg that is also suffering because of my dependence upon it as I use “walker” and poor attempts at crutches. Still maintianing optimism about the whole thing, though.
So far, “elevated and iced” are pretty confining positions. Doc also has me using an ultrasound device for 20 min. daily over fracture site “to promote bone growth. (“Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System.”) Sounds a little psuedo-science, but placing faith in doc’s advice.
My contributing factors are osteoporosis diagnosed AND treated for maybe 6 years, possible leaching of calcium from several prescription medications. Lactose intolerance since childhood for many years is probably largest contributing factor – plus my very-young age of 63! (no, I AM NOT old!!)
Also l see endochronologist next week to see what he recommends to repair and prevent future issues related to osteo.
Thank God for good insurance as I’m in Mobile AL in USA, so, yes, I have to depend on insurance coverage for this very expensive process to get me walking without painful limp(s), and especially curing the cause. YES, the American healthcare system is broken and needs fixing asap, but that’s another epistle/frustration, etc. Again, counting my blessings for being in a position to have the procedure covered by insurance.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! (I finally put the right combination of words into Google to find you!) Best wishes to all of you in your continued successful recoveries.
Thanks especially to you, Jake for your initiating this whole blog. (You share my partner’s name – a lucky thing!) I now feel I have a better picture of what lies ahead for me. Sounds like it will be slower than I had anticipated, but reading here will prevent me from thinking I’ve done something wrong to be healing more slowly than anticipated. Looking forward to getting back with my wonderful physical therapist who sent me to the right doc in the first place.
I’ll also be able to give my boss a more accurate picture of my situation when I am permitted by doc to return to clerical job.
Babs