On 2nd January 2010 I broke my tibia and fibula jumping onto the tracks at Clapham Junction Station (London) whilst trying to save a pregnant woman, a blind man and an endangered panda. Okay, I was drunk and rather pathetically fell over and the result was I needed to have an operation to insert an Intramedullary Nail (IM Nail or Rod).
I searched the internet and could not find that much about people’s recovery experiences, what to expect? How quickly would I recover? Would I need the IM Nail taken out? Were there long term problems people experienced with IM Nails?
So I decided to record my experiences just in case it was of any help or use to others going through the same thing:
2mths after the operation >>>
3mths after the operation >>>
4mths after the operation >>>
5mths after the operation >>>
6mths after the operation >>>
1 Year after the operation >>>
2 Years after the operation >>>
IM Nail Removal – Your Experiences >>
IM Nails and Metal Detectors >>>
Update: Just a quick but massive thank you to everyone who has commented and been willing to share their experiences with others, it really is very helpful to those going through the same thing.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Just found this blog and It made me laugh…I too broke my tib/fib 2 weeks ago, drunk in Claham junction. I stayed at St Georges down the road and like you said was not given any information regarding my IM rod and physio etc.
I’ve been looking for more information about recovery and what to expect, your blog was very helpful. Hopefully I will be able to jog round the common in a few months… Or at least hobble without crutches
June 6th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Thanks!
I wonder how many of us have broken tib/fibs whilst drunk at Clapham Junction? Maybe we should start a special club?
Best of luck with the recovery!
June 6th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Yes definitely a “special” club
I did mine leapfrogging the bollards outside Mcdonalds on the Northcote Road…in heels. As i came down i just heard the snap and then realised my foot was detached and all floppy! After reading through your blog, i just have one question…what equipment did you find most helpful for rehabilitation…..i have those rubber bands. Was the wobble cushion thingy worth buying?
June 7th, 2011 at 8:14 am
Leapfrogging bollards is definitely more impressive than my silly fall! … I found the wobble cushion quite useful for a couple of months and was worth buying. Then I sold it on ebay so did not cost me much overall at all.
May 8th, 2012 at 6:50 am
Hi, I just came across your blog- hope you still check it. I broke my tib/fib in my left leg a month ago, had surgery and now have a rod and 4 screws in my tib. I wanted to know how you dealt with the atrophy (muscle loss to your bad leg). My bad leg has gotten so skinny and weak compared to my good leg. Did you regain muscle mass easily once you were able to move around more?
Thank you
May 8th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Hi Vivian, thanks for sharing your experience, sorry to hear your bad leg has got so skinny and weak. Once you are able to move around and doing physio, etc. you should be able to put on muscle mass again but it will be gradual until you are able to get to the gym. When one leg is weaker than the other, however, the good leg will over-compensate which is fine when just walking about but when you start to do more strenuous exercise (e.g. jogging/running) it is important to get the muscles in the bad leg up to a similar level otherwise you could create problems in your good leg. The key is just to be patient and make sure you do all your physio exercises.
Please do let us know how the rest of your recovery goes (best of luck!).