pain 7 months after a broken leg ? Posted: 06-14-08 12:01pm
On November 30th 2007 I was run over by a
sled at the bobsled track in Park City,
Utah. (I used to be a bobsledder) in a
freak accident. My right leg snapped into
many different pieces and the bones came
out the right side of my leg just below my
knee. I had surgery the night of the
accident, one plate and 9 screws put on my
tibia and nothing on my fibula. A few
weeks after the surgery a guy on a bike
clipped my broken leg as I was going to
class and he knocked my fibula out of
alignment. After a nonunion on my tibia
break the doctors decided to do another
surgery.
On March 12th I had two more plates put
in, I now have three plates and 21 screws
in my leg. It is now June 14th and my
doctor cleared me to run about a month
ago, the problem is I can barely walk.
The pain is out of control most days, so
bad that I have to go back to using
crutches. Every step I take causes a
extremely sharp pain that shoots down the
front of my shin. I also have excruciating
pain in my knee just below my patella and
that kind of soft spot just to the right
of the patellar tendon. It gets really
stiff if I am not constantly moving it. My
physical therapists are not sure what to
do, they cant seem to get the pain to
stop.
I can't have the plates taken out until
next summer... total bummer
I have tried everything, taping, wearing
knee braces, splints, constantly icing...
nothing helps.
Does anyone know why my knee hurts so bad?
Has anyone ever had this problem before?
How do I get it to stop hurting.
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tjone
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Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 10
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Posted: 06-16-08 21:08pm
Did your tibia heal in normal alignment?
It can put excessive stresses on your knee
joint if your tibia heals out of
significantly out of normal alignment
and/or if there is a rotational deformity.
I might look for a second opinion from
another board certified orthopedic surgeon
to make sure everything is properly
healed. Also did they perform any
radiographic exams to rule out any
ligamentous injuries to your knee?
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hollismj1234
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 4
Posted: 06-17-08 21:50pm
My tibia is perfectly aligned and the
surgeon says there is no rotational
deformity. My doctor kept telling me that
the pain would go away, so he wouldn't
give me a prescription for a MRI... but
that was months ago and I haven't seen him
sine. I will be moving next week to
transfer to a better university and I have
made an appointment to speak with the
university rowing team doctor so hopefully
he will have some answers. The pain has
gotten better over the past week because I
have been toning my workouts/physical
therapy down. But I am very worried
because it still hurts very much and I am
supposed to row on a scholarship at school
in a few months... Thank you very much for
replying, I appreciate your input greatly
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tjone
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 10
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Thanked:0
Posted: 06-17-08 22:31pm
It sounds like your fracture was
extra-articular (not into the knee joint).
If that is the case and there is no soft
tissue damage in the knee your knee pain
should be resolved/resolving. An MRI is
the best radiographic exam to fully
evaluate the structures in your knee and
find out what is causing the pain. You
should try to locate a board certified and
fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon in
your area who specializes in orthopedic
trauma and possibly sports medicine (you
can check www.aaos.org and www.abos.com for a
list). Sometimes a second opinion is your
best bet. Good luck.
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hollismj1234
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 4
Posted: 06-17-08 23:41pm
Thank you very very much for your help, I
will get a second opinion
