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leg Cast is off, unclear how I will begin to walk again?

Posted , 3 users are following.

cunningham122
cunningham122

6 weeks and 5 days ago i broke the lower end of my tibia, i also had a hairline crack along the side. The lower break in my tibia was through my growth plate which made the break a little more dangerous. As I am 16 in a couple of days my lower leg has nearly, if not finished growing. I should only be growing from the knee up says the doctor. This break is supposed to be more dangerous for someone 13.5 years old and below, however the doctors were still cautious. Luckily the bone healed with no surgery needed.

Okay so yesterday I finally had my 6 week and 4 days old leg cast removed. However, the doctor told me i'd need an air cast/leg boot for a couple of days to protect my leg from getting bumped into. He told me that normally after 6 weeks the cast would be removed and then people can slowly begin to walk again, but since my break was through the growth plate he didn't want to risk it getting hit. The doctor then instructed the pyhsio to get me the leg boot. From this point on the physio and doctor had to verbal contact

Once alone with the physio I came into some difficulty. The physio and doctor didn't seem to be on the same page. I'm pretty sure she wasn't sure where my leg was broken, or anything like that. All she seemed to know was i just got my cast off. She told me to use the walking boot for 10 days and that i'd only be able to put my toe down for 10 days with the crutches and walking boot. She then told me to  try with my full foot down with the crutches after 10 days, then do that for like 10 days . If i was ready then 1 crutch. After walking with one crutch for some time, then try walking without any support. The annoying part is she told me i'd need to use the walking boot for 3 weeks, though the doctor told me i'd only use it a few days to protect my leg. He also set an appointment for 3 weeks and told me I should be back to running by 3 weeks time.

It's only the second day from getting my cast off  and I can walk without the boot with my flat foot, while using the crutches. The physio said i'd only be able to put a tiny bit of weight on my tippie toe while in a boot and that if i was using my foot i would experience pain. I want to know will i continue doing this? I'm not in any kind of pain whatsoever. If i should how long before I use 1 crutch, and then walk without them?

 

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • patti123
    patti123 cunningham122

    Posted

    I had a trimalleolar break, am a healthy, active 56 year old woman, and it took about 4-5 weeks to walk full weight bearing without crutches. You should go much faster. I would just put as much weight down as you can, and let pain be your guide. I was instructed to do 25% WB per week. The first 75% I did in about 2-1/2 weeks, and the last 25% took about 2 weeks. I bet it will go fast for you. There are videos on you tube to help you figure out how to put the pressure on your foot. Hope this helps.
    • cunningham122
      cunningham122 patti123

      Posted

      Okay, thank-you very much. I play a lot of sport so I wasn't sure wether to dive into it or not. After one day of doing this my calf muscles have nearly returned to the same size. It's the following day and I can feel a little bit of pain, but not much at all. I'll probably continue doing one day of putting my foot flat down, and if i experience any pain the following day, then one day of walking on my toes.

      I've a question on when you returned to walking the first time. How did you know you were ready to walk without any support?

  • jean65697
    jean65697 cunningham122

    Posted

    The thing is I would speak with the orthopaedic surgeon bearing in mind they are the ones that are the specialists.

    Fantastic that you are pain free but get what you are doing approved by the OS incase you run the risk of further unseen damage.

    If the OS says carry on, I'd go with that personally.

    You can always leave a message with the OS's secretary for them to ask on your behalf.

    • cunningham122
      cunningham122 jean65697

      Posted

      Okay I'll probably do that today. Thank-you for your help. Today I could feel a tiny bit of pain, but nothing worrying. I'm going to give my leg a rest today and do stretches.

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