Posted , 20 users are following.
I had a femoral neck fracture 10 weeks ago and a dynamic hip screw repair. I am still needing two crutches to walk and cannot full-weight-bear on the affected leg without considerable pain. I wasn't expecting this long. Can anyone comment please?
5 likes, 62 replies
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Jeany64 RrnR
Posted
Thank you Alexandria....
I will do. I've been following this thread anyway as it is the closest match for advice & comments in relation to my surgery & recovery that I have found on patient.
Jeany64
Posted
Sooo,went for further xrays to my hip & wrist yesterday the 23/10
No necrosis on the femor,or the head of it, so touch wood this will continue.
Sadly the xrays are showing a small patch of arthritis starting so that's the bad news.
The weakness and pain in my leg is from the muscles continuing to recover, and this will take time. I had to stand on one leg & alternate between my bad leg & my good, & it just wasn't doable for more than a couple of seconds on the bad leg.
That's what 12 weeks non weight bearing does for you.
I am also just half a centimetre difference shorter in the operated leg to the good one, so this is a good thing as anything more than 2 cm cannot be compensated easily.
I'm back again on the 19th of January, so just hope I continue to improve.
Hope you are all getting better day by day.
AlexandriaGizmo Jeany64
Posted
Hi jeany glad there's no AVN showing, I'm same and unlike you I have no arthritis showing either, keep the hip mobile which will help to keep it at bay for longer, I'm still on 2 crutches, can't get up to 100% on left leg, so many things I miss especially dancing and swimming, that is not too bad a leg length discrepancy, I'm just over half an inch and have a shoe lift, it does help but I don't seem to get any pain from that but find I walk with a strange gait when bear footed, at hydro I lurch LOL standing on one leg is OK on right but totally impossible on left, would fall over LOL I'm hoping your January appointment goes well
RrnR Jeany64
Posted
Hi J,
> I am also just half a centimetre difference shorter in the operated leg to the good one,
> so this is a good thing as anything more than 2 cm cannot be compensated easily.
I'd agree with that. After my DHS surgery, I was 22 mm shorter in the affected leg. I had a built-up shoe, but I still developed a lean (felt as though I was straight but the mirror advised otherwise). My THR gave me the 22mm back however, so I'm having to work on my new definition of "straight".
bill33343 Jeany64
Posted
i’ve never been on a discussion board and i’m not sure how to post, but i also fractured my femoral neck,had surgery Sept,3,2017 and was on NO weight bearing for 5 weeks. Saw doc, she said xray looks good and said i can start outpatient amd slowly increase weight bearing...... 1st week 25%
2nd week 50% and so on. I am now at full weight bearing BUT alot of pain. PT says muscles are tight from favoring my left side. Before i go on can u tell me if i am on the correct message board for femoral neck recovery???? peace&love
Jeany64 bill33343
Posted
IR1951 RrnR
Posted
Hi All, its taken me some time to find this very informative site to answer my questions, the main one about when I can put full weight on my leg.
I had a fall 3 months ago fractured the top of my left femur and had a DHS put in.
I started physio 3 weeks after the op and after only one week I had almost full movement back in the joint. It took a little longer to loosen up the muscles but apart from the stiffness along the wound I have full movement now.
I progressed from walker to crutches a month ago and have had a go at using one crutch in the last week. It does seem ok, but get the odd ache rather than pain in the joint, so I have backed off a little from putting too much weight on the leg just yet.
Having read all your stories makes me a bit nervous about trying to heal too quickly. I had targeted Christmas as to when I could swing a golf club again, and had never considered that it might take as long as a year to heal. By then i'll be climbing the walls!
I'll see the doc again in 2 weeks and see what he says.
Hopefully living in the tropics helps the bones to heal quicker!
Jeany64 RrnR
Posted
You need to take it steady. I'm 29 weeks post op & still can't walk properly. Still get loads of muscle pain but then bearing in mind I didn't walk or even weight bear for 12 weeks.
I am waiting for an appointment to have an MRI done as the Doctor in the fracture clinic (whom I've not seen up to press) has looked at my xrays, & all looks well apart from a small patch of arthritis forming,but my physio is not happy with my progression at all so he feels an MRI is the next step.
joyce66162 RrnR
Posted
I had a femural fx in March 2017, repaired with screws and did ok. I had 4 days in hospital and 1 week in rehab. I had wheelchair at home and home rehab. It was difficult. I had rehab for 6 weeks outpatient. Then I went to Europe on an 8 month planned trip. Painful but I had pain meds. 4 months after that I had to have total hip repair. I agree that the pain from break was horrid. I never used crutches, only a wheelchair then cane. 2 months after the end of cane use the pain returned and I got on list for anterior thr. I can’t decide which has been worse but I will never forget that fracture pain. I put full weight on it about 3 months but I was also 70yo. You may be expecting too much too soon? Are you still taking pain meds? That also helps. My suggestion: don’t be too rough on yourself or compare yourself to others. One day all will feel good & you will be normal OR you too will need a total hip replacement. Age & fitness have a lot to do with outcome & expectations.
marybary RrnR
Posted
AlexandriaGizmo RrnR
Posted
Hi RNR and to every one else who has contributed to this thread, its now 18 months since my fracture and sadly still unable to fully weight bear, I'm beginning to think maybe I never will, my Dr is getting me referred for an scan on the hip and knee to see if its possibly being caused by muscles or bone.
It does seem an awfully long time. I hope that your now mobile and pain free, happy New year to you all
liz52776 RrnR
Posted
Hi, reading all reviews perhaps I'm expecting too much. I had a left total hip replacement last April, was walking with one crutch after 2 weeks and back working full time after 6 weeks. I have just had a right total hip replacement and getting frustrated after 4 weeks that I cannot weight bear. So different this time but do I need to contact my surgeon?
cecil108 RrnR
Posted
Hi RrnR,
I had a DHS fitted to my left leg on 1st March 2018 after a fall, I am 53 years old. I got discharged on 21st March after 15 days in Rehab as I live on my own!
Whilst in Hospital, I had very little pain when I was stationary, as soon as I tried to move the leg or stand up, the pain was 9/10 everytime. I was on elbow crutches after the first week.
After discharge on 21st March, I'm doing my rehab exercises 1-2 times per day, but walking on crutches for up to 1km now, so the stamina isn't an issue,
Whenever I try to stand/walk after 10 minutes sitting in a high-level chair, the pain in my left leg is 9/10 to the point of collapse, which luckily I have avoided thus far.
I had a bi-lateral tibial fracture in 2003, which has resulted in severe osteoarthritis in both knees, which are due for replacements within the next 1-2 years? I broke my L2 vertebrae in 2104, which has healed and pretty much OK now.
The pain when I try to weight bear is felt mainly in my left tibia, it feels like it's going to snap in two, a small amount in my left hip, but I can manage that if that was all it was? I'm due for a 6 week to follow up on 14th April, can I expect this to gradually improve? I am struggling to find any information online for a patient of my age as predominantly it's about older patients?
Any advice or information would be appreciated.
Thanks,
PaulImage already added
Jeany64 cecil108
Posted
Hi. All I can advise is you need to be patient. Really ,really patient. It takes time, & a fractured hip is a really serious injury.
I am the same age, 53, & sustained an intracapsular fracture on the 20/04/17 after a fall & I also fractured my left wrist. When i was discharged after almost 3 weeks, I was banished upstairs at home for 10 weeks, only being brought downstairs once in June by a 4 man ambulance crew to attend the fracture clinic. I had my pot removed from my wrist, but was given a further 6 weeks none weight bearing using a gutter frame, so the fact that you are walking a kilometre is a fantastic acchievement. I still can't walk properly & am 1.5 centimetres shorter in my leg length due to the repair.
It has been a long road to recovery so the fact you have pain, tells me you are maybe doing too much.?
You've less than 2 weeks to your appointment, so I would say to chat to your consultant see what he says. All the best.x
RrnR cecil108
Posted
Hi Cecil,
I just spent some time reading all the posts in this thread (and then spent some [u]more[/u] time keying in this post for a second time after my browser crashed, but that's another story...).
It never fails to amaze me how different peoples' experiences are for what is basically the same injury, but I guess that's why not everybody is an orthopedic surgeon.
I'm now 27 months after my initial DHS repair, and 6 months after the repair failed and I had a THR. The THR is largely a success. Much less pain and the bonus is that my leg lengths are now the same again (vs. 22mm difference after DHS repair). I'm walking mostly with a single cane, but occasionally unaided. I'm pretty much back to the mobility I had before the initial fracture. My underlying disability means that a 1km walk is but a distant memory (I used to love walking).
I'm still going to physio, which consists mainly of exercises to promote more response in my semi-paralyzed side. I think things are slowwwwllly betting better. Hopefully, your follow up will provide you with reassurance that your healing is proceeding as expected. As Jean says, be patient (but by all means don't be afraid to ask questions - that's what follow-ups are for). Good luck.
Ross
Jeany64 RrnR
Posted
Hi Ross. Glad to hear you're doing better. I was just signed off physio last Wednesday with the advice that if I need a thr in the future then I too will have normal length again. That's bad that, 2 .2 cm. I don't know how you've coped,& the fact I read your story and see how hard your journey has been gives me a little positivity. I seem to get pain still from all the muscle wastage from none weight bearing and I hope this will ease in time. We have just sold our house and moving to warmer climes. I hope this will aid my recovery too. Good luck to you .x
cecil108 Jeany64
Posted
Hi Jeany,
Many thanks for the reply, it's so nice to be in touch with fellow patients, that have had similar procedures.
I have had an x-ray on my left tibia after I saw my GP about the pain when trying to stand in case there was a 'stress fracture', there's not, which is great. I'm looking forward to my follow up on the 14th to get some more clarification.
I have had to be so patient over the last 15 years. 2 broken tibia, serious head injury (ABI as a result), 5 weeks in a Coma, cracked ribs, fractured L2 vertebrae, fractured Calcaneal (heel) and now TOF/DHS.
I don't think I'm doing too much, I walked about 2.5 K yesterday (in 2 separate walks), studying an Online IT course, developing my business, ready for launch within 2 weeks, another in the pipeline.
I know it will improve..
Good luck on your journey.
Cecil
cecil108 RrnR
Posted
Hi Ross,
Many thanks for the reply, it sounds like you have had quite a journey?
I need to be up and running (metaphorically) ASAP, i have so much going on at the moment, I have a 6 year old daugfhter that I haven't really seen for about 3 weeks as I can't get around, even though she's. an angel, she's 6 and active! Business ready to launch as I can't do the job that I have been doing for 3.5 years ongoing.
It'll happen, just going to take time...
Thanks
Cecil
RrnR cecil108
Posted
Hi Cecil,
I've spent the last 12 years looking over my shoulder waiting for the b*****d disease to return - I think I'm finally looking forward (to retirement, though I plan to be very busy) instead of back.
Keeping busy is the answer.
All the best
R