Tib/Fib break and recovery

[shancat1 0]

Just wondering for those of you who have had this injury, how soon after did you get back to jumping? Did you wait as long as your doctor suggested?

I broke my tib/fib and dislocated my ankle on a bad landing on July 26, surgery on August 1. Doctor wants me to wait until January to start jumping again. I'm not ready yet as I'm still barely walking, but curious as to what others have done.

[NWFlyer 2]

So I haven't had a tib/fib but I've had a lower-extremity injury (torn MCL) where I had to work with my doctor and physical therapist to figure out when I was "ready" to go back.

If you haven't already, I'd suggest that you explain things in terms that will be more understandable and familiar to your care team. Such as "I need to be able to jump off of a moderate height (say a table) and land safely without increased risk of injury" and "I need to be able to run out a landing safely" and "I want to be able to make sharp lateral moves without increased risk of injury."

"Skydiving" is really abstract to them. Running and jumping are things that they can understand, and they'll understand the forces that will be on your body.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[craddock 0]

I have had three tib fractures that have needed surgery including one very similar to yours although the fib fracture was a little further from joint and was not as much of an issue although I did have pain from the hardware until having it removed. I broke a larger piece of the medial malleolus of which actually made it easier to fasten compared to yours as there was plenty of room to get screws right through the displaced piece. This was actually the least serious of my Tib fractures I have had and I recovered very quick. I had been in the sport for 6 months before this downtime and I was back to jumping in just under 8 weeks.

On a positive not it was in the winter(middle of January) in Wisconsin so I did not miss much great jumping weather with cold and limited daylight and I was also able to save some cash for a different canopy and container while I was off. My DZ would not let me jump it though for 2 1/2 weeks as it was a a rather large downsize to a 107. No, actually I didn't resist that much and borrowed some gear to test my ankle and get current before playing with the new toy. I really never had many hard landings though so my concerns were much less than yours. But the bone was pretty much healed by that point. I do not know how much soft tissue damage you have done either.

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[DHemer 0]

My friend did almost the exact same thing in Feb

He was only back jumping in August and getting strength back into the ankle was his major challenge. Did a fair amount of cycling then jogging/running to get the strength back. By all accounts it takes long time for the pain to go away

[jeffmo 0]

I had a nasty compound tib/fib fracture with subsequent staph infection due to a combat injury in August '13 and was jumping again with no restrictions in mid- to late December. My surgeon, who installed a rod and performed a bone graft, cleared me after the X-ray showed excellent bone growth. I began my individual physical rehab much earlier than recommended, gradually putting weight on the leg as I walked on crutches, rode an exercise bike, etc. As you probably know, you need this weight-bearing activity to stimulate the bone growth, but it's a tricky thing to ensure you don't push your recovery too fast. In my case, my doctor was very aggressive and informed me that pain/swelling would indicate if I was pushing it too hard. If possible, I highly recommend that you work with an orthopedic surgeon who has experience working with athletes, as the typical timelines the surgeons use are 'one size fits all' for everyone, including 90 year-old morbidly obese diabetic/smoking patients. Best of luck to you.

[jbrasher 1]

I had a similar fracture in 1988 at the end of May and was back jumping in December 1989. The difference was that I also had multiple fractures to my other leg, pelvis and wrist.
I also had the hardware removed in case I should ever do that type of fracture to the same leg/ankle again. Otherwise, the hardware will chew up the surrounding bone and you have a good chance of losing you foot.

Expect arthritis in 20+ years

Do your physical therapy and don't rush it and you'll know when to jump again.

Good Luck and

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166

[gunsmokex 1]

jbrasher

I had a similar fracture in 1988 at the end of May and was back jumping in December 1989. The difference was that I also had multiple fractures to my other leg, pelvis and wrist.
I also had the hardware removed in case I should ever do that type of fracture to the same leg/ankle again. Otherwise, the hardware will chew up the surrounding bone and you have a good chance of losing you foot.

Expect arthritis in 20+ years

Hmm I never considered the hardware chewing up the bone before, ugh I may have to talk to my doc about advice on whether or not I should get that done as my accident happened 20yrs ago. Remember those wonderful 3-wheelers? Yep Jr. yr in H.S. day before my prom too. Fibula, one of the big round bones and some little bone. 2 plates 8 screws and 2 pins. Never really had any probs with it, I just know I'm not going to go running more 5K's cause it seemed a little loose after doing that. Otherwise have had not probs with it.

Do your physical therapy and don't rush it and you'll know when to jump again.

Good Luck and

[craddock 0]

I have busted my ankle with previous hardware in it. Out with the old in with the new. Not saying there could not be complications but just it certainly is not a forgone conclusion. Not at all. I currently have some screws and drill bits in that are broke that will never come out unless I were to break it through that area. The OP will not be leaving that hardware in though as it will irritate the hell out of him

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[riggerrob 643]

Two week sago, a surgeon sawed through the top of my tibia, inserted a wedge of cadaver bone and screwed my leg back together. Took a lot of oxycodene for the first week, then cut back to Tylenol. Neither drug gives me a buzz, they just dull the pain. Swelling abated after a week or so. Now I am hobbling around on crutches. They told me not to put any weight on it until 6 weeks after the operation. then they told me it would be a total of 6 months before I could return to work.

[jbrasher 1]

Rob,

What the hell are you doing to yourself :-)
Your getting too old for this kind of thing.

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166

[riggerrob 643]

Hi John,

The knee problems started during a plane crash 6 years ago. I have not walked straight since.

[jbrasher 1]

Rob,
Seems like everyone is getting new parts
Don has 2 new knees and maybe a shoulder, some other friends have knees, hips or ankles.
Keep on walking even if it isn't straight.

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166

[dot_txt 0]

My fracture wasn't quite as bad, but still a tib/fib fracture (xray attached). I got it in mid june, Surgery June 19th, and was back in the sky mid September a few days following the 12 week mark. Given that you also had a dislocation, and could have had more advanced soft tissue damage than I did, you may end up needing to wait till January. It helped that my orthopedist used to skydive (rounds), so he was more aware of what I was likely to go through on an average jump than most. I also did a little tunnel time in an ankle brace during the "walking boot" period, just to brush some dust off.

My advice would be to make sure that both your orthopedist and physical therapist are well informed of the stresses that your leg / ankle will be put through during a jump (both good and bad), and to only start jumping after you have been cleared to do so. Informing my therapist about skydiving, and the stresses it can put on the body, helped me a lot during therapy. She focused on the strength groups I would need to launch an exit, run out a landing, etc, and because of that I felt much better about being in the sky on that first jump back. On that note, if you are in the Chicago area, and need a physical therapist that is "skydiver friendly", let me know.

Good luck with the recovery!

[sunnyape 1]

Did exact same injury with exact same plating / screws about 6 years ago. I think I went jumping again about one or two months after I got the cast off and wasn't using crutches.

Did you do it on a hard landing or fast landing? Mine was fast and my foot clipped something while skimming along the ground doing a swoooopy landing. Sigh!

[Andy9o8 2]

Quote

Did exact same injury with exact same plating / screws about 6 years ago. I think I went jumping again about one or two months after I got the cast off and wasn't using crutches.

How did that compare with your doctor's advice?

[skez 0]

Every injuries different i broke both my legs and was flat out standing up 4months later.... 7 months later i could walk half normal still with great deal of pain...3 years later and it still hurts lol but im back to normal

FTMC

[skez 0]

And should say dont be a fuckwit like me and try walk and do shit before u should it will have very negative effects and be worse in the long run

FTMC

[nah_tan 0]

Once radiographic healing is attained and you are walking and have progressed with the physical therapy then I would porbably let you back (im a foot and ankle surgeon/podiatrist). The issue with bad bi malleolar (tib/fib) fracture doslocations like yours is that normal day to day jumping forces and landings are not going to be detremential once the bones have healed.. You are just as likely to repeat the injury with another bad landing. Waiting longer will make no difference in that regard. What I see as more the issue is how strong and stable your lateral ankle is as running out landings will expose you to possible sprains.
Obviosuly everyone is different but if you healed as expected I would say returning in 12 weeks or so is reasonable. And yes, you will unfortuntely be dealing with post traumatic arthritis in the next 10-20 years so keep your weight down and stay as active as possible. I see so many people that stop moving once the ankle becomes sore and gain weight as the years progress, causing even more pain. Good luck healing up and getting back to jumping!!

[riggerrob 643]

nah_tan

Once radiographic healing is attained and you are walking and have progressed with the physical therapy then I would probably let you back (im a foot and ankle surgeon/podiatrist). The issue with bad bi malleolar (tib/fib) fracture dislocations like yours is that normal day to day jumping forces and landings are not going to be detremential once the bones have healed.. You are just as likely to repeat the injury with another bad landing. Waiting longer will make no difference in that regard. What I see as more the issue is how strong and stable your lateral ankle is as running out landings will expose you to possible sprains.
Obviously everyone is different but if you healed as expected I would say returning in 12 weeks or so is reasonable. And yes, you will unfortunately be dealing with post traumatic arthritis in the next 10-20 years so keep your weight down and stay as active as possible. I see so many people that stop moving once the ankle becomes sore and gain weight as the years progress, causing even more pain. Good luck healing up and getting back to jumping!!

.............................................................................

Like the POPS motto: You don't quit skydiving because you grow old, rather you grow old because you quit skydiving.

Legs: use them or lose them.

I am really, really, really hoping that my surgeon allows me to lose the "sympathy sticks" next week, because I am eager to resume long walks on steep hills.

[nzaerosportsusa 0]

Ripped patellar tendon on a bad swoop. 18 months later and still is sensitive. Obviously different. But enjoy the ride:/

[danornan 79]

A lot of good advise here..... Basically, when you feel comfortable jumping off of a table 3-4 feet off of the ground and can run out a fast landing, you should be ok. Pain or the fear of pain is a pretty good indicator if you are not in denial and off of the pain medication.

I crushed the top of my tib, had bone grafts and waited about a year or so. Do the rehab as much as you can without doing damage and keep the weight off. Watch your gate/walk as it's easy to limp as a habit. That will effect your hip in the future.

Dano

[DrDom 0]

nzaerosportsusa

Ripped patellar tendon on a bad swoop. 18 months later and still is sensitive. Obviously different. But enjoy the ride:/

Tendons are avascular (no blood flow) so heal MUCH slower than bones, unfortunately. Expect a longer recovery

You are not the contents of your wallet.

[devildog 0]

I have a GSW, left ankle, all three bones fractured. By some miracle it was a clean break (nothing shifted) and the surgeon who looked at it for eval said I should by a lottery ticket. That being said, it was a couple of months before I was putting any pressure on it (crutches prior) with a walker cast. I can't imagine jumping on it only 4 months later. It gave me problems for about a year with any amount of high impact, and still flares up this day from time to time. Take it easy would be my advice (as others have said) and let it heal, especially if you are just barely walking as of now.

You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions.