Recovery After Broken Leg

[Hazard14 0]

I have put a topic on this site about how my leg broke, and now I was wondering if you guys would have any suggestions on excersises and activities to do to help with returning to actually playing ice hockey again in the near future, i already know that as soon i can run that im gonna hit the ice as much as possible to help regain my skating

[SirJW 207]

I broke my ankle a few years ago catching an edge in a rut. I knew I was hurt but I was able to get up and skate to the bench (pat on the back).

If you get a boot when they remove your cast, watch your weight. You’ll burn a lot of calories on your crutches but will be more sedentary in the boot.

When you go to Physical Therapy take it seriously and do the exercises everyday. One leg squats, ankle lifts, balance exercises, etc.

Riding a bike will help cardio and atrophy and will be less hard on your joints than running.

Eat well while in recovery and try not to get too depressed.

Good luck…

[kredmore 2]

After my broken leg healed, I was able to skate well before running. Running was hard pounding on my leg, but light skating was much easier.

I agree with SirJW......stick with PT and the exercises as long as possible and be up front with the folks at PT about skating and playing hockey.

From my experience, talking with others, and research, it really comes down to just healing first, then strength build-up to get back to the level prior to injury. While frustrating, it just takes patient.

[indaslot 0]

There are lots of topics on this. Do a search-lots of good advice has been posted.

[bill33 0]

Broken leg is hard. Im at 6 months and I really wish that I did way more excercises than the therapist had given me to do. I am skating but my knee where they put the rod in my femur is, is still really weak. Rehab rehab rehab. Ride the bike and walk as much as you can.

[Hazard14 0]

you guys think that 2 1/2-3 months of rehab and physical therapy will be enough, cuz i have to start playing again in september

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Well if the guy above you is at six months and is still weak, its either probobly not enough time, or you better bust your ass in rehab. Downside is if you push too hard you could re injure it. I get the vibe that your young, so play it safe and don't screw up the rest of your non pro hockey career life that has you walking around with a limp by the age of 30.

[kredmore 2]

ask your doctor, as I learned that almost each situation is different. Injury type, plates, rods, rehab, knee effected, ankle effected, etc.

With mine, I broke my fib, crushed the tib. 2 plates, 16 screws. Doctor told me 12 weeks to play hockey again. At 12 weeks, he cleared me to play, but I was not ready. I could skate and play, but not ready for full speed. It's almost 7 months now, and I'm about 90-95%.

However, I have heard/researched of lesser breaks taking shorter timeframes, and vice versa.

If you have lots of time, www.mybrokenleg.com has diaries of people's stories.

Hope that helps.

[SirJW 207]

I didn't have surgery but was in a cast for 12 weeks and a boot for six. I forgot to mention I tore all my ligaments in my ankle. I was back on the ice in about six or eight weeks w/ no issue, I was 37 at the time. It did take about a year for all the soreness to go completely away...

[Hazard14 0]

exactly 3 weeks ago it broke, there was a fracture in the ankle straight through the growth plate, there was no surgery necesary, the doctor said its recovering very nicely, and im getting it off on May 31st (which is exactly 6 weeks), and i know a good physical therapist, so after the cast comes off its gonna be alot of rehab

ask your doctor, as I learned that almost each situation is different. Injury type, plates, rods, rehab, knee effected, ankle effected, etc.

With mine, I broke my fib, crushed the tib. 2 plates, 16 screws. Doctor told me 12 weeks to play hockey again. At 12 weeks, he cleared me to play, but I was not ready. I could skate and play, but not ready for full speed. It's almost 7 months now, and I'm about 90-95%.

However, I have heard/researched of lesser breaks taking shorter timeframes, and vice versa.

If you have lots of time, www.mybrokenleg.com has diaries of people's stories.

Hope that helps.

wow, how did u manage to do so much damage to ur leg

[kredmore 2]

trying to stop a breakaway, but fell and went feet first in the boards.

After reading the stories in thread, you can see how they are all different. I'm 36, needed surgery for the plates, had split cast for 10 days, then a boot for 6 weeks....1/2 weight at 4 weeks, full weight at 8 weeks, hockey at 12 weeks.

[ju87 0]

After my broken leg healed, I was able to skate well before running. Running was hard pounding on my leg, but light skating was much easier.

I agree with SirJW......stick with PT and the exercises as long as possible and be up front with the folks at PT about skating and playing hockey.

From my experience, talking with others, and research, it really comes down to just healing first, then strength build-up to get back to the level prior to injury. While frustrating, it just takes patient.

Same here, I was able to skate before I could run or jump.

Broke my fibula, comminuted fracture in 2 places, no surgery and no soft tissue damage. Was in a cast for 3 months or so because the damn bone just wouldn't mend at all then decided to mend very quickly in the last month. Was in a brace for a few more weeks after that. Of course, I smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol during the time (nothing else to do) and that certainly did me no favours. Old bones take longer to heal (age 31).

So, like the others have said, be patient, your body will heal itself when it's good and ready to. Walk as much as you can and look on the bright side, you're getting a good upper body workout from the crutches.

[Chadd 916]

One of the guys on my team played his first game in 6 months last night. You don't recover from things like a broken leg as quickly when you get older.

[ktang 34]

I had a tib/fib break and had 2 plates put in. I recovered relatively quickly (back skating in 5 weeks, playing beer league in 8 weeks).

Some things that I did that may or may not have sped the recovery:

(i) no beer;

(ii) no soft drinks;

(iii) lots of milk;

(iv) used my wife's calcium pills;

(v) used stretch tubing to work out the ankle a lot (almost constantly when watching TV); and

(vi) got physiotherapy, including electric stim, tissue massage, scar tissue breakdown.

I pushed my recovery; this might or might not be good, but it worked for me, physically and psychologically.

Good luck in the recovery.

[Hazard14 0]

im sure that drinking alchohol and smoking have negative effects on the healing of a fracture, when i broke my arm before (like a year-two years ago) i had to take calcium pills, what the doctor didnt tell me then was that young adults dont need to take calcium supplements because at such a young age they dont do anything

[Hazard14 0]

its officialy been 5 weeks and 6 days since the injury, going back to the doctor tommorow and getting the cast taken off and hopefully wont need to have another one put on, since most broken bones heal in about six weeks, so wish me luck!

[Hazard14 0]

HELL YEA!!! the cast off, i still cant put any weight on it though, and im gonna start going to the P.T., when i asked the doc when i can play hockey he almost started laughing

[s Greens 0]

id say stay away from any major leg workouts for a while (obviously) until your done physical therapy. I tore my hammy last summer and it took me a good 3-4 months before i could even step on the ice let alone start doing lightweight leg exercises, so saying that id say take it easy for a while and make sure it heals 100% instead of forcing yourself on the ice and possibly re-injuring it.

[kredmore 2]

while each situation is different, I was at 50% weight at 4 weeks, 100% at 8 weeks (and light skating), hockey at 12 weeks.

I think having the cast and no surgery is preferred versus plates/surgery from a risk/invasive perspective. However, requiring plates can shorten the recovery time as you can tell from your situation and has a higher rate of the bone healing properly.

For example, my tibia required a plate, but the fibula didn't. But they put a plate on the fibula anyways as they were already doing surgery and it would keep the recovery time consistent with the tibia.

Could be more detail than you want, but I found the recovery process interesting when I compared stories.

Stick with the PT, and don't try to push it.....all of the timelines are based on X-rays and past cases.

[Hazard14 0]

Im going to go for range of motion PT, then therapy to regain the muscle mass in my leg. i was not allowed to put any weight on it for any time during in the cast. im going back in three weeks to get a follow-up X-ray, then my doc will decide when i can go back to hockey

[ktang 34]

Good luck with the rehab. Do all the exercises the PT tells you to do, and do all the rest days the PT tells you to do too. Get plenty of sleep and eat properly.

If you're doing the electro-stim, try to endure higher twitch frequencies and contraction strength (voltage?).

[Dare to Dream 1980 0]

Hey i was in the same boat as you are now a year and a half ago- i broke my femur YAY:( ... Anyways getting your full range of motiong back is going to be one of the hardest things to regain probably-do your exercises whenever your sitting on your couch or just laying in bed. Then once you have any sort of motion back, go on a stationary bike and work your ass off IT HELPS and its the best thing possible for you. Then once you can run and all, do ladders and leg presses 5x a week helps you regain your strength and quickness. Jump Rope every day too and ride your stationary bike every day to, to get back on the ice and be almost yourself again. BUT remember you wont be the same you were the first day your on the ice, if might take a couple of months ( i know it sucks- it took me a full year but its also the biggest bone in your body) so dont rush back into things thinking your Wayne Gretzky

[Hazard14 0]

is it normal to have pain to the touch, and some swelling after having a cast taken off? because when i was in PT yesterday, i was getting it massaged and in two certain points there is pain when you apply too much pressure, and there is swelling around the bottom, and side of my foot

[kredmore 2]

yes...very normal. I'm seven months out, and I still have some minor swelling and soreness to the touch. At 6-8 weeks like you, I had major swelling (down and up all day) and pain/soreness.

[ktang 34]

Did your PT ask you to do cold/warm dunks (if your incisions have healed properly)?

If not, ask him/her about this; it was what I did to bring down the swelling, once a day for a few weeks after the cast came off:

(i) dunk the lower leg in a bucket of warm water for 30 secs;

(ii) dunk the lower leg in a bucket of cold or ice water for 60 secs;

- repeat (i) and (ii) a few times.

When I went to work I used a neoprene compression bandage, and I raised my leg whenever possible.