I recently had a accident (Ice skating). of all things LOL! If it has been 20 years since you ice skated then YOU AREN"T MISSING ANYTHING! Broke my Tibia fibula and needed to get surgery to fix it. Thought I would ask a few questions on here to see what direction I should Take in the future. Seeing as I have a decision to make on keeping or removing the Titanium spike that they have used to help fuse my bones back together. I have heard this is a common injury so I figure some one in here might have some advice for me.

1. How long did it take for you to get back kiting safety with out the possibility of re-injury?

2 Did you notice any nerve damage, Numbing, Pain or discomfort from the added pressure from boarding if so did it go away in time?

3. What did you do for rehabilitation and what did you find worked best?

4. Did you opt to get the titanium rod/plates removed? If so was it the better choice?

5. If it turns out that it heals back on crooked do you think it would help tacking up wind????? LOL Don't answer that one!

Thank in advance for your replies.

P.S. If the windsurfing Hungarian speaking surgeon/Nurse(?) happens on this thread Thanks! Your team did real good so far. Healing up Quickly!

I can't speak to surgery, but I feel your pain. I fractured my fibula (not horribly) in a soccer match two weeks ago, and can't do a damn thing about it but endure the pain until it goes away. That is, unless I wanted to stop walking and spend a couple weeks on the couch.

I still have pins & screws etc. 16 years after breaking my tib/fib (windsurfing J.R.) ... It grew back nicely ... Physio worked for me & expect to be weak for about a year .

I broke my tibia in 2 places snowboarding back in 2000. Went in for surgery through my knee right away. A stainless rod down the middle of the bone with 3 screws holding it as well as 2 screws holding the other break near the ankle together.

1. I could not bear weight for 3 months and walked with a cane for 2 months. I believe I snowboarded late in the next season, but it was really tame. By 2 years I could go all out but it still hurt.

2. I still have no feeling to the right of the incision in an area about 2"X5". There was a lot of pain for the first 6 months, took some pretty intense demoral like pain killers that are now off the market. Chronic pain for at least the next 2 years with lots of tylenol and ibuprofin. In the 3-4 year range the pain started to subside during activity, but still comes up in evening after heavy activity. By 5 years the leg was performing at 95% and that is the best I think it will ever get.

3. I did all the physio possible and took every suppliment under the sun. I was 16 at the time and did not want to ruin my future so I was very dilligent about it. For me cycling was the absolute best. I could ride a bike long before I could walk and it helped a lot getting back the range of motion in my ankle.

4. I got everything removed after 2 years. I did this because had I been involved in another severe crash and smashed up my leg, it would be massive re-constructive surgery( not to mention a bent leg up until that time). I could not walk for a couple weeks, but got big onto the cycling and things were back on track after a couple months. Did get a nasty infection on the second surgery requiring intravenous antibiotics... a risk to think about. I did have a sharp pain in my ankle around the screws if I moved it the wrong way which went away after having them removed.

Another problem that arose for me was after years of favoring my left leg, it has starting showing arthritis already
I can still shred and and throw down, but now in the evenings I get pain in both knees but not at all since I moved down to mexico! I'm becoming an old man, I can feel the cold weather in my bones

OUCH! So far it's looking like I might miss a year at the least I was told the break was clean and not very bad by my surgeon So I may have a speedier recovery. My GF is also focused on feeding me the best foods. She also insists that I stay put in bed. I have to see the surgeon soon for a follow up. I will take what I learn here and see what his recommendations are. Thanks for the input so far! Looking forward to seeing you out there sooner or later!

1. 1 year to be functional, 2 years to get back to 100%. Your stabalization muscles won't be ready for full throttle after a year, even if your main muscles are.

2 Slight nerve damage from the surgery, broken leg only slightly more sore after a long/bumpy session

3. While not weight bearing, work on your joints and tendons to make sure they don't atrophy too much. Do what your physio tells you... Start out on the excersise bike at no resistance and keep your legs moving. Doing the rowing machine was another good excersise. Once you can slightly weight bear, head to the pool and walk far enough into the water that you're half floating and walk back and forth (shallower once you can bear more weight). Once you are weight bearing, get a balance board and watch TV while balancing...

Important point is the atrophy of your support muscles... going to the gym will generally work only your main muscle groups. I was feeling in good shape after working out and squating weights, but ran one play of touch football when my ass cramped up. My lateral calf muscles still give me trouble playing hockey and squash... Start going to yoga and working on the balance board as well as hitting the gym

4. I will most likely have the rods removed (haven't yet). If you are involved in high risk activities, better to bite the bullet and deal with the knowns (higher risk of arthritis, knee problems) than deal with the nasty problems associated with a break while the metal is inside.

5. Breaking your leg makes a good war story for the ladies anyways


I'll probably think of more to add later...

cheers/good luck

Broke my right Tibia at 14 years old, no plates, just a cast up to my groin, since then broke lot's of other parts too. Best thing to speed healing is lot's of vitamin C and Silica from horsetail, a plant form easily assimulated by the body,. You may also want to take MSM internally (capsules or powder) to reduce any inflamation in the surrounding tissues, a good whey protein powder will help rebuild the whole works. Be careful when you do get the cast off if you have one, that is the most dangerous time because the support structure is way out of shape, stairs are probably the most dangerous item, never let go of the rail till you are on flat ground. Cheers and a speedy recovery.

3 months today! Healing quite well. I think I was lucky how the break happened and how we dealt with it following the accident. (there was no violent crash it was a simple twist motion while falling that boke me.) No great war story for me. I was out at a family skate and was avoiding killing some kids that decided to jump out in front of me . This is a great laugh for all I know. Physiotherapy is impressed with my recovery so far. I told them exactly what I do for fun and they are all about getting me back to 100% ASAP. I am walking around for hours a day with no pain but some swelling. Might be up and kiting again sooner rather then later. Thanks for the reply's everyones input is much appreciated and helping me immensely.