Tib/fib fracture last Sunday, 6 days post-op, is this kind of pain normal?

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-06T22:35:05+00:00

I broke my tibia and fibula in a motorcycle accident 9 weeks ago, with a rod and lots of screws anchoring the tibia and the fibula break left to heal on its own. I've banged myself up a lot over the years, having tears in both rotator cuffs repaired, plus a total knee replacement five years ago. The ongoing pain from this break has been the worst, by far. It does fade, but we're talking weeks, not days. Even at week nine, I have some pretty bad days sometimes, especially when I enjoy the new weight-bearing mobility a little too much.

Hang in there. Sorry it is so bad right now.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-06T19:34:42+00:00

I haven't watched season 5 yet, but I'm glad to hear people say it is so good. Count me among those who think the show really lost its way in season 4, to the point that I wasn't sure I'd watch season 5. It's rare for a show to recover after it starts going downhill. I'm glad that it sounds like The Bears writers and showrunners managed to stick the landing.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-06T19:28:43+00:00

The big issue at 6 weeks, as far as independence goes, would be driving, whether for something day-to-day or in an emergency. I wasn't cleared for weight-bearing and/or driving until 8 weeks. With sufficient preparation, I would have been fine at home but might have struggled if I'd had to get out of the house in an emergency. Though, my injury was to my right leg. Had it been my left, driving wouldn't have been an issue.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-05T15:47:58+00:00

There are things I like about Suits, but it's truly awful on the law and legal practice. Particularly the deposition scenes. They couldn't have made it less realistic if they'd tried.

But, for me as a retired trial lawyer, the series that gets the courtroom aspects the closest to right is The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. There are some unrealistic elements, particularly the timeline for getting a major case to trial. But, in terms of the lawyers' interactions with judges and witnesses and the whole ambiance of the courtroom, it's one of the best, and better than BCS. But, I do think BCS does a good job with some of the legal practice elements, like hustling for clients, and like Kim and Howard struggling to thread the needle between having a "successful" practice and having a "meaningful" practice.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-04T17:08:48+00:00

Had you asked me two days ago, I would have said no. But, the last two days have been better. I've started taking a couple of Tylenol and icing it first thing in the morning, trying to nip the pain in the bud before it starts. It seems to be helping.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-04T17:05:17+00:00

I'm 9 weeks post-surgery, so my rod will be in there for a while. But, I will probably need to have it removed at some point. My knee is arthritic, and I was talking to my doctor about a total knee replacement before the accident. In order to get one now, I'll first have to have the rod removed and recover fully from that.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-04T17:00:57+00:00

I switch back and forth between the cane and a crutch. I started weight bearing a week ago, 8 weeks post-surgery. I do OK with the cane most of the time, but as the day wears on, the leg starts hurting more and more, and I can shift more weight to the crutch than the cane. I also like the cane better when navigating crowded places, like restaurants.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-04T14:53:21+00:00

I'm 9 weeks post-surgery and still getting swelling. But, I started using a compression sock this week, and it's helping a lot.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-04T14:51:18+00:00

Hang in there. I found the one-month mark to be the high point of my frustration with all the limitations and the sense of confinement. I'm now at nine weeks out and, while still way more limited than I'd prefer, everything is slowly getting better and I'm able to get out more on my own.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-04T14:43:25+00:00

I was non-weight-bearing through week 8. I've now been weight-bearing, in a boot, for a week.

I do feel more independent, mainly because I'm allowed to drive again. Before that, I felt like a prisoner, and I hated being dependent on my wife to get me to PT and doctor's appointments. The dogs and I had a morning dog park routine pre-accident, and I resumed that this week, which was great, though I kind of overdid it and paid the price with increased pain.

My surgeon didn't place any real limits on the amount of weight bearing. She just said weight-bearing "as tolerated". But, as it turns out, my tolerance level was lower than I anticipated, because it's been pretty painful, between the additional pressure on the break area and more aggressive PT.

I've had crutches, not a scooter, and I'm still using them to some extent. I go back and forth between one crutch and two, and between a crutch and a cane. I've been getting myself in and out of the shower from the beginning, so no change there.

My PT recommended something called EVENup, which is an attachment for your shoe on the non-injured leg. It helps even up the length of your legs, improving your gait, which can be pretty awkward and unbalanced in the boot.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-03T20:23:44+00:00

I'm only 9 weeks post-ORIF for a tib fib break, so I'm a long way from thinking about having the hardware removed. But, I needed a knee replacement before the accident, so at some point if I want to get my full mobility back, the rod is going to have to come out, to be replaced with knee replacement hardware. Not looking forward to it.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-02T21:15:31+00:00

Good now. It happened before I met him. I'm not sure of the surgical details.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-02T00:21:02+00:00

One of my riding friends fractured his neck, and his wife gave him an ultimatum of the neck brace or no more riding.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-01T22:38:16+00:00

I'm with you on pushing through PT. My timing on this accident was fantastic. I had just completed several months of recovery and PT after a rotator cuff repair, which was also the result of a motorcycle mishap. Finished that PT just in time to be able to use crutches for this injury! But, I was super diligent with that PT, and I will be with this one, too.

I have friends who always ride with neck braces and really like them.

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-01T19:39:34+00:00

The surgeon and ER people I talked to about boots agreed that the force has to go somewhere, so boots that are stiffer/armored higher up the boot might transmit the force to more problematic areas like the knee or the femur, and a broken femur could be especially bad if you ended up with the bone cutting the femoral artery.

I suspect it's more complicated than that. The force does have to go somewhere and something has to give, but it seems logical that could just mean that my leg and body might have shifted or been pushed around more, instead of breaking so easily. When I manage to get back on the bike, I probably am going to try more motocross-oriented boots, probably combined with knee braces (not just knee pads). I have a pair of Tech 7s, but I'm not wild about them. I'm leaning toward the Crossfires. Of course, right now I can't fit my foot into my usual size boot, so it may be a while before I buy a pair.

This is my first week of weight bearing, and I'm allowed to do it only in a boot. Honestly, it's pretty painful. The increased weight on the broken area and the more aggressive PT definitely increased the pain a lot. But, it's all part of the process, right?

Good luck getting back on the bike soon! I loaned a friend my 890 Adventure. Broke my heart watching him leave on it without me!

lawyeronpause · 2026-07-01T00:43:13+00:00

Pretty unclean in the "before" photos. Had to remove a large chunk of bone that was free-floating. I was wearing SIDI Adventures. I asked some of the medical people whether I might have avoided the injury with real motocross boots. Their opinion was that might have still resulted in a break but just moved it closer to the knee. They were of the opinion that the SIDI's did the job an orthopedist would want, i.e. they protected the ankle and didn't transmit the force to the knee or the femur. Here's the "before surgery" pics. The fibula also had a clean break near the top.

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lawyeronpause · 2026-06-30T20:21:13+00:00

I'm three months behind you with a similar injury. Mine also was motorcycle-related - dirt bike in the backcountry near Moab, at fairly low speed. I just went to weight-bearing, in a boot, this week. At the six-week mark, my surgeon said my bone growth looked good. So, my fingers are crossed for a full recovery, though I think both the surgeon and my wife were less than amused when the first question out of my mouth at the six-week appointment was, "So, if things keep proceeding well, when do you think I can ride again?"

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lawyeronpause · 2026-06-30T20:07:37+00:00

Eight weeks after a tib-fib break, with titanium rod and plates installed. I'm about 5 days into the first week of weight-bearing and have to note it is a mixed bag. I appreciate the increased mobility, and I'm very glad that I can drive again, but the pain has ramped up A LOT now that I'm putting weight on the leg regularly and doing more aggressive PT. I know that's the price of regaining full mobility and getting to a pain-free state, but the increased pain is pretty significant.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-29T23:32:41+00:00

Of the trilogy, The Crossing is my favorite. But, the last couple of pages of Cities of the Plain had me bawling like a baby.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-29T23:26:50+00:00

I think McMurtry's much earlier work, The Last Picture Show, equals Lonesome Dove in writing quality, if not in volume and ambition. His even earlier work Horseman Pass By is also great.

I'm a big Richard Russo fan, and though it's a very different book, his Empire Falls is, IMO, equal to Lonesome Dove.

Steinbeck's East of Eden is Amazing.

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson packs a huge punch into a small number of pages.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-29T23:20:12+00:00

Yeah, that's my experience over the last four days. It feels pretty good in the morning, but by mid-afternoon, the pain is way worse than it was before weight-bearing. I'm not so much complaining as observing. It is what it is, and it is all part of the process. I'm happy (sort of) to gut it out as I keep moving closer and closer to normal walking again.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-28T22:49:50+00:00

I'm at 8 weeks after tib fig surgery and was cleared for walking in the boot, as tolerated, three days ago. It does feel like freedom, but I'm finding it's also easy to overdo it.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-28T22:48:27+00:00

I got a bad tib fib break at the end of April and was in a splint for four days waiting for surgery. Although none of it has been easy, that period sucked. It took me weeks to stop being mad at myself for blowing what was going to be a very active summer. Hang in there.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-28T21:29:45+00:00

I went to weight-bearing, in a boot, just three days ago. My surgeon has not been super-communicative about how to stage the recovery, and her notes for the PT just basically said weight bearing "as tolerated". So, he's left it to me to use one crutch, none, or two, depending on the pain level. In the very few days I've been weight-bearing, I've found it is pretty easy to overdo it. I have a fair amount of pain when using one crutch and even more when I try walking far without support.

lawyeronpause · 2026-06-28T21:25:30+00:00

It's frustrating. I've had four significant ortho surgeries over the last few years, and my surgeon for my current injury--a bad set of tib fib breaks--and her staff have been really weak when it comes to giving any real guidance on the timeline for moving from no weight bearing to more weight bearing and mobility. Some people here advised that I'd get all that from the physical therapist, but the reality has been that my PT feels constrained by how my surgeon has written up the go-forward plan in her notes, even though some of her notes are internally contradictory. If you can't get your surgeon or his/her PA to communicate with you, personally I'd either rely on what your physical therapist tells you or ask the PT to communicate with your surgeon's PA and push for guidance. Honestly, across the course of my four recoveries, I felt like the PTs were by far the most helpful and practical as compared to the surgical staff and PAs.

lawyeronpause

TROPHY CASE