Broken Fibula

[Mud Rocs]

Having survived Borrowdale (just) the week before managed to break my fibula on Saturday on a family walk up Wansfell (messing around encouraging my son to go downhill- slipped and there you go).

Broke just above the ankle but consultant says hopefully no need to operate and looking at 6-8 weeks in a cast - anyone got any experiences/advice about the road to recovery they are willing to share?

Cheers

[IanDarkpeak]

Having survived Borrowdale (just) the week before managed to break my fibula on Saturday on a family walk up Wansfell (messing around encouraging my son to go downhill- slipped and there you go).

Broke just above the ankle but consultant says hopefully no need to operate and looking at 6-8 weeks in a cast - anyone got any experiences/advice about the road to recovery they are willing to share?

Cheers

sorry to hear that Mudrock. Wish you a speedy recovery.

Given you are called mudrock and you slipped I was wondering what you had on your feet....

[Derby Tup]

Sorry, no experience to share but good luck for a quick return to fitness

[Mud Rocs]

Thanks for your support as to the shoes it wasn't the Mud Claws I ran round Borrowdale in .... pair of Salomon XA Pro...can confirm not ideal on wet grass!

[ratfink]

Oh no! hope you recover well - and lad is not too traumatized!!

[Muddy]

I'm sorry to hear about your injury Mud rocs. I broke my left fibula in 2003. It wasn't bad enough to need surgery: I had six weeks in a cast, the first few weeks not weight-bearing, then gently increasing the load.

When I got out of the cast my leg looked a bit thin and wasted (with long freaky leg hairs like plants that have been kept in the dark!) and I had some fluid retention below the ankle, which spread to the rest of my foot after a long day on my feet. I continued to use the crutches for another week or two, and also had a thing called an air cast brace - a sort of inflatable support that looked like two sanitary towels held together with velcro! I had NHS physiotherapy for a month or two and could run short distances on soft grass within three weeks, perhaps a month, of getting the cast off.

In the longer term, it took several months to recover the full range of movement in the ankle and the foot swelling happened occasionally for over six months. For maybe a year afterwards my ankle would sometimes hurt when I woke up in the morning, I think probably due to lying in one position all night.

I made a point of going out for a mile or so walk every day on the crutches which is hard aerobic work (get some cycling gloves if you don't already have them) so think I ended up fitter from a cardiovascular point of view than I was before. I broke the bone in November then got my best ever half marathon time in May

Six years later I never think about it at all and have no lasting effects: I hope your recovery goes the same way!

[Mud Rocs]

Thanks Muddy - inspirational positive story - walked about half a mile on the crutches yesterday - felt like I'd been out on the hills for a couple of hours at the end!

Think I'll aim for a daily work-out to keep some fitness going

Cheers

[paulo]

Oh dear, spiral fracture of fibula, plate and 8 screws and extensive ligament damage 4 weeks ago. Skiing accident. So I'm now hopping around on crutches in a big boot cast with 2 more weeks of the same. Physio at the moment is limited to very gentle stuff.
I'm a doctor myself and my orthopod is a friend and I've got a good sports Physio so I know I'm getting excellent treatment.

But there's nothing like personal experience, and even the best docs etc tend to know little of what fell running entails - it's hard to imagine a better way of attacking your ankles using bodyy weight alone!
I'd be interested and grateful to hear any more (have obviously read the thread!) experience of the road to recovery - hillwalking, flat running, cycling, trail. And finally fell. Any useful tips, exercises etc. I'm big for a runner 6'5", 88kg and knocking on 50

Cheers, Paul

[Mike T]

I used to love skiing, but stopped 3 years ago because of the injury risk - after all I ran 52 weeks of the year but only skied one or two - yes, I ran when on skiing holidays, and enjoyed it just as much if not more than the skiing. Good luck with your recovery.

[paulo]

Thanks Mike. Skiing/touring and climbing are both too important to me to give up though - whilst the obvious risk has always been there and acknowledged - hopefully I've got away with it running wise this time from what I've been told but how it will affect my future nerve remains to be seen!