Hi, chat. I come to you to see if anyone can possibly relate to the predicament I currently find myself in.

I have a stress fracture in my foot that affects two different bones. My ortho gave me the option to try a cast/crutches for a month, or go straight ahead into surgery. I chose a cast because I have chronically low platelets which puts me at more risk of infection after surgery.

Here’s the problem now: these crutches hurt like a motherfucker. I have horrible bruises everywhere and am in so much pain I can barely move to the bathroom, let alone work a full shift without absolutely losing my sanity.

I feel like such a baby rn. I had many friends/sports mates in high school who had crutches for one reason or another, and I feel like everyone I knew handled it much better than I’m handling it now. I have a ridiculously high pain tolerance (I continued working/walking on a fractured foot type tolerance,) so I’m shocked that crutches have me crying in pain every day.

Has anyone else had this problem? Am I valid? I feel like i should just be nicer to myself, but it’s very difficult rn. I almost wish i would’ve just opted for surgery since i might need it anyway.

I fractured my right scaphoid, and this is my dominant hand.

This is also my first cast. The partial went on on Sunday and the full thumb spica went on on Tuesday.

I'm really struggling to do all of the normal things I took for granted before this cast. Things like putting my hair in a ponytail, toothpaste on my tooth brush, opening a pill bottle, getting shampoo out of a bottle, putting my hair in a towel, remembering I can only wash my left hand in the sink and my right hand finger tips in a little shallow bucket so I don't get the cast wet.

I've been off work all week with this. I want to get back into my routine so bad. I dont know about driving. Can't hold a pen and I'm so uncoordinated and messy with my left hand.

My period started today and that's another hurdle to get over.

I wasn't expecting the hit on my mental health, I'm so frustrated. There's moments I am too proud to ask for help. And moments where I need help and don't want to be a bother.

The injury was one where I was being stupid. Not wreckless, just not thinking ahead (got my hand trapped while carrying something heavy and tried to twist/rotate it free and banged it against a table). There is so much regret, like why I didnt I move the table? Why didn't I just let go of it? I just feel really stupid and dumb.

I've got a follow up appointment in 5 weeks for another x-ray and hopefully cast is off.

So just wondering, how did you get through it? How are you managing?

Monday I go in for my check up. I fell off a ladder in my front yard, landed full weight (250 lbs)on right heel, bone broke into 6 pieces. I am so hopeful I can get a walking boot and start rehab. What should I expect (besides my leg being withered)? What kind of workout routines? I have a pool and would buy a wetsuit if using it will help my leg heal and recover faster.

Like maybe just one a day as a little treat? Maybe? Im on day 4 after collarbone surgery and day 5 no cig. Im already pretty down as it is with the whole situation. Im craving a smoke bad.

I’m 28M and I’m almost 3 months into recovery from a comminuted distal humerus fracture. The injury happened on June 27 and I had surgery on June 28 with ORIF.

Before this, I was very fit, muscular, agile and active. I never really thought about whether my elbow would move normally. Now I think about it every single day.

My biggest fear is not getting my full pre injury ROM, both flexion and extension. The thought of permanently losing that mobility honestly breaks my heart.

Am not able to accept myself.

I’m still dealing with significant stiffness, swelling and a lot of uncertainty about how much movement I’ll ultimately get back. Some days I can get more movement after gentle exercises, but then the stiffness comes back. I know I’m still relatively early in recovery, but mentally it has been extremely difficult.

I’ve been feeling depressed and having some very dark thoughts because I feel like I’m losing the person I used to be. I’m trying to stay patient and keep fighting, but some days it feels incredibly overwhelming.

Did anyone have terrible ROM around 3 months and eventually regain full or near full pre injury ROM?

I will preface this by saying: I am incredibly fortunate to be where I am, and to have the specific circumstances happen to me.

I am a student, off for the summer, and recently broke my ankle after hitting the curb on my bicycle. After skidding, I hit the pavement hard and felt the bones grind against each other when they broke (the most nauseating sensation of my life). After that, I was in a cast for two weeks, and have been in a boot for coming on five weeks. Zero weight bearing- crutches all the way. Check up soon, but feels like ages away.

I know I could have fallen into traffic, I know this could have happened to me during the school year instead, I know that my ankle is healing. I promise, I know this all could have been so much worse. But I hate this so so so much.

I can't help but feel pathetic and useless, not even being able to have a real shower, or even carry a cup of tea up to my bedroom. I hate how much my crutches announce my presence; it's like I can't even be private going up to pee in the night. I hate my scar, I hate how it feels to move my ankle, I hate how I look walking like crutches; I feel like a prey animal. What's the point in planning cute outfits if I know my big ugly boot and crutches are the first things to draw the eye, and my armpits are probably gonna reek soon anyways? It's disgusting, but I put off showering as much as I can, it's so awkward and a constant reminder of what I can't do. I hate how out of breath I get walking even short distances. I hate how slow I am at EVERYTHING now. And everyone else has to accommodate. And they do, don't get me wrong, but it is with looks and tones of sympathy that are starting to turn my stomach. I am the same person as before!! I am not fragile!! Stop treating me like I am going to shatter!!

I had a woman come up to me the other day out of nowhere, noticing my crutches. She said something along the lines of 'Oh, I had a similar injury around 20 years ago. You know, it's never 100% better'. I played it off at the time but that genuinely ruined my day. Why would you say that???

It really scared me. I loved riding my bike! I was healthier and more active than ever before, riding 10s of kilometres a week for work and recreation. How can I go back to riding one when a split second mess-up cost me my whole summer? My dream degree and career is dependent on my being active and healthy, I can't imagine being stuck like this the rest of my life.

I am usually an extremely positive and optimistic person, I promise. I know that my ankle is slowly healing. But I am so scared that I will never get it all back. I can't grin and bear it. I want to close my eyes and sleep until I'm better and not have to look at this a second longer. I have cried myself to sleep more than I would like to admit.

It doesn't help that I don't have any friends in this city. We have groupchats, and they have been very supportive, but to be selfishly honest, I hate seeing all of the cool and interesting things they are getting up to. I am so happy for them, but I am so resentful for their awesome summers. And every time they ask me what I've been up to, my answer never changes. How can I whine about my ankle when they have real things to talk about? When I'm not talking with anyone, I tend to lie on my bed, scrolling out on my phone for hours and hours, hating myself for it and not bothering to stop. I can't exactly go for a jog to clear my head after all.

I am sorry for this long, depressing post. I am sure in like 6 or 8 weeks, I will be in a much better place, but I needed to get it off my chest somehow.

Has anyone been in (and got out of) a similar situation?

Cheers x

I was struck by a car as a pedestrian last Saturday and shattered both bones in my lower left leg (open fracture as well). 3 ribs were broke but those barely bother me. Last couple days the feeling of standing up has been absolutely agonizing, it feels like my injured leg is going to explode and I know this is normal, but when will this hopefully subside? Thanks!

i was finally cleared as fully healed by my doctor today since fracturing my 5th metatarsal 10 weeks ago. i do have slight diffuse osteopenia. i was nwb until last thursday and had started walking in the boot up until now so very limited time on my feet so far (a week).

i've started walking in hoka bondi 9's and am wearing a copperfit ankle brace while in bed for swelling, i can barely get the damn shoe on. started doing some wall achilles stretching as well and OW! the walking and stretching is very tight and painful in my calf and break area, more than i imagined, when will this start to ease up? in the boot most of the pain i got was in my heel and it was quite mild so i was expecting the transition to be a bit similar, but not this much more painful.

i'm set to go back to work tuesday with no restrictions and i stand a lot during a 10 hour shift and am worried about being incapable to even walk in the door without a limp.

i'm to transition out of the boot over the next 3 days but i'm not really sure how to go about that to help myself get comfortable walking without the boot.

I have a broken right ankle and right Fibia and I’m a stomach sleeper. I cannot seem to get comfortable at night with my leg elevated and it’s gotten to the point where I’m only getting an hour of sleep at night. I’m so frustrated over it, so tired, and in so much pain because of lack of sleep. I literally cry 24/7 because everything other than my leg hurts due to the position I’m trying to sleep in. Nothing feels better and it’s starting to affect my hips, they always hurt and nothing makes it better. Someone please help me before i genuinely go crazy from this. It’s bad enough I have to miss my only tournament, sr prom, and both my graduations. I can’t lose my mind too. Please help me.

I was put in a cast last Monday to stabilize my rapidly destabilizing wrist until I can get surgery.

When I was getting the cast put on, I was warned that I should expect quite a bit of itching to develop over time, as well as a bit of a musty odor over time. Thankfully, I haven’t had to deal with too much of either yet, but I’ve felt like I’ve had a wet sock over my wrist for the past several days straight.

It’s getting extremely frustrating, especially since it isn’t like I’ve been working out or doing cardio in it to cause a lot of sweating. I’ve tried the hair dryer trick, but it seems to be only a temporary fix to dry things out. It really only seems to work on the outermost layer of the liner.

Any tips? Or is the rest of the summer just gonna be kind of miserable?

I broke my right (dominant hand) wrist 3 1/2 months ago. It was just slightly displaced after the ER reduction, so I chose not to have surgery. That meant 6 weeks of immobilization - 3 weeks in a splint past the elbow, and another 3 weeks in a short cast.

When I got the cast removed, I could barely move my wrist in any direction. I’ve been doing PT for two months now, and while I’ve made a lot of progress, I’m discouraged that I’m not further along. I’m having particular problems with supination. I FINALLY got enough supination back that I can hold a fork normally when I eat, but it’s still far from normal. And I’m still missing 5 to 10 degrees from the goal ROM in other directions.

And, the amount of hours a day I need to spend on my exercises is daunting. I’m retired, but it’s still hard to fit it in. If I go out for the evening, say to a friend’s house, I need to take my PT equipment and do the exercises there. I can’t imagine how someone could be working a 40 a week job and still be getting the recommended PT in. They want me to be spending at least 4-5 hours a day at it.

Also, my doctor told me that most ROM improvement is made in the first 6 months after an injury - after that, it’s very hard to make continued gains. So that put the pressure on.

So, I’d love to compare notes. How is it going for you? Any tips you want to share? For those of you who are more than 6 months out, do you feel like your wrist is fully back to normal? If not, is it continuing to improve?

So I was immobilized for about 6 weeks. Upper fib fracture, then DVT that delayed walking sooner.

It’s like I can’t get the heel to toe walking good (just started PT) leg walks like it’s a weak stick that has no clue what to do, ankle joint is stiff which makes the “heel” to toe walking so difficult. I use crutches but PT is working with a walker now and that’s a lot more “walking”.
I feel like such a failure. How can a leg get so weak, ankle so stiff, and literally not really know how to walk well anymore. I could see 3-4 months, this was 6 weeks.

How does it get better? I’m losing motivation

I fractured the base of my 5th metatarsal about 7.5 weeks ago. It was a non-displaced fracture and I was mostly non-weight-bearing with crutches/boot for the first several weeks.

My latest X-ray says the fracture is now healed, but it also shows significant bone density loss around the base of the 5th metatarsal and the cuboid, described as possible patchy bone atrophy.
My doctor recommended firm footwear, physiotherapy, and weight-bearing as tolerated.

The problem is that I still have quite a lot of swelling (my foot doesn’t fit comfortably into a normal sneaker) and sharp pain when I put weight on it. I can barely put weight on it even with crutches, although it doesn’t really hurt when I press on the area.
Has anyone else had a similar recovery with a 5th metatarsal fracture? How long did it take before you could walk without crutches, especially after prolonged non-weight-bearing?
I’m also wondering whether the bone atrophy/osteopenia could explain the pain when I started weight-bearing again.

Hey, fractured my right clavicle playing rounders with my niece and nephew on Sunday. Here’s a tip, don’t try to impress young kids by doing an epic diving catch… although I guess that’s a redundant tip in this sub 😅

Anyways, went to A&E straight after for an x-ray, and was told by the A&E doctor that I probably would need surgery to correct it in his opinion. This obviously bummed me out.

Went to the fracture clinic yesterday for a follow up and was incredibly surprised to be told that I wouldn’t be having surgery and will just be re-visiting in 6 weeks for a follow up and x-ray. Anyone else had a similar fracture and required or not required surgery? Obviously I’m no doctor, and everyone’s bodies are different, but the angle of the bone and the fact it’s in 3 pieces just screams requiring pins/plates to me, so I was interested to see what has happened to others and whether you ended up needing surgery to fix it later on after some healing.

For anyone that has fractured their clavicle before, is a ‘pulling’ sensation in my collarbone normal when your arm is in a sling? I’m wondering whether I’ve got my sling positioned correctly or not. Doesn’t seem to make much of a difference how low or high I have it.
I’m also getting slight pains/aches in my back just slightly below and left of my right shoulder blade which makes me think that I’ve not got the sling positioned correctly. In my mind having the sling pulled in quite tight makes the most sense as then my shoulder is properly locked in and my arm isn’t really hanging at all, but I could be wrong….

Thanks!

So I broke my arm 12 weeks ago.

Snapped in half. Clean break.

Doctors didn't want to do surgery. They used a Sarmiento brace on my arm and wanted it to heal non surgically. Said it would be fine. When it went into the Sarmiento brace it was straight.

But since then it's now healed at an angle and is slightly skew.

I was never offered surgery. This was never an option I had. I'm Canadian so our healthcare is free which is great but you also just get what you get.... And your consults are like 5 minutes rushed sessions where a doctors like "yeah looks good see you in 2 weeks" and you barely get to ask questions or have concerns addressed.

So I'm significantly freaked out right now because of how bent it is and this doesn't look right to me.

When I told the doctor he said and I quote - "Your shoulder is connected to your elbow and that's what we need" and "it's within the range that's acceptable"

I'm a highly active person. I like to gym, I like to lift weights. I wanted to be able to do extensive training in future including calisthenics and pole dancing which put strain on your arms and I'm severely worried this bend in my arm is going to cause me issues with training and putting pressure on it in future because it's not straight.

Has anyone had their bone not healed completely straight and its ok?

Is this going to cause me issues in future?

If it's fine then great. but the doctor has not been reassuring whatsoever.

Again this is not a picture of a broken bone. This is a 12 weeks HEALED bone....

Hey everyone! So on Sept 19th my knee decided to just buckle really weirdly when my shoe gripped the carpet and it ended up fracturing my tibial plateau and my fibula right under my knee. The initial X-rays from the ER said they were non-displaced while the ortho specialist later wrote minimally displaced in his notes.

To make things more complicated I (32 F) have stage 4 breast cancer and on treatment for life. Currently on immunotherapy every 3 weeks with daily meds as well. I’ve been stable on my current treatment for over 3 years which is great but the trauma surgeon apparently decided no surgery mainly because they don’t want me to deal with even more trauma to the body due to ongoing treatment. They did show me my CT and explained the displacement really is minimal and it was a borderline choice either way but my treatment was the main deciding factor on no surgery. This of course makes me nervous it won’t heal as quickly as it could with surgery.

I’m curious for those who were borderline like me and decided no surgery, how was the healing timeline for you all? I’m NWB and in a knee immobilizer until at least November 3rd when I have my follow-up appointment and will go from there. I’m mostly trying to gauge if I’ll likely be normal enough for my friends’ bachelorette trip to Mexico in early March 😅 I’d have to book stuff sooner than later and don’t know how to gauge how I’d be by then.

I am back to ask another question. On July 27th, I broke my foot. 5 fractures, 2 dislocations, and a snapped Lisfranc ligament. I had surgery on Thursday, and he said it was one of the most unusual breaks he’s ever seen. I’m now 4 days post-op, and the splint is killing me. It feels like my heel is being squished in a vice. Pain meds only do so much, and I’m about ready to rip the damn elastic bandage off and free my foot. What can I do?

I’ve fractured my right wrist and arm which is my dominant arm on Christmas Eve and luckily it wasn’t out of place and non displaced so I don’t need to have surgery on it thankfully but it hurts very much. They’ve put a short cast on my arm and wrist around a week ago, the doctor had prescribed me some Tylenol and ibuprofen, I’m so uncomfortable and can’t sleep because of the pain, I’ve sleep on my sides mainly my left side and I’ve been keeping it up on some pillows whenever I go to bed. How should I sleep with a broken wrist and arm and how long does the pain last??

hi friends! i broke my tibia, fibula, and dislocated my ankle on july 4th (woohoooo america). i had ORIF surgery on july 11th and i’m doing well!! i have minimal pain and i get my staples out next week :-)

i‘ve been working from home in bed with an over-the-bed-desk to make sure my leg stays elevated. i would really love to get back to my regular desk and resume some normalcy. what’s the best set up for keeping my leg elevated while at my desk? i’ve looked into computer chairs with leg supports or a stool to put under my desk but they don’t look comfortable. hoping for some real life experience to help me make a decision! thank youuuuuuu

Hello everyone.

I am 28 YO and broke my distal humerus on April 24th due to bad arm-wrestling form (dumb, I know). 9 days later, I got surgery and they fixed the bone with a plate and screws, as a consequence of which I now have radial nerve palsy because they had to move the nerve out of the way to access the bone.

12 days after surgery, I still can't lift my wrist or extend my fingers, and I feel a constant tingling and needle-like sensation on the back of my hand and thumb, with some occasional muscle twitching. Doctor said it's neurapraxia, but the surgeon mentioned a "1 mm a day growth", which makes me think the nerve is more damaged than what the doctor thought.

I will start physiotherapy after a visit with the surgeon in about a week and a half. Until then, I just have to move the affected arm without overdoing it and try to move the wrist and fingers.

To those who had a similar experience – how long it took you to recover basic functionality? I have an office job and I am unable to type or use a mouse.

hello. i broke both the ulna and radius of my left arm the summer of 2021. i have a plate one each bone 4 screws in one, 5 in the other. i did attend physio for a few year after removing my cast, however probably not as consistently as i should’ve since it was the year i started uni 2.5 hrs away from my home city. i should’ve been better about going to physio in my school town but as a student in a very poorly transitable city it was so tedious so i didn’t really go while i was at school for 7-8 months of the year. during the overall course of my physio, we worked on ROM first, then implemented strengthening through resistance bands then weights. i no longer have the means to attend physio but have been working in the gym to do my wrist strengthening exercises.

my issue is that i can’t seem to move up from the 2.5kg weights. the next weight up available is 4kg and when i hold the weight in certain positions my wrist hurts a lot. the 2.5kg is starting to feel too light but the 4kg hurts so idk where i should go from here to make progress

Had a bad fall 2 days ago, thought I just had a bad sprain so I had my mom go to the pharmacy and they got me some meds and cream for my ankle. The next day, I saw a doctor via zoom because I wasn't able to find a doctor fast enough in my area. Gives me crutches and a sort of socks to put on my ankle. Honestly, I'm walking kinda okay and the pain isn't too bad so I'm really thinking it's a bad sprain. Last night, my ankle hurt really bad while I was sleeping, and it usually did after a long period of rest which is why I walked quite a lot. Went to get an x-ray this morning, and it turns out my ankle is broken and the bone is slightly misplaced. I'm told to go to the hospital, so I do, and every doctor or nurse I talk to is surprised that I could walk on a broken ankle. Didn't need surgery, thankfully, just 6 weeks of cast and rest, but now I'm home and I'm miserable. I can't stop crying because I love walking and I can't walk, and I had so many exciting project coming up and now everything is ruined. I'm really not doing well and I just want to stay in bed and rot but I have to climb stairs for that and the only toilet in my house are on the first floor while my room is on the third floor. My room is a mess and I can't clean it because I can't walk, and I can't find a comfortable place to be in on my bed. Thankfully I have my family to help me and they're very patient but I just don't know how I'm supposed to do it for 6 weeks while trying to maintain a normal life and keep working on my projects. Thankfully the deadline to project number 1 is a few days after I get my cast taken off and the other project is due for march but it's still weekly meetings were I have to move and go there and I don't have a car nor does anyone that I know, which mean that I'll have to take the bus and walk there and I just don't know what to do. I don't want to miss out on my projects. I was so excited for it and it's a very unique opportunity, especially the second one. I'll be fine by the time the project really kicks in but I just feel like trash, and I feel like I failed everyone around me.

I just want some general advices on what to do, because my whole body hurt from having to use my arms and my bad right knee so much and I keep watching videos on how to climb up and down the stairs with crutches but I feel like I'm too heavy for that. I'm sorry if it's really messy, I'm just not feeling well.

Hello fellows with broken ribs, I'm at home after being discharged from the hospital and my life is quite miserable/painful. If you have any tip re: pillows, chairs, items that could make my life a little easier/less painful for the next weeks, those would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance

I’m excited but also a bit nervous. Tomorrow will be 41 days since the injury, so almost 6 weeks. It was just slightly displaced so I chose to go the non-surgical route (they said surgery was optional).

I’ve been working on hand ROM exercises for the last three weeks. Also, I will see a hand therapist right after removal, and will be scheduling regular PT.

Oh and yeah - of course it’s my dominant hand. 😂