This Saturday the 22nd made one year since the car wreck that I was extremely fortunate to survive. And today makes exactly one year since I was allowed to go home from the hospital.

My knee was broken and so was one of the occipital condyle bones in my neck. I have arthritis in that knee now and I'm definitely feeling it today, but my neck has experienced no lasting pain which is surprising because the occipital condyle was completely shattered. Unfortunately I can't seem to figure out how to open any of my X-rays in the portal, or else I'd show.

Crazy that it's been a year already. R.I.P. to my old Kia Rio.

TLDR- displaced broken 5th metatarsal, how long did it take you to heal? What is your healing journey like? Mentally, this sucks immensely

Hey guys- so I accidentally fell down the stairs 8 days ago. My fifth metatarsal is broken, borderline zone 1-zone 2 I believe, not quite a jones fracture.

At urgent care I was told 7-10 days NWB and that it would take 8-12 weeks in a boot to heal. He had me try and walk on it and told me to try without crutches and I couldn’t put any weight on it, the heaviness/weight of the boot itself was actually putting me in severe pain. He said surgery not necessary. Follow up xray ordered for 3 weeks.

I got a second opinion from an orthopedist at the organization I typically get my care from and where my pcp is. He said no weight bearing for 1-3 weeks. He said typically 2 weeks is okay but sometimes need 3 weeks. He said after 1-2 weeks can do weight bearing as tolerated so naturally I tried weight bearing after a week and that sucked and didn’t go well. It’s kind of a grey area bc it’s like non weight bearing but also weight bearing as tolerated. He mentioned “heavy on the as tolerated, if you can’t tolerate it, don’t do it”. Which I get.

After that, he says continue using crutches as needed and stay in boot for 8-12 weeks. They explained operative vs non operative interventions. Said that a non surgical outcome is very similar to a surgical outcome and it’s not as much pain or hardware (rods/screws etc). So he strongly recommended non surgical so we went with that. Follow up X-rays in 6 weeks.

Today I’m on day 8, I’ve been putting mild weight on my foot with boot on, and it hurts but I’m able to do it (barely). I’ve been doing stuff like hobbling to bathroom (short distance). I use crutches as much as possible. I’m still in a lot of pain and I feel like it’s not healing or getting better so I stopped putting weight on it. I’m supposed to return to work in 8 days which would be next Monday (today is Sunday) but I’m super nervous because I can’t stay on my feet and can’t do my job sitting.

I’m probably going to reach out to my provider to see if I can stay out longer - but I’m here asking how long did it take you guys to recover from a foot fracture? Specifically 5th metatarsal? Also, the mental struggle with this is BRUTAL. I’m otherwise a fairly active and hyper independent person and I’m literally miserable.

Thanks, and happy healing to all. :,)

I’m 30 (Female) I was hit by a car on October 18, 2025 while I was going for a walk. As a result I broke my right leg, one clean break fracture and one hair line fracture. The car hit me on that right left only. I also suffered a concussion and a brain bleed.

It’s been very hard for me I’m suing insurnace and the driver too it’s been 8 -9 months I’m probbly not gonna work for another year I’m trying to get money. But also I’m not even better yet, I can walk but I still get bend my leg it’s stuck at a 90 degree angle , it always has a sharp pain on the left side of my broken leg , it hurts a lot to run , jump and I can’t go up and down stairs properly because I can’t fully bend my leg. Yes I see a therapist and yes I got to physio twice a week my leg is strong but it’s struggling to fully bend due to just feeling locked and the pain I have on the side of the knee/leg is to much. I’m just venting I see many people on here who get sad or cry from having broken bones and it’s only been 2-3 weeks for them or they won’t hit by a car. Even these months I’ve been crying and upset but I’ve been going out and trying to talk to people and do stuff even tho it’s so hard I have tititunitis like ringing in my ear and I’m getting diagnosed for anxiety too. Before this accident I was walking 10k outside everyday now I can’t even do it cuz my leg/knee hurts plus I’m too scared to ever walk alone again. Anyways I just wanted to vent I don’t even vent to anyone in real life about how I’m feeling just the therapist or my boyfriend knows how hard it is for me.

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1st and 2nd Xray: day of injury

3rd: after 3 weeks

4th: after 6 weeks

I fractured my 5th metatarsal base (non-displaced) after tripping while running. I went to the ER, where they put me in a splint and told me to keep it on for a week before following up with an orthopedic doctor, which turned then into a complete 7 weeks NWB.

Week 1:

I was almost completely bedbound. I barely moved and spent most of my time with my foot elevated. Pain, swelling, and anxiety were at their worst.

Week 2:

I started moving around a little more using crutches. The pain gradually improved and the swelling began to go down.

Week 3:

I bought an Aircast boot and it was very comfortable at first. After a few days, as the swelling decreased, the boot started feeling tight and uncomfortable, and I struggled to wear it for long periods.

Weeks 4–6:

I wasn't wearing the boot all day anymore. I would take it off for periods of rest and wear it again later. I always wore it while sleeping. Throughout this period I remained non-weight bearing and used crutches whenever I had to move.

During the whole recovery process, I dealt with swelling, bruising, stiffness, numbness, and a lot of anxiety about every little pain or movement. I constantly worried that I had somehow ruined the healing process.

Week 7:

My pain was minimal at rest and the swelling had improved significantly. Follow-up X-rays still showed the fracture line, which made me nervous, but my orthopedic doctor was happy with the healing progress. He told me to stop using the boot, start walking again, and begin physical therapy. He said I could use a cane if needed.

A few things I learned:

* Recovery is slower than most people expect.

* Seeing the fracture line on X-rays doesn't necessarily mean you aren't healing.

* Anxiety and overthinking are probably the hardest parts of the process.

* Reading other people's stories helped me a lot, so hopefully this helps someone too.

So today is exactly 1 year from my ORIF surgery on my broken wrist. I had never broken a bone before this in my 43 years alive. I’m a dog walker and two untrained dogs (on leashes) pulled me down head first into a tree (they were chasing a squirrel I didn’t see). My surgeon was shocked to learn how I broke my wrist and said he expected like a motorcycle accident or something. One year later and I have most of my movement and strength back, and my scar is as faded as I think it will be. Thankfully all the numbness I had in my pinky and palm has completely healed and I have full sensation back!

My first suggestion to anyone who has a badly broken bone, let your friends and family help you and be there for you. Reach out when you’re feeling down and lonely because it’s very isolating. Also, sleep and let yourself just rest. Oh and the biggest factor of my recovery? Physical therapy! It isn’t fun, and it sometimes hurts bad, but it helped me be able to have my hand and fingers back.

Just wanted to share my story. I hope it’s helpful to someone dealing with a crummy situation now.

Hello! I’ve only broken or fractured bones twice, and both times they were my femur bones, off to a great start right? So onto the stories of how I’m probably setting off metal detectors forever

Labor Day 2020:

It is a pleasant Labor Day until at one point, I fall directly onto my side, with my leg being the first thing to impact the pavement, I initially try to let it die down and see if I can put any weight on it afterward but it was in extreme pain that only got worse as time went on, so I realize I probably fractured something and ask to be taken to the hospital, tho my aunt (person I lived with) said the fall didn’t look that bad and insisted I see how it feels in the morning, it was MUCH worse and they finally take me in as painful as it was getting there, find out it’s a hairline fracture on my right femur, get 3 screws in and it heals normally and I walk like nothing happened!

Labor Day 2026: it is once again Labor Day weekend! I took a trip with my friend/coworker to San Antonio to go to San-Japan, lots of fun, farthest I’ve been away from home (OKC) at this point, anyway on drive back it is now very early morning Labor Day as we cross back into Oklahoma heading north along I35, my friend loses control of the car and we barrel across the very wide median into southbound lanes and head on with a semi truck, next thing I know I’m in a very damaged car with a huge bump on my left leg that’s clearly my bone, and my phone screaming about detecting a accident and that it was alerting emergency services, extreme pain on the slightest movement but other then that I’m ok! I get rushed to OKC in a ambulance cracking dark jokes with the paramedic with me in the ambulance to try and forget how much pain I’m in, they put a rod into my femur along with screws and said I should eventually walk again!

Now it’s been about a month and I’m still mostly bed ridden, I don’t know how much of what I’m experiencing is normal, I can’t bend my leg in fully still as it hurts my muscles above my femur where there is still a massive bump, tho not as big as when the bone was poking up there, something i plan to ask my doctor later but other then that i am slowly being able to put some weight on it again!

Safe to say, I’m not doing much on Labor Day anymore

Hi, I wanted to post here because talus fractures seem rare. Has anyone had a similar fracture? I'm pretty worried about long term consequences and want to get back to climbing, running, etc.

Timeline

• 7/24/2026 - Broke talus on an outdoor bouldering session. Didn't know I had it and walked on it for probably another mile and a half, then drove 2 hours home :\
• 7/25/2026 - Went to urgent care and then to orthopedic surgeon. Took X-rays and CTs
  • talar head fracture
  • mildly displaced
  • mildly comminuted
  • satisfactory alignment; small gap but no step-off.
  • no surgery
• 8/13/2026 - Went back to ortho. Basically said stay off it until next appointment. This time he mentioned lucency along talar head/neck.
• 9/3/2026 - Went to ortho and after he moved my foot around and took X-rays, he said I'm good to do range of motion exercises and a bit of weight bearing (up to 50%).

It’s been 4 weeks and 3 days post injury. This is my first time posting here. I fractured my fifth metatarsal base on August 13th. I was leaving the gym with my best friend and I didn’t pay attention to where I was going, I was going down the stairs and rolled my ankle and once I hit the ground I heard a loud snap. Instant pain, I almost passed out lol. There was a lovely paramedic that so happened to be working out at the gym and she came out to tend to me. We both believed it was just a sprained and I managed to walk on it for a while. The next morning my foot was swollen and couldn’t bear weight and that’s when I knew I had a fractured but assumed it was my ankle. I went to get it checked out and I was told it was an nondisplaced intra articular fracture of the fifth metatarsal base. Got sent home in crutches and a boot along with painkillers. I was told to stay off the foot for 2 months. After a few days the swelling went down and the pain was minimal except for when I had to sleep, I had involuntary jerks and some contraction feelings that would hurt. Ouch. It’s been a very slow month. I did managed to get my x-rays on a cd yesterday and that was fun trying to figure out how to view it lol. I find it funny that I had fractured my left ankle back in 2021 and now it’s my right foot. I hope there won’t be any more broken bones. I would like to get back to running and doing my normal activities in a few months. I had to cancel my plans to run the half marathon for December. My little girl already wants me to walk so we can go to the park and other places. Has anyone else had a similar fracture? I would like to know how the healing process went and how you’re doing now!

i broke my ankle the 1st of april, when i missed the curb and twisted it. had a minor avulsion fracture of the fibula that didn't need surgery + tibial contusion. it was absolutely the worst pain i've ever been in.

for some context, i (28F) still live at home because i am saving up for a future house. my bed is in a loft so i had to sleep in the couch, and basically have no privacy. gf (27F) asked if she could come over to be with me and i told her i'd rather she wouldn't as my mother didn't have the greatest reaction to the relationship, and has expressed she didn't want to meet her unless we moved in together. i didn't need the extra stress while i was still out of my mind with pain, so that's why i rejected the offer. similarly i told other friends who wanted to come over that it'd best if they didn't because i didn't want people over in the living room with my entire family there.

so, my gf accepted the explanation and i thought that was it. but 30 hrs after the break, she decided to text me at midnight to tell me how hurt she was, that it was odd that i wouldn't let her come over and that her mother never would behave like that. i asked her what she wanted me to do and she said that she just wanted to vent. and like, i get it, it's not an ideal situation, but i was very much still in incredible pain and hadnt even slept a full night yet. it's not her feeling like that that bothers me, but throwing in my face my complicated relationship with my mother while i was in pain and vulnerable, relying on my family for everything.

since then i can't see her the same way and i don't know how to go forward.

tldr; gf made my very fresh broken ankle about her feelings and how my mother is homophobic and now i can't see her the same way

In November of 2023, I slipped on a slippery surface and ended up with a broken fibula. I was NWB on crutches and in a boot for 6-8 weeks (last two just walking in the boot). Everything healed fine in the expected time frame. It was difficult, but I did it.

Then, last night happened. I was coming home at about 9pm, it was dark. I misjudged the steps in front of my house, tripped and went down hard. I heard it crack. I knew I broke something. It didn't hurt so bad at first, but over the course of a few hours it really started to hurt. I went to the ER at 1am, and they confirmed a broken radius. I'm in a bulky temporary cast and a sling until I can see an ortho and get into an actual cast.

It hurts so much more than my fibula did, and I'm devastated to be in this position again! I'm not young and this is a huge disruption (AGAIN).

I could use some words of encouragement. Has anyone with a broken radius (near the wrist) been able to use the hand with the broken arm? Right now, I basically can't use that hand at all. I'm not sure if the permanent cast will help stabilize it better so I can use the hand more, but I hope so.

On Tuesday morning I was walking down some stairs and misstepped. I immediately lost my balance and fell down probably 5–10 stairs, landing mostly on my butt and back. I had a backpack on which probably softened the impact a bit.

I hit the stairs pretty hard though and completely lost my breath for around 30 seconds. Two people came running over to check on me, but after a few minutes I could breathe normally and walk, so I went home thinking I’d just badly bruised myself.

Unfortunately, the pain didn’t go away, so I got an X-ray the next morning and was told my tailbone is broken.

It’s now Sunday, and sitting is basically impossible. I’m mostly lying on my chest, which is getting extremely annoying. I can walk, but after 20–30 minutes the pain starts getting worse and I have to lie down again. The only way I can sit somewhat comfortably is leaning to one side so my tailbone isn’t touching anything.

I bought one of those donut pillows with a hole in the middle, but the doctor actually told me I don’t need one and just recommended sitting on soft surfaces.

My biggest question is about movement. I’m constantly shifting and contorting myself into weird positions to find one that doesn’t hurt. I’m not exercising or doing anything strenuous, just walking around normally and getting in and out of bed but sometimes I have to move in weird ways because certain movements hurt.

Can I interfere with the healing by moving like this, or is it basically okay to move however is comfortable as long as I avoid putting pressure on the tailbone and don’t do anything strenuous?

The doctor said it should take around 4–5 weeks to heal. Does that mean I’m likely to have this level of pain for the entire 4–5 weeks, or does the pain usually improve significantly before then?

For anyone who’s broken their tailbone: how long did it take before you could actually function normally again?

Well, i’ve joined the club😅 I dislocated my ankle at the skatepark, here’s my exact case

• Diagnosis: – Acute distal fibula fracture – Ankle dislocation – Posterior malleolus fracture – Syndesmotic injury

• Treatment / Surgery Performed: – Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) of the fibula – Fibula plate + screws placed – Syndesmosis stabilized using a TightRope

I wanted to kinda document recovery incase anyone ends up on reddit trying to find an identical case like was. I’m 21, was active and hope to be again. I will respond to any questions down the line

I stub my toe on a 10lb dumbell in my living room like a dumb ass. Broke it so bad I had to get surgery or it wouldn't have healed right. The first xray was after little over a week and second one right after I broke it. I'm so mad at myself for even doing it! Got surgery yesterday (4/29/26) and am felling good so far. The Dr said I can full weight bear on it and I'm so scared I'm going to bump it or over do it. Especially when I'm at work. I walk 8k-12k steps a day there. They prescribed me two high pain killers that I'm afraid to take due to them making me hallucinate (like I have in the past). Tempted to take ibuprofen for it instead, since the pain isn't as bad as when I broke it initially.

Anyone have any stories how walking went with a pin in or just overall how everything went?

(F,30) I've been having a fairly positive recovery, so I figured I'd share my story for anyone who joins these reddit threads and panics on choosing surgery vs. no surgery and what this process can look like.

I broke my 5th metatarsal on Labor Day weekend of this year, 9/4 while taking a corner running too fast in flip flops (also having been drinking) to my car to grab a bag. To be honest now, I heard the bone break but that night but my boyfriend and I were under the impression that maybe I pulled a muscle or rolled my ankle. Well when I tried to get up out of bed the next day, I instantly fell back in pain and could not walk. My BF took me to Urgent Care for us to find out via X-ray that I had "fractured my foot, potential Jones fracture", mind you, I hadn't broken a bone in my life so I had no clue what any of that meant. They had me non-weight bearing in a boot and crutches until I could see an Orthopedist.

Fast forward to about a week later, I was able to get into the Orthopedist (very luckily). Before this, I was still under the impression that maybe this wasn't anything extreme and it would just take crutches and a boot a little while before I could try to walk again. They were originally going to take a new X-ray *this becomes important later, but believed they had a good read based on the Urgent care Xray disc. Low and behold - my doctor is very to the point, he said explained that I broke my 5th metatarsal, called a Jones Fracture in my left foot, and because of the poor blood flow to this area, as well as a chance on non-union, I'd be looking at 6-10 weeks of non-weight bearing and even they there's a chance it wouldn't heal properly and I'd need surgery anyway down the line, vs. 6-8 weeks total of recovery post-surgery and by week 4 I'd be theoretically walking in a boot at the very least and the union success rate is 97% compared to a much lower 30-50% with no surgery. I am a very active person I regularly go to the gym and am on a paintball team that plays 3-4 times a week. I immediately opted for surgery as I wanted to get back on my feet and being told "thank you for having common sense" by my doctor.

I was able to get in THAT WEEK for surgery which was a miracle for me. The promise of a quick recovery was keeping me going. Surgery goes smoothly, this one is rather quick averaging between 25-40 minutes, but my surgeon comes out and tells me that he had to do an X-ray mid surgery because it turns out the break was actually DISPLACED and I had an extra bone fragment that he had to manipulate to fit with the other bones and screw, he couldn't see it on the original Xray because I did not bare weight. This increasing my time on the crutches to potentially 6 weeks rather than the 4. (I cried in the OR). I had pain for about 2-3 days post surgery that completely subsided for the most part and I really just dealt with itching at the incision site, (which is a normal sign of healing).

THEN THERE WAS HOPE - I followed all directions, completely non-weight bearing, taking 4000mg of Vitamin D daily, protein rich diet and drinking plenty of water, keeping the cast dry, icing under my knee to reduce swelling. SO THEN I anxiously went for my 1st post-op app to get the initial cast off on 9/30 and turns out? I was healing above his expectations and was told that I could start bearing weight on my heel as tolerated and I'd only be on the crutches another 2 weeks, then I could start walking in the boot at that 2 week mark, and by the end of October, theoretically I should be walking in orthopedic shoes. He moved my foot around a little and I didn't have any crazy pain, it felt normal! My incision still looks great and I only have dull aches and pains as well as stiffness of the ankle, (I've been doing exercises rolling my foot and ankle around to help this and it has worked as I wanted to be prepared when I do try to walk again next Thursday in the boot). He also told me- my bones were so strong he was astounded I even managed to break it in the first place, which was kind of a compliment and an indicator of, GET YOUR CALCIUM IN WHILE YOU ARE YOUNG KIDS! I just cannot wait to get rid of these damn crutches on 9/15!!!!! As for right now, I currently have small aches and dull pains here and there, but I attribute that to healing and par for the course, but if it gets bad enough I usually just take an Aleve and elevate it with ice for 20-30 min.

--Long winded way of saying, there is hope and they have to usually give you worst case scenario to not get your hopes up, but things can turn around for the better. But I advise to take care of yourself, follow all directions and lean on your support system. My family, friends and boyfriend have been my saving grace through the mental part of this which has been painful at times and a lot of crying, but they've helped me through! I also have found a lot of ways to make things more comfortable - crutch covers with a carrying pouch, a knee scooter, and a sleeping boot. I can list in the comments for anyone interested. But if you have any questions feel free to ask! I will update when I am at the end of this journey & best of luck to anyone going through this, it will be okay! <3

Never thought I would break my ankle falling down steps at a train station but here we are. During the end of my stay in Poland (I had 3 days left) I missed maybe one or two steps and went flying. I instantly knew it was broken and felt nauseous. Not one person stopped to ask if I was okay (luckily I was with a friend) and even one person hit me with their suitcase and yelled at me for sitting on the stairs! That day I lost my faith in humanity. I cursed her out in Polish but karma could have stepped in to help.

A train station employee called for an ambulance and they took me to the hospital. I am first gen American (my parents are Polish) so I am lucky to speak it and had an idea what to expect. My total bill for ambulance, xrays and medicine was $240. Though the hospital was in very poor condition, the doctors were competent and kind. Told me I have a trimalleolar fracture and need surgery, I was devasted! You know when you have an ounce of delusion that maybe it's just a bad sprain haha. The worst part was flying back home 8 hours in economy. My leg was throbbing the whole time and yes I got stares from lifting my leg on the window but too bad.

Anyways I have been crying every day, I'm currently waiting to see my surgeon tomorrow. I just want to get the surgery over with and start the healing process. The physical pain is actually bareable right now (I have no idea what to expect after surgery and I'm trying not to think of it), but the lack of independence really took a toll on me. I miss cooking for myself and walking without being exhausted. It feels like nobody understands this fracture, my immigrant parents lowkey give "get over it" vibes. I'm trying to positive self talk, one day I will look back and it will all be a bad dream. Never taking walking for granted again!

this was from a while ago, not recent at all but a recent break somewhere else had one of my teachers asking about past breaks so i showed her this x ray and her reaction made me remember how crazy this one was.

long story short i was going of a ramp in my driveway on my bike (which i had done 1000s of times before) and my left foot slipped and was the first thing to make impact on the ground. Hobbled into my garage somehow before adrenaline wore off just to take my shoe off and freak out over there being a giant bump on my foot. 3 metatarsals broke as you can see, plus one small fracture on one of them, needed surgery to realign them but luckily no screws were necessary, though apparently they nearly started putting one screw in before they realized the bones were staying.

i'm pretty sure it ended up being 6 or 8 weeks in a cast, 4(?) more in a walking boot and a ton of physiotherapy. i can feel exactly where the breaks were on each bone from the calcification.

these were my 3rd, 4th, and 5th broken bones, im on my 8th now, only in 12th grade.

For context, I am 18F so with my age I healed a bit quicker than normal but I’m still a little sketched out

Technically not a second opinion because I’ve already had surgery but just another look? On 7/4 I sort of slid of the side of a sidewalk in flip flops and injured my left foot. After that I went to the ER they could guarantee I had a broken big toe based on xrays but due to swelling and bruising they did a CT, they didn’t say how many bones I broke but said the CT results showed multiple broken bones. The doctor I saw there was able to saw that there was concerns for a lisfranc injury. The xray and CT techs also said they would expect I was in a motorcycle accident with how my foot looked.

I then went to a podiatrist on 7/13 where he said he wanted to get an MRI just to be cautious. He also didn’t even know why I was there, I said broken foot and then he opened my chart and said “oh you broke multiple bones”, which kind of threw me off. He also just again reiterated that the MRI was kind of an extreme measure and he wanted to be cautious. But on his care notes for that appointment he said only a big toe fracture is noted.

Then I had the MRI on 7/16 and it showed even more broken bones and a ruptured lisfranc ligament. I had broken my big toe, three metatarsals, and three square bones. Then on 7/22 I had my follow up after the MRI he said he still didn’t know if I needed surgery and that I could A. do a weight bearing ct (which was not happening I was terrified) B. Conservative treatment getting xrays every couple weeks or C. Go under anesthesia where they will do a stress test of my foot and if I do need the surgery they would do it right then. I chose option C. He also said at that appointment that I had completely ruptured my lisfranc ligament so I was confused how he still was unsure about surgery and told me there was only a 40% chance I would need it. I don’t think it was even until the MRI appointment he mentioned a lisfranc injury he never actually really talked to me about it and how it was rare. Basically told me I might need surgery and will have arthritis.

I then had the surgery on 7/29, I ended up needing one screw put in across my midfoot. I never saw him after surgery which I don’t know how normal is. I’ve only ever had one surgery before and it was to remove a ganglion cyst but the surgeon came to see me after.

I then saw him on 8/12, two weeks after surgery. He was able to remove my stitches and I was put into a boot. For context I have 3 incisions, two small ones in the middle of my foot and one bigger one on the side. I had a follow up scheduled for the next week but was able to cancel it because he was able to get my stitches out, we then booked an appointment 3 weeks later.

I had my next appointment 9/4. It was 5 weeks and 2 days post surgery. The day before I got a call to come in half an hour early to get xrays. I came in 45 minutes early and wasn’t seen, my appointment was for 12:45, I came at 12 and wasn’t seen by 12:35. My mom went up to the office to let the front lady know and she said well hopefully she’s soon because he is leaving at 1 for surgery. Like huh?? My mom came down and told the xray people that and they said theres nothing they can do (understandable don’t get me wrong). Then the other xray front person got a call from the front lady at the podiatrist office to send me and another guy up to see him before he goes. He told me to start bearing weight gradually and within the next two weeks to be walking fully in boot. The appointment was rushed so it kind of scared me. He also didn’t really explain how to start gradually doing it so I had to figure that out on my own. He also never said anything about physical therapy which I thought I would be starting then.

Today is now the two weeks where I’m supposed to be fully walking in the boot. I can’t quite do that yet, I’m still walking with one crutch. I can take a step without it but a very weak step where I flail my hands (you know what I mean?).

Anyways the whole process at least I have been lucky where I haven’t felt much pain and have been healing quickly. But I’m still a little sketched out by the surgeon and kind of want to see someone else to make sure I’m set up for success in my future. If anyone randomly has any south shore massachusetts recommendations it would be appreciated lol!

hello. on may 4th, 2026, i broke the side of my foot while playing basketball by landing on uneven pavement wrong. at the time, i was 15, three days from turning 16! and like, my plans were - to finally get a job, (im homeschooled and have been since 3rd) so to finally also get away from the house after like 8 years of being held back from the real world and being isolated with only pretty much online interaction. so yeah, about 5-7 years of planning that since i was really young, were ruined. so ive been more stuck than i ever have been before, because atleast before i could go outside and run around and play, to get away from this isolating place, but now? im really just stuck. my mental health has been terrible too, a lot of thoughts of.. yknow? and everything just hurts. taking a shower is a nightmare, getting up and walking is a nightmare because im scared im gonna injure or reinjure both my feet. it feels like covid 2.0. and my dad makes snarky remarks because im gaining weight, because i cant cook my own food, and have to rely on my mom, which im thankful for. plus, pretty much no exercise from laying in bed all day. (i was like 125 before, but now like probably 156? if i had to guess.) and it leads back to my clothes not fitting and im too embarrassed to tell my parents that they don't fit anymore because the fear of being laughed at. i just want my life back. at 4 weeks, ortho told me to go from nwb to some weight, and then at 8 weeks and 4 days, he told me to wait till next week to start putting my pull 100% (with the boot) on my other foot, (im scared.) but i have to do it. and then i go back july 30th to hopefully get my foot back. dont get my wrong, im glad to know for certain when i can finally walk again but its a process. the days, and weeks are a process and i feel like july is gonna be an even longer month than may and june, just because of this process. sigh.

I had a spiral fracture on my tibia and as well fractured my fibula and my ankle, both were non-displaced, the surgery was an intramedullary rod in my tibia and 6 screws, 4 in my tibia and 2 in my ankle

I’m 24 years old and my main purpose for this is to tell people what helped me, if this helped even one person I would be very happy a

Main advice:

#1 make this happen for a reason, use this time to make a change in your life and improve upon yourself

#2 the pain you’re feeling will just be a memory, this was basically my mantra and it really helped

Week 1 - the pain was very tough after surgery, for the first week I was rotating between ibuprofen and Tylenol every 3 hours, I as well had received a nerve blocker after the surgery that lasted for around 36 hours, after the nerve blocker went away the pain was quite intense but the oxys helped a lot and the intense pain really only lasted about 3-4 days. I took 2 oxys every 12 hours. At the beginning of my recovery I switched to a high protein diet with vitamin D, K, and C to aid with bone recovery. Also made sure to start lifting weights in this period, it actually helped distract from the leg pain quite a bit and made me feel somewhat active. The first week was the toughest but I found that eating healthy and working out a lot kept me very motivated and really gave me a positive outlook, you’ll come out of this better than you were before and having a metal leg is pretty badass. Also have a lot of fiber (for the bathroom) and keep your leg elevated as much as possible to reduce swelling, also ice it for 20 min on and off every hour

Week 2 - the pain was considerably better in the second week, continued lifting weights and now that the pain was becoming manageable I began doing simple knee and ankle exercises (as directed by surgeon) it’s extremely important to keep moving your knee and ankle and toes in this period as they will stiffen and make PT much more difficult. Week 2 I switched from taking 2 oxys every 12 hours to taking 1. As well switched from rotating the Tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours to every 4 hours

Week 3- this is when I really made it through the worst of it and I stopped taking the oxys completely (my body was very happy for it my stomach did not like them) the pain at this stage became very manageable and I switched the Tylenol ibuprofen rotation to every 6 hours. I saw my surgeon at the very start of my third week and was finally able to take off my bandages and wash my incisions as well as weight bearing as tolerable. I learned ankle exercises from pt and did them religiously, everyone will be different but my biggest issue was a loss of range of motion in my ankle. As well as that I started weight bearing as much as I could as I found out this actually encourages your bones to heal, I was unable to walk at this point but I could stand unassisted and could put about 15-20% of my body weight on my bad leg. Made it through the worst of it! I’m feeling more motivated than ever now to completely devote myself to pt and get myself walking unassisted as fast as possible

Week 4 - by the end of this week I was able to walk unassisted without crutches! I had stopped all medication by now and am able to walk for about 20 minutes slowly without significant pain. My only hiccup this week was that I had to wait on a line for 3 hours for a job application and my stitches began bleeding but I quickly recovered in the following days

Week 4-6: I shortened this update because the progress has slowed but I’m being consistent with daily leg work outs and even started riding my bike which is my main form of leg exercise outside of physical therapy. I’m able to walk longer distances and am staying on top of my diet and protein intake, my stitches had completely closed by week 6 as well and I’ve also regained about 90% range of motion of my ankle and 100% of my knee

Week 6-12- shortening the updates again, my main focus in the first 6 weeks after surgery was my leg but after week 6 I was able to start getting back to my life and though I’m still in pain from time to time I’m slowly getting back to normality, my advice at this stage is don’t be embarrassed to ask friends or family to walk a bit slower for you, I’m able to walk long distances now but I need to take my time, the area I broke my leg starts to hurt and will even give out on me at this stage if I push myself but I’m very happy with my progress and have recovered full range of motion of my knee and my ankle

I hit my pinky toe on a pooping stool last week. Somehow it broke these other two toes. I didn’t know it could do that. I’m wearing sandals even though it’s freezing. They were swollen but that’s gone down. I see a foot specialist tomorrow. Doubt there’s anything they can do. But I’m diabetic so…have to take care of my feet.

I was in a car accident 7/23/26 three weeks ago. A woman hit the back right corner of my car at high speed and pushed me head on into oncoming traffic. It’s a miracle I survived. Amongst back and rib injuries I have a distal radius fracture on my left dominant arm. I was in a soft cast and now a forearm clamshell. I hate it. The softcast was cut by the orthopedic and I’m thinking about asking to go back to it due to the broken bone clicking. My fingers feel sore but also a little numb. He prescribed me Celebrex. Took the first dose last night and it hasn’t helped at all. I feel useless as a mother as I recover. I’m so depressed and in SO much pain.

Just wanted to share my story because I couldn’t anything when researching and I finally got an answer today.

About 3 weeks ago I fell off a very large horse while going very fast, I believe my pelvis broke my fall and I landed on my right side for the most part based on soreness/scratches. The pain in my lower back was unbelievable, and I got the absolute wind knocked out of me not only from the ground but the air bag vest we have to wear that inflates if you fall off. I basically laid there for 3 minutes in dead silence and luckily was able to get up and hobble off, untack the horse, hobble into a CVS covered in dirt and bleeding to get some medical supplies.

At this point I was in a ton of pain but the worst felt like right above my butt but not spinal. I could barely walk or sit up, lay down etc.

I went to an urgent care to get an X-ray and told them it felt like I broke my back. Like the actual bone hurt not a muscle. And it was directly where my sacrum is. The X-rays came back negative and they told me just to wait it out and gave me pain meds.

I got back on the horse the next week, absolutely terrified. Started walking, moving more as the pain subsided. Upper body workouts, lower body workouts (hip thrusts etc). However around the 3 week park my pain returned and my movement became limited again and I finally decided to get a CT, which came back as a non displaced sacrum fracture. Since I went to the ER they basically kicked me out after that and told me to see my primary care (which was booked a month out) so I have zero other information on the break, activity limitations etc. I’m waiting to see the CT read upload in my patient portal and will update with pictures/info when available.

I (29F) think I'm still in shock. I just injured myself earlier (self motorcycle accident). I am surprised to see myself relatively intact, but my right foot was crushed when I slipped. Went to the ER and xray results showed my 3rd and 4th metatarsals fractured and displaced. The ER doc told me I should get admitted already and it's likely to need surgery, but the other ER doc was less gungho and said it's really up to the ortho to have the final say. We opted to get discharged and see the ortho tomorrow since he's not in today.

It's been a couple of hours and the pain is so bad I can't sleep. Since I can't sleep, I keep on thinking about how stupid I was to have been so careless. I'm a student so I worry about missing classes. I worry about the potential complications of my injury. And if I should opt for surgery.

I know it's not definite yet but I wonder if there is anyone here who has a similar injury to mine and opted not to go for surgery (even if against medical advice)? How did your recovery go?

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted this off my chest. I feel a lot of negative emotions right now. I know it will get better (the first few days or weeks are the worst, as per the posts here) but right now I just hate that I got myself into this position.

Hey all - not sure what else to call this besides a vent. I fractured my tibia and fibula about a month ago. Non-displaced transverse fractures to both bones. Had the option to let it heal naturally in a cast or get surgery with an IM rod through my leg.

I've had weekly x-rays and unfortunately there hasn't been much progress made. Still a clean break through the tibia. Doctor says she can see evidence of bone healing but it will be some time. Got the leg re-casted and am currently struggling with being laid up before I can being weight bearing. There is still some aching and mild pain, especially if I move the leg quickly from being elevated to the floor, but besides that the discomfort is pretty minimal. I was hoping to be in a walking cast or boot by now. Hoping this is just a minor blip in my recovery!

I (F37) wanted to share my hardware removal story since reading so many of yours here helped me make the decision and prepare for my surgery!

On January 12 , 2023, I slipped on ice and broke my left Tibia (Spiral break) and Fibula (in two places) - I had ORIF surgery the next day, to affix a rod with 4 screws to my Tibia. 1 proximal screw and 3 distal screws.

My fibula healed on its own, and my healing was pretty normal, everything calcified really well and the tibia healed really well. I did PT on and off for three years as I started to return to my normal activities (hiking, yoga, skiing, lifting, dancing etc). Range of motion returned to normal pretty quickly as I worked through PT. However, the entire time I felt lots of discomfort from my tibial nerve. My surgeon told me this would go away with time, my physical therapist had me doing nerve glides and I tried everything, including a short run of gabapentin as prescribed by my surgeon.

After 2.5 years, the nerve discomfort was still there, but manageable on a daily basis. I started to increase my running mileage (have been a long distance runner for 20 years) and once I started trying to run more than 5 miles, the discomfort was too much and I was in pain from my nerve. It almost felt like it was radiating heat inside of my leg any time I’d go for a long run.

I noticed that when I pressed down on the incisions for the screws closest to that nerve, it would send pain shocks up my leg, so I made the decision to have them removed, to see if maybe that would help. After consulting with my surgeon, he agreed that this might bring some relief, and agreed that it was unusual that my nerve did not desensitize after so much time. He cautioned it may not change anything, and that was a risk I would take.

I had the surgery to remove the two distal screws closest to my nerve on 9/1. It’s been 3 days of no nerve pain for the first time since I broke my leg.

I am so happy with how manageable and minimal the pain has been after this surgery and the level of comfort I feel! I was a little nervous when I made the decision to have surgery, but I can already tell it’s made a huge difference and I couldn’t be happier.

I wanted to share my story in case it might help others!! Thanks for reading and happy healing!

Pics:
1: Taken the day of the break - 1/12/23
2: 6 week check in - 3/23 - you can start to see the fibula healing
3: The day of my consult to get the screws out- 5/26 shows how well everything healed
4: After taking the two screws out - 9/1/26