Is 3 and half weeks enough time for fibula to unite.?

[Alesypalsy]

hi, i have been trying to contact my doctor with no luck whatsoever after numerous calls.....thought would try here !

so i have a weber b oblique fracture, was unstable but after closed reduction got it into place and a plaster cast was applied,, no other way to say it except it has been pure hell the past 3 and a half weeks in that cast, i had day/night non stop for one week with pure agony from the pressure on the cast , i returned to hospital 2 times to have them check it my bone was still in correct position,

over this past weekend it became unbearable, i had to keep moving my leg from one side to the next in order to get either the nerve on one side to stop hurting or the blood vessel on the other side to get blood through to my foot, i felt as if i had blisters and water running down my leg yesterday which was the catalist to return to the plaster room this morning and get my cast changed,

my only worry now ,,,,, was 3 and a half weeks or 25 days enough for the bone to stay united.?

the plaster guy was very nice and said the bone would be well knitted together by now, but the new cast is not as tight as the last ,,, which i guess was reason it nearly killed me!

i was due to start weight bearing in 3 more days and the original cast to come off in 11 more days , (5 weeks) but as the new replacement cast is not as tight i am concerned i may displace it if i put weight on it ,,,,

anyone got any opinion on this regards to the bond/ union time and it staying stable to be able to weight bear?

thanks for reading!

[Fruitandnutcase]

I’m not an expert but three and a half weeks doesn’t sound all that long - especially if you have osteoporosis.

Looking at what it says about bone healing online there are several different stages. I imagine from that the bone guy said he means it will have started to heal and the callous formed etc.

I definitely think you need to speak to someone from the orthopaedic dept who set your bones before you start walking on your foot. I always thought six weeks was about the normal time to be in a cast but I suppose it depends on a lot of things. Were you given any physio exercises to do while you are wearing your plaster?

Just found this - is this what you’ve got? esht.nhs.uk/leaflet/ankle-f....

Like you I had problems with my cast when I fractured both bones in my wrist. In the six weeks I wore my plaster cast for I had three different casts.

They were all either too tight or too loose and I found I kept having to move my arm within the cast to try and ease the burning pain I was getting. When the plaster finally came off the doctor looked at my puny little arm lying on the desk between us (it had several painful red marks on it where the final cast had obviously also been too tight) and he commented that my cast had been very tight! It definitely had!

So, the bottom line is - I’d ask someone with know.edge of what you’ve had done, you could probably get an appointment at the fracture clinic where you were seen.

[Alesypalsy in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

thank you for reply fruitandnut! My main concern to be honest is I really do not want it to displace , but I was at the point with the old cast that I just could not take any more and I honestly believed I had sores underneath but there were none Once the plaster came off!

I have tried again just now calling the consultants secretary,, no one ever answers or returns a call , I have an appointment in 11 days yes I’m counting! I will just stay off the leg , I rather it stays stable then have to go through this nightmare all over again,

I originally broke my ankle back in 16th September, I had ankle closed reduction at the A and E , I went back 4 days later to see consultant,, it was dr strike day so not many staff, the consultant said he had viewed the A and E xray and was happy with the bone position, So I went back 8 days later to have proper cast fitted ,, they sent me for xray but the bone had moved, so they gave me another closed reduction which was good and fitted cast,, Week later the bone was in place and all good,,, since then I have had absolute agony with the cast as mentioned above,,

I held out as long as I could and got to the point that I needed it off,,,,, everyday counts now , it will have been 6 weeks since the injury next Sunday ,but 3 and half weeks with this cast , the previous cast was the backslab that A and E put on, temp cast,

I never imagined how much I am unable to do with a broken ankle, my life has been ruined for these past 5 and half weeks ,, I will just stay off the leg until my next appointment which is the date the plaster is due to be removed ,,

As for now , I have not been given my physico or any kind of exercise to do other then wiggle my toes and bend my leg at the knee

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Alesypalsy]

Gosh, you have had a really painful, miserable time. The doctor’s strike was the last thing you needed. I broke my wrist just as covid was kicking off and nothing was working properly in the hospital which was such a problem and it made everything so difficult.

I think you’re very wise to try to keep off your foot if you can, there’s no point in taking any chances now when you’ve already had such a horrible experience - 11 days isn’t much even though I’m sure for you it must feel like forever. Fingers crossed that all will be well when the plaster comes off.

Take care and let us know how things go when the plaster comes off.

[fraid]

Sounds horrid, hope soon sorted. I broke top of my fib and didn't go to hospital as I knew what I'd done and was married to an osteopath. I didn't then know I had OP. I just strapped it up and hobbled about, fine in about 4 weeks but yours sounds more complicated. I have a lot of nerve irritation and pains, feel like I've stood in a bucket of icy water with a few toes etc re 6#d vertebrae, sciatica , M.E etc. so am used to weird sensations. Wonder if an osteo could help? Would def. rest it though static exercises may help with circulation, nerve irritation and building up other muscles - I managed to get my muscles back using these, I was so weak from losing 3 stones on painkillers could barely move but had to to look after myself. Good luck, don't despair, it will heal eventually.🤞

[Alesypalsy in reply to fraid]

Thank you so much for reply,, My friend also had a higher up break years ago and it healed without any intervention,

Mines just above ankle, I also had all sorts and still getting very strange feelings exactly like you say! Stone cold foot, feel like knuckles pushing sole of my foot under middle toe!

I had no idea about all this comes with a broken ankle, I have phoned the plaster room this morning and was reassured that my fracture is past the point of coming apart as long as I obviously keep it safe, they have put my mind at rest for a few days lol ,

I found it difficult to find this forum or anywhere to find info or people that have been through it so I am happy to have been able to vent and thanks for your support

[Mavary]

Hi! I believe it’s six weeks before it’s really healed together.

[Alesypalsy in reply to Mavary]

Yes I understand that is the way for safely being able to start walking again, I was just concerned about having my cast changed that the bone would not stay united ,, I sorry if I made it sound like completely healed ,, I just don’t want it to get damaged ,

I think when I had the temp cast on and the bone was out of place , that it had done a bit of healing in that 11 days odd, so when my bone was corrected it should of had a bit of natural work going on there already ,,,

My fingers are very much crossed 🤞

[Mavary in reply to Alesypalsy]

They change the plaster to make sure the bone is healing right. You should be fine.

[josephinius1]

Yikes! So sorry! Sounds miserable indeed.

[Southerngirl2787]

If you are healthy, no autoimmune conditions, you are likely looking at 6+ weeks for stability. I never got x-rays post fusion surgery until the 6 week mark, then again at 3 months, and there would be the start of fusing, but surgeon always said it's closer to a year for bone healing to complete. Your diet is important, sugars, grains, foods that elevate your insulin/glucose will inhibit healing, so take inventory of what you are consuming. Those same foods will increase inflammation, which slows healing, can make you miserable as well as added pain. My young daughter had a habit of breaking something, she was always in a cast for six weeks, and not allowed back to sports until 12 weeks. She was on heavy asthma meds during childhood, that is known to cause healing issues and weaken bones. Most folks now get a walking cast, removable for sleeping, allowing the leg to get some rest from a plaster cast as well

[Alesypalsy]

Thank you all for reply’s , just in case anyone finds this post searching as I did , I’m managed to find a utube video on bone healing , it’s a 2 min video and very interesting.

Hope it will bring piece of mind to someone

youtu.be/N391iuWbM0s(Not working as expected?)

[Alesypalsy]

unfortunately my crutch slipped in the bathroom Thursday eve which was a day and half ago, I landed on my cast, I visited A and E this morning and the Xray confirms the bone has displaced, I won’t be seen until next weds , but I am sure they do surgery now as it was already a unstable fracture,, I’m just upset and frustrated that it’s been 6 weeks already and I’m right back to the start again, My local hospital is in a total mess and no idea when I will be able to get any surgery… may ask them to manipulate it back into place on weds while waiting for surgery ….

[Alesypalsy]

I am very much disheartened now, it’s difficult to come to terms with having damaged my fracture again, does anyone know if it’s possible for me to heal without surgery? Or because it was already united and broke again that would cause delay or non union ? The bone slides down , I put picture here …

I very sad and believe all this could of been avoided had I been able to speak to orthopedic dr weeks ago

Weber b fracture displaced after slipped crutches and landed on plaster cast

[Southerngirl2787]

Highly unlikely it will heal in that time frame. More like a few months, then xrays will show the stage of healing.

[Alesypalsy in reply to Southerngirl2787]

I was more asking towards if the bones were united enough to have my cast changed as it was far to tight ,

I had cast changed but 3 days later slipped and broke it again, I a, very disappointed and frustrated, as it took a week to be able to see the dr after so my bone was displaced a week, then I was not given any information about descion on having surgery or not, I was to,d it would be same healing time and same outcome if I stayed in cast or had surgery,, so I stayed in cast,,,,

But now I have been reading that healing is faster and better outcome having surgery,, I feel cheated by the dr , NHS maybe trying to keep to target figures ,, I’m very sad

[Southerngirl2787]

Oh yes, if a casting is too tight, they can change it out. They would need to x-ray it, but in our hospital that was fairly routine due to swelling at time of casting, and as it went down, the need to recast. Healing is totally different.