broken knee

alibeany

Hi. I fell off my push bike 9 weeks ago, and broke my tibial plateau, resulting in a plate and screws being inserted into my knee, and no weight bearing for 8 weeks!

This has been an excrutiating injury,and really knocked me for six! Crutches are a complete nightmare,especially as I am 200lbs+.

My question is about the huge weight loss I've seen in the last 8 weeks- around 33 lbs! Is this because I can't actually place both feet firmly on the scales( I do put both feet down,but by no means is my weight distributed evenly.)Would that make a difference, surely I would weigh the same, even if I was only on 1 leg??

I'm very confused,but hope my weight loss is real.


P.S If anyone wants a good workout- try using crutches for a while( one legged), the most exhausting thing I've ever had to do!

GauchoMark

depending on what type of scale you use, your weight could be off by a little by standing on one foot if you are not putting it in the center of the scale. However, if you put your one weight-bearing foot in the center, it should be close.

Worst case, though, I wouldn't expect more than 3-5 lbs error, so congrats on the weight loss!

Willbenchforcupcakes

Ouch! That sounds like a beyond painful injury! Using crutches can be an awesome workout, and if you've been tracking calories, staying under your allowance, but not considering your crutch using as a workout, that would explain the awesome weight loss.

TGKvr

Ouch! I had a tibial spine fracture myself just three months ago. I feel your pain! Part of your loss could be the quads losing integrity. It only took about 2 weeks for my thighs to look shriveled, and the muscle mass was simply not there. The other part of it could be appetite/meds combo... on certain meds I just wasn't hungry. Still, 33 lbs seems more than what would result from those two things, so maybe it's something else you're doing too?
I'll say what I've said before though... whatever you do, please don't let your injury make you lazy. Work on those straight leg raises, work your arms (aside from the crutches), and do whatever you can to stay in shape without loading your knee. I didn't do that and I'm paying for it now.

Good luck!

alibeany

Thankyou everyone!

I do think that at the start of my recovery , I was eating a tiny amount in comparison to normal. This was partly due to the fact that getting to the kitchen was such an effort. Once I was there making food was extremely awkward, my crutches just got in the way, and any food I did manage to make was impossible to carry back to the front room( no hands). Also I couldn't get to the shop to buy anything!

I agree about the muscle loss, keeping my leg elevated for 9 weeks has definately resulted in losing my calf muscle.
I have a hospital appointment on Friday,and am hoping I can weight bear from then on.
I so want this nightmare to end- can't wait to do the simple things in life again.

This whole experience has definately made me more aware of peoples disabilities tho. I will never again take for granted just being able to walk!

TGKvr

Yes it's amazing how grateful one can become for two working legs! Last summer I had surgery on the other knee, so basically in the last year I spent the majority of it on crutches. Plastic shopping bags became my best friend (to carry things in so I could loop around my wrist and crutch!). I also placed TV trays in stages so I could scoot to one place, put my plate on it, then hop to the next place, move the plate from tray to tray until I got it to the table. HAHA!! You have to be resourceful when you're down! The ole sit on an office chair with wheels to get around worked pretty well too, especially for carrying things or cleaning/sweeping. The worst was not being able to sleep in my own bed for 3 months straight due to not getting up the stairs.

Just be careful when starting to put weight on... you'll only be able to do it gradually but even going down to one crutch feels like a huge accomplishment! And recovery really speeds up at that point. Please update when you see the doctor!

Tibial spine fractures are extremely rare in adults - it's more of an adolescent injury. Welcome to the club! Haha!