Anyone else broken a kneecap?
Discussion
As per title really, just wanted to see if anyone here had experience of a broken patella (kneecap) and how long there recovery was?
I fell over out walking my dog Friday eve and smashed my patella into 5 or so pieces, bit sore! Cue an ambulance ride, a dose of ketamin and a full leg cast Friday night. Went back into hospital yesterday to have an op to pin and wire the pieces together and back home now with another cast on and crutches. Due back in two weeks for stitches out and replace cast with a brace to limit the angle I can bend the knee joint. Bloody uncomfortable at the moment, can't seem to find a position sitting or laying that is comfy.
Does anyone have any experience of a similar injury?
I fell over out walking my dog Friday eve and smashed my patella into 5 or so pieces, bit sore! Cue an ambulance ride, a dose of ketamin and a full leg cast Friday night. Went back into hospital yesterday to have an op to pin and wire the pieces together and back home now with another cast on and crutches. Due back in two weeks for stitches out and replace cast with a brace to limit the angle I can bend the knee joint. Bloody uncomfortable at the moment, can't seem to find a position sitting or laying that is comfy.
Does anyone have any experience of a similar injury?
They gave me ketamine when they first put the temp cast on on Friday night,only the one dose, I declined a top up when coming around as I thought I'd wet myself but it was just the warm damp cast haha!, bloody wierd sensation that was! Pain was fine whilst leg was laid out but they said it would be unbearable to lift leg and cast it without giving me something stronger than laughing gas.
Edited by jackthelad1984 on Tuesday 8th April 00:12
Rostfritt said:
A bloke in work recently broke his. Is has been about a month on crutches and he has just had the cast taken off and the joint restrictor put on. He is still on crutches but has just driven again so is getting some control back (left kneecap and driving a manual). I can't remember how long he said before it gets taken off but it is getting better quite quick for him.
Mine is also left knee, I am having the knee restrictor brace put on in a fortnight hopefully. If I can get back into a car in a month I'd be happy! It will be longer than that until I'm riding again though sadly, thats the bummer, just got my CBR mot'd for summer last week! Doh!Surgeon said he expected at least 3 months until fit for work, as I'm currently contracting I don't get sick pay so hoping it may be less.
Im a Fabricator in a Dockyard so a little different to a desk job sadly, will have to look into what benefits if any I'm allowed, never had any before so don't know where to start with that. I have just been offered a permanent position where I'm contracting. If this was a month later I'd be sat happy on sick pay but hey ho sh!t happens. I'd happily go back on some sort of light duties if possible but that's something I'd have to sort in a week or two when I see how my knee is.
Never had a cast on before and it's driving me mad already! And a downstairs toilet would be a godsend right now! Haha
Never had a cast on before and it's driving me mad already! And a downstairs toilet would be a godsend right now! Haha
It was certainly effective in casting ny leg, hard to describe how it felt really, I knew what was happening and could feel my leg being manhandled etc butcouldnt do anything about it, was a bit of shapes and colours and eyes rolling, according to my other half I gave out a good yelp when they lifted my leg. As I was coming round she asked how it felt and apparently I described it as like a kaleidoscope with ice cream, which caused a few laughs in the emergency room! Probably only lasted 5-10 mins but got my damaged knee in a cast fairly quickly which can only be a good thing.
Thankfully i only had the cast on for 2 1/2 weeks, had the brace on for a couple weeks today and have just adjusted them to allow 60 degrees movement, though i can only really get to about 45 at the moment. The boredom is a killer, my main hobbies are going out with my dogs, and motorbikes/cars etc so not being able to do those is a killer. Iv been watching plenty of films and playing a bit of xbox, even hoovering just to pass the time!
I think i have been fairly lucky, kneecap was badly broken into 5 pieces which have been screwed and wired back together as there was a good inch at least between the top and bottom pieces, luckily the tendons were not torn, just badly bruised and swollen. Through my lack of keeping my leg up high, alot of swelling and bruising went down to my ankle and foot, this was just as sore as my knee and i didnt even injure it!! (If i could figure out how to resize pics id put some up).
Im walking around the house ok (hobbling), stairs are still taken very slowly, and i know what you mean about visits to the toilet!! A downstairs loo would have been a godsend these last few weeks rather than up and down the bloody stairs every time.
The pain has been fairly manageable, i dont really like taking drugs if i can help it, the worst has been the general aching at night. Not had a good night sleep in ages, and im generally up at silly oclock as the tossing and turning trying to get comfortable in this brace must annoy the other half. So my sleeping routine is all gone to pot. Never thought id miss wok quite so much! And ssp is pants! Got another 4 weeks in the leg brace, dont know when il be back to work.
Surgeon said i may have to have another small op to remove the wires around the kneecap, as due to the nature of my job, they may cause pain, i think they already are as i get some shooting pains across the front of my kneecap, but this should only be a simple short op so shouldnt keep me out of action to long hopefully!
I think i have been fairly lucky, kneecap was badly broken into 5 pieces which have been screwed and wired back together as there was a good inch at least between the top and bottom pieces, luckily the tendons were not torn, just badly bruised and swollen. Through my lack of keeping my leg up high, alot of swelling and bruising went down to my ankle and foot, this was just as sore as my knee and i didnt even injure it!! (If i could figure out how to resize pics id put some up).
Im walking around the house ok (hobbling), stairs are still taken very slowly, and i know what you mean about visits to the toilet!! A downstairs loo would have been a godsend these last few weeks rather than up and down the bloody stairs every time.
The pain has been fairly manageable, i dont really like taking drugs if i can help it, the worst has been the general aching at night. Not had a good night sleep in ages, and im generally up at silly oclock as the tossing and turning trying to get comfortable in this brace must annoy the other half. So my sleeping routine is all gone to pot. Never thought id miss wok quite so much! And ssp is pants! Got another 4 weeks in the leg brace, dont know when il be back to work.
Surgeon said i may have to have another small op to remove the wires around the kneecap, as due to the nature of my job, they may cause pain, i think they already are as i get some shooting pains across the front of my kneecap, but this should only be a simple short op so shouldnt keep me out of action to long hopefully!
Engineer1 said:
I've only damaged my knee ligaments but got one of those hinged knee restrictiors on. Are any of you guys struggling to sleep comfortably, as the sodding restrictor means I can only sleep on my back and during the night it gets uncomfortable.
Yeah I have the same problem, nightmare to get comfortable! Just a little update, been nearly 4 months since I broke my kneecap into 5 pieces. Had 9 weeks sat on my ass at home before coming back to work on light duties which I am still on and will be for a while. My walking is coming along fine but the knee itself is still very weak, stairs are still painfull and I can't properly control a step down with left leg. Am having physio in work which is good, made good progress to begin with but seems to have stalled a little the last few weeks which is frustrating. Physio is trying to get hold of the consultant who did my op to see about the removal of the metalwork in the knee as this might help, the pins actually protrude quite alot out of the kneecap and now the swelling is down they can be seen and felt under the skin. Also can feel the head of screw at side of kneecap.
Am driving ok but as it's my left leg to many gear changes can make it uncomfortable, did contemplate buying a cheap auto for a while but I do like my 9-5 aero! Also tried riding one of my bikes last week as I have been itching to get on a bike in this nice weather, after a easy 5 mins of duel carriageway I was in agony, so won't be trying again for another few weeks at least. Was quite disheartened after that as I really thought I'd would be ok, had been sitting on bike in garage trying to lift leg onto footpegs etc and was finally ok but actually riding is quite different. Certainly won't be getting out on my cbr this summer :-( .
Am driving ok but as it's my left leg to many gear changes can make it uncomfortable, did contemplate buying a cheap auto for a while but I do like my 9-5 aero! Also tried riding one of my bikes last week as I have been itching to get on a bike in this nice weather, after a easy 5 mins of duel carriageway I was in agony, so won't be trying again for another few weeks at least. Was quite disheartened after that as I really thought I'd would be ok, had been sitting on bike in garage trying to lift leg onto footpegs etc and was finally ok but actually riding is quite different. Certainly won't be getting out on my cbr this summer :-( .
I think il certainly be asking for the pins to be removed at least. The tops of them are now visible under the skin. So far I have been quite carefull and not caught or banged my knee so far, except for my angelic toddler niece whacking me with her giant lolly right on the top of the pins haha.
It's been 8 months since I broke my kneecap now and finally getting the metalwork removed in a weeks time, along with a clean up of the rear of the kneecap.
My main problem now is leg strength. I can walk ok and my range of movement is good, maybe lacking the last few degrees of a straight leg raise. My physio didn't actually start until around 10 weeks after my accident so the level of muscle wastage was pretty bad, and I didn't have chunky legs to begin with! I need to build up my thighs again but normal excercises don't seem to be cutting it.
I get a fair bit of pain above the kneecap which I'm hoping is the metal work catching something so may go after surgery.
Would anyone recommend any particular activities or excercises that may help to build the legs up quicker? Would cycling help much? I already walk a fair bit with my dogs etc (dartmoor mainly so plenty of hills and tors).
Also would there be any benefit to taking any muscle building supplements or would this be a bit much to soon? Cheers
My main problem now is leg strength. I can walk ok and my range of movement is good, maybe lacking the last few degrees of a straight leg raise. My physio didn't actually start until around 10 weeks after my accident so the level of muscle wastage was pretty bad, and I didn't have chunky legs to begin with! I need to build up my thighs again but normal excercises don't seem to be cutting it.
I get a fair bit of pain above the kneecap which I'm hoping is the metal work catching something so may go after surgery.
Would anyone recommend any particular activities or excercises that may help to build the legs up quicker? Would cycling help much? I already walk a fair bit with my dogs etc (dartmoor mainly so plenty of hills and tors).
Also would there be any benefit to taking any muscle building supplements or would this be a bit much to soon? Cheers
I'm struggling with the same pain issue when really pushing the leg. Like getting up from kneeling down etc. I can bare the pain if I was seeing some results but I'm not really. My physio thinks the metalwork may be impeding on my tendons so there may be some improvement when the metalwork is out of the way and the kneecap has been smoothed at the back. Think I may have to purchase a bike and give that a go. I have never really been a gym person but do enjoy a kick around or run about with my dogs or nicer and nephews etc (or my own kids at some point!) and would like to be able to move quicker than my current quasimodo impression if I try to run!
Swimming should be ok, the main pain is when trying to bear my whole bodyweight through my knee whilst the leg is bent and trying to straighten. My range of movement is fine, maybe a few degrees less than my other leg but not much.
Took me months to be able to get back onto a motorbike (600 fazer so fairly comfortable) as struggled to lift leg up to the peg comfortably, that's ok now, not ridden my sportsbike though this year which sucks. Kneeling sucks at the mo but that's mainly due to the pins poking against the skin but that should be better post op.
Been light duties at work since I came back which is driving me bonkers, I work on ships and subs but am not allowed on ladders so am still workshop bound :-(
Took me months to be able to get back onto a motorbike (600 fazer so fairly comfortable) as struggled to lift leg up to the peg comfortably, that's ok now, not ridden my sportsbike though this year which sucks. Kneeling sucks at the mo but that's mainly due to the pins poking against the skin but that should be better post op.
Been light duties at work since I came back which is driving me bonkers, I work on ships and subs but am not allowed on ladders so am still workshop bound :-(
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