Ever had a Fractured Knee???

[kilee]

My ds (12) fractured his knee 2 weeks ago in a dirtbike accident. This is our first broken bone and I was beside myself.

Anyhow, he has his leg straight in a cast that goes from his ankle to his upper thigh. He is having xrays every 10 days and we're going from there. I guess once it shows calcification the cast can come off and we'll go to a whole leg brace, then step down to a knee brace. His Ortho said it can be anywhere from 4-12 weeks healing, since each person is different. I understand that.

What I'm wondering is what kind of healing process anyone else had. DS is very discouraged right now. We had a trip planned that we are in a holding pattern for right now- at least for a few weeks until we see how he progresses. He's concerned about Halloween and his first school dance in late October.

 

[golfgal]

Technically you can't have a fractured knee. Your knee is a joint and fractures occur in bones . Anyway, with a fractured patella (knee cap) OUCH!!!! It isn't' much different then breaking a bone in your leg, for instance. The main problem is the blood supply to your leg bones is better then to your knee cap, so healing may take longer. It will really depend on how fast of a healer he is. The main big issue is not being able to use your leg for so long and then the atrophy of the muscles. Building them back up will take a while. As for Halloween and the dance, he can work the cast into a good costume idea and at the dance, heck, good sympathy points from the girls!

 

[nativetxn]

OUCH! I hope your ds makes a quick and easy recovery. I've never had a broken knee, so I can't offer advice.

 

[mudnuri]

Technically you can't have a fractured knee. Your knee is a joint and fractures occur in bones . Anyway, with a fractured patella (knee cap) OUCH!!!! It isn't' much different then breaking a bone in your leg, for instance. The main problem is the blood supply to your leg bones is better then to your knee cap, so healing may take longer. It will really depend on how fast of a healer he is. The main big issue is not being able to use your leg for so long and then the atrophy of the muscles. Building them back up will take a while. As for Halloween and the dance, he can work the cast into a good costume idea and at the dance, heck, good sympathy points from the girls!

The problem with injury to a joint such as the knee- is stated above. There isn't a muscle in his leg that he is going to be able to reall y use while its in a cast. Unlike- say breaking your forarm- you can still contract your muscles in the upper arm etc. Physical therapy will be necessary for him to build the muscle back to where it was, in both his upper and lower leg. When I tore my ACL in high school, the hardest part was the PT after surgery and being in the full leg brace for weeks. Of course, I also did damage to other ligaments at the same time, but not full tears like the ACL....I still have issue's with that knee. not to discourage him. But 12 years later, if I run for an extended period of time, without my brace (double hinge 1/2 way up my thigh, 1/2 way down my calf) I am in pain for a few days.

Good luck to him

Brandy

 

[kilee]

Thanks for the replies.

He actually got a new cast today. The old one went from his ankle to his upper thigh. Anyhow, it was creating sores around his ankle from rubbing real bad. So they took it off and recasted it from his toes to his upper thigh. We had a small melt down in the car on the way home. He couldn't hold the frustrated tears in anymore. It broke my heart.

I did talk to the doctor alittle bit more today. He broke off the ball of the tibia. This is wear the ACL attaches. The ACL is still attached to the bone- but that piece of bone wasn't just fractured but torn completely off. So, if the bone heels correctly he won't have to do any surgery for the ACL-- if not he said we could be looking at surgery and up to 6 months of recovery time. Right now we are just playing a waiting game. He said it's tricky because of the ACL. If it were just a broken tibia, he said it would of been straight forward for the most part. He keeps saying it's a "broke knee"--- he tried showing me on the xray and CT scan-- but it all looks like a mess to me. When DH broke his leg- it was easy to see.

 

[golfgal]

Thanks for the replies.

He actually got a new cast today. The old one went from his ankle to his upper thigh. Anyhow, it was creating sores around his ankle from rubbing real bad. So they took it off and recasted it from his toes to his upper thigh. We had a small melt down in the car on the way home. He couldn't hold the frustrated tears in anymore. It broke my heart.

I did talk to the doctor alittle bit more today. He broke off the ball of the tibia. This is wear the ACL attaches. The ACL is still attached to the bone- but that piece of bone wasn't just fractured but torn completely off. So, if the bone heels correctly he won't have to do any surgery for the ACL-- if not he said we could be looking at surgery and up to 6 months of recovery time. Right now we are just playing a waiting game. He said it's tricky because of the ACL. If it were just a broken tibia, he said it would of been straight forward for the most part. He keeps saying it's a "broke knee"--- he tried showing me on the xray and CT scan-- but it all looks like a mess to me. When DH broke his leg- it was easy to see.

That could be a LOT trickier, sorry. You have growth plate issues to deal with then. Make him drink a LOT of milk, that will help the healing process. Does he have a wheel chair to use? Maybe you could look into renting a motorized one for school. That will help with the cool factor and that cast his heavy and crutches are NO fun! The motorized one could be used to trick or treat, too.

Please tell me he is seeing an orthopedic specialist that is really, really good for this! If not, get him to one NOW! This could be a major issue if it isn't treated right.

 

[kilee]

He has a wheelchair we rented it for the duration from a medical supply store in our area. As for his doctor he is highly recommended Ortho surgeon in this area. Basically you get to see him by being referred from the ER if your case is appropriate. He mainly deals w/ peds and adults who have trauma fractures essentially. He doesn't see the basic Ortho stuff.

We've dealt w/ this surgeon before. My DH was crossing a street in 2000 and was hit by a car going 50 mph. His leg was broke clean through in 6 places and he had 2 additional hairline fractures. Anyhow, this doctor dealt with him too. The first Ortho said dh may never have full use of his leg again. They called in this guy. It took 3 years- but now DH is 100%. Alittle arthritis, but that is all he has going on.

 

[golfgal]

He has a wheelchair we rented it for the duration from a medical supply store in our area. As for his doctor he is highly recommended Ortho surgeon in this area. Basically you get to see him by being referred from the ER if your case is appropriate. He mainly deals w/ peds and adults who have trauma fractures essentially. He doesn't see the basic Ortho stuff.

We've dealt w/ this surgeon before. My DH was crossing a street in 2000 and was hit by a car going 50 mph. His leg was broke clean through in 6 places and he had 2 additional hairline fractures. Anyhow, this doctor dealt with him too. The first Ortho said dh may never have full use of his leg again. They called in this guy. It took 3 years- but now DH is 100%. Alittle arthritis, but that is all he has going on.

That makes me feel a LOT better. We had some friends who's son broke his arm near the growth plate and had one of the local general docs take care of it. Well, 3 years later, his arm is not growing like the other one and they are having major issues with it.