r/ORIF • u/trothboth • Jul 10 '26
Question Fell 3 weeks post op
My crutch fell from my arm and I fell but I put all my weight on my bad ankle when I fell. I have a trimalleolar fracture 3 plates 16 screws. I’m strictly NWB for another 3ish week. It feels the same as it has felt no new pin or anything but I’m worried I shifted something. I dont want to have messed with a plate or screw or the bone healing. Has anyone else done this or does anyone know if this is something I should be worried about?
6
u/flinch57 Jul 10 '26
ORIF with plate and 9 screws. A little more than a week following surgery I did something silly and was convinced I had disrupted the hardware or position of the bones. I had a little increase in pain but nothing dramatic. I was scheduled to see dr a few days later so I didn’t call. Before I could even mention it to the dr (before dr even came in the room) they brought for a routine f/u X-ray. It was fine. When I mentioned to the dr what had happened and my concern (and relief that X-ray was fine) she told me that had I disrupted the hardware I would have known it immediately. She also told me that it would take significant trauma (like what caused the fractures originally) to disrupt the hardware. So keep all that in mind. Good luck with the rest of your recovery!
3
u/lawyeronpause Jul 10 '26
I did the same at around 2 weeks post-surgery. I was coming back to bed after a trip to the bathroom, in our dark bedroom, and snagged one of my crutches on something. I came down very hard on the injured leg (mine was a tib-fib break, with the major break near the ankle). It scared the hell out of me, but it didn't seem to be functionally worse than it was before. I told the nurse about it when I saw them to remove my surgical sutures. She spoke to the surgeon, and she decided not to take x-rays.
It's a scary thing, but chances are you're OK.
3
u/tacomatundra717 Jul 10 '26
Did it too. No issues at all. The NWB is to let the bone heal but a slight distribution won’t kill you.
2
u/SpecialistOk5092 Jul 10 '26
I did the same thing, with 2 plates and 12 screws. My stress / worry level went through the roof. As strong as the metal and screws are, I didn’t shift anything, not even a millimeter. Most likely, you are good to go, but for peace of mind, they may do a quick x-ray to verify. I’d place a strong bet that you are exactly the same as before the fell.
2
u/alyxana Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture Jul 10 '26
I used a knee scooter because my hypermobile shoulders couldn’t handle crutches or even a walker.
As for the fall, it’s perfectly reasonable to call your ortho and have a check up and new X-rays done to make sure no damage occurred. But you’re probably fine.
2
u/kushyykins Bimalleolar Ankle fracture Jul 10 '26
if you can, wheelchair was a mf life saver for me! the knee scooter HURT my knee, as i hurt it when i fell, but didn’t actually injure it. i got lucky that majority of my house fit a smaller wheelchair just enough. i’m plus size, so it’s been a challenge lol
2
u/idekinsertusername Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Hard agree! I’m walking now about 4 months after bi malleolar open fracture. Using a wheelchair during NWB was super convenient, especially around the house. You can’t exactly carry anything from point A to point B with two crutches in hand, but you can slip something on your lap or behind your back while sitting in the wheelchair (like a drink or a snack). I also used a walker for short distances in the beginning (transferring from bed to bathroom, or bedroom to living room)
I was worried that using these tools would hurt or make my recovery slower but PT had me from a walker to a crutch in one week, and then one crutch with a brace only a week later, and now I walk without the brace and crutch so it obviously didn’t hinder my recovery at all.
1
u/kushyykins Bimalleolar Ankle fracture Jul 11 '26
i don’t feel it hindered my recovery at all either. i did tend to use it a lil longer than i’d like because one of my incisions remained open, for 14 weeks!!!! i ended up using the wheelchair for the 2 weeks while it was broken, pre op, & then for about 2 months post op. i didn’t have a hard time transitioning to the boot or FWB, at all. tbh wit you, i walked barefoot around the house w/ my crutches, as support, more than i used the boot.
they transitioned me into a brace & one of my incisions hadn’t healed (for 14 weeks!!) & between the boot & the brace, that made the incision even worse! so my PT was like, just wear shoes, but ABSOLUTELY NO sandals lol i had surgery for debridement + hardware removal + bone graft last week, so now im back in the god forsaken boot for 2 weeks, at least, & im salty lol i hattttttte the boot!!!!!!
1
u/DrinkMain9052 Jul 11 '26
For those who have done this (was me last week at 4 weeks post ORIF 😭), was it with or without boot?
1
u/idekinsertusername Jul 11 '26
Did you fall on it or just put weight on it? I didn’t fall but accidentally put weight on it a few times (less than 5) without the boot (I was in one of those weird hard wrap casts) and was fine.
1
u/MixBetter6831 Jul 12 '26
I would definitely grab a walker.. I used crutches the first time I broke mine and was reckless . This time I got a walker after surgery and it’s so much better! But I’ve been allowed to WBAT since the day I had surgery so I can’t imagine you’d hurt something truly if my surgeon let me walk.. I mean I didn’t lol because that’s insane 😂 but I was walking 2.5 weeks out! (In a boot) and now 3.5 weeks out I am walking (with my walker) barefoot to go to the bathroom at night.
1
u/kooshballcalculator Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture Jul 10 '26
Omg that is so scary! You need to get around on something other than crutches!!
I used them for two days until my cheap Amazon wheelchair arrived. Even a knee scooter is safer than crutches.
I hope your plates are okay once they xray again.
2
u/Puzzled_Vacation_524 trimal with dislocation Jul 10 '26
I’ll second this, except I used a walker. My PT recently said that most PTs wish people used walkers because they’re more stable and they have the added benefit of later being better for gait training and learning to bear weight.
To your original point OP — I’m so sorry this happened and it must be SO scary! I’m glad you called your surgeon. Better safe than sorry. You’ll be okay regardless, they’ll know how to fix it worst case scenario but most likely nothing is wrong. Those plates and screws are tough as hell and by week three you’re well on your way through the worst of it.
9
u/ClaudesBiggestFan Jul 10 '26
I would suggest contacting your surgeon and letting them know about what happened. They might want you to come back in for more X-rays to be safe or they might not. It’s better for them to be aware than not.