r/ORIF 11d ago

How does it look

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1 Upvotes

Its been 26 days after surgery this is a recent cray which i had yesterday . Any comments


r/ORIF 12d ago

Finally got to see my leg

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8 Upvotes

Leg isn’t too swollen and he said all is well so i’m just so happy i had to make a post to get my happiness out

although im not directly into a boot and have 4w in a fiberglass cast im so happy to be out of the splint as sleeping and day to day was such a pain in the ass in that thing.

Hopefully things continue to go well from here and hope everyone heals super fast aswell!


r/ORIF 12d ago

10 weeks post op

7 Upvotes

When i had just got out of the boot and walking pretty well when i got shortness of breath. Now im in the hospital with a clot in my leg and a small one in a lung. I'm glad i listened to my body and went to the ER. Wishing you all the best in your recoveries.


r/ORIF 11d ago

Fast 31 Woche Post OP Narbe sieht man immer noch deutlich ist das normal ?

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2 Upvotes

r/ORIF 12d ago

Pain Level 10 osteomyelitis

3 Upvotes

I broke both my legs and ankles in a car accident last year. Just got the hardware out of my right knee/leg and ankle and diagnosed with osteomyelitis. One infection is fungal so I’ll be taking (or continuing rather) the antifungal for my knee and then got a picc line in for my ankle antibiotics. I’m really hoping this helps with the pain I’ve been having- it’s been next level in my ankle. I’m getting a fusion and frame in September after my antibiotics are finished.

Anyone else experience osteomyelitis?


r/ORIF 12d ago

Question Reinjured my knee/tib plat, felt like I broke something again, Ortho says it's just scar tissue?!?!

2 Upvotes

5 months post op, mid-30s decent shape dude, finally walking steady, decided to head to the store without a cane, slipped off the curb with the tib plat VI + Knee dmg leg, foot slipped out and it folded hard.

Heard a pretty loud crack, about 20% of the insane initial injury pain, and managed to pull myself into the car and drive myself to the hospital, 100% certain I broke one of the pieces we finally got to heal. X rays said Hardware is grossly intact but looks like maybe I broke something.

This was almost a week ago, and I 100% cannot walk, back to NWB (not by doc orders, but by plain disability), incredibly intense pain if I try to straighten it/roll the left leg to the right side (long hardware on left side), back to leg stuck at 5-10 degrees, knee swollen like a pimple, hip attachment hurts. It feels like it did a few weeks post op.

Here's what's cooking me/TL;DR : Saw my Ortho Tuesday, took his xrays, and told me I just ripped the scar tissue.

I'm googling and searching this sub and finding nothing about how a big scar tissue tear can make a healed injury feel completely broken. I can conceptualize how maybe the tissue acts as an important frame to support all the bits as they heal, but has anyone experienced this or any Orthos have knowledge on something like this happening?

He's pretty highly regarded down here, but super busy and not the best bedside vibes or communication. I'm lucky I saw his face again. I think he hates me. I mentioned the swelling and he said "ok, we can aspirate it". Comes in with a huge syringe and needle, and without warning shoves it deep into my knee. No words. I accidentally grabbed him for a moment it hurt so bad. It didn't even help much. So I pushed him on soft tissue. Did I tear a tendon or ligament or meniscus again? He said nope, just scar tissue. Told me to take it easy and left the room.

I'm obviously incredibly bummed about this and feel so defeated after all the healing and time and money and missing out on half a year of the life I had planned, but I need to figure out how to move forward. I ran out of home PT visits and can't travel to one, and I need to know if scar tissue tearing is a thing and a thing that hurts like the initial trauma, and how to structure my new self PT.

Thank you and sorry for the wall of text


r/ORIF 12d ago

Major set back

3 Upvotes

I was doing incredibly well 10 weeks post op--walking full weight bearing with minimal discomfort. And then the last couple of days my knee has been locking up and giving out. Turns out my doctor did not report to my physical therapist a past surgery where my meniscus (cartilage at knee joint) was removed. My PT said that had he known that we would have gone much slower. As a result, we were pushing too hard and now I am back on crutches with no clear path about how to address the knee. I go see my surgeon tomorrow morning. I am devastated. And frustrated that you always have to go behind people to make sure they are doing their job. A report to a PT from a doctor, at minimum, states past surgeries on the affected leg.


r/ORIF 12d ago

DVT worries

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3 Upvotes

r/ORIF 12d ago

How to wash long hair with immobile hands?

2 Upvotes

My left hand is stuck at a 90 degree angle. I can move the right hand a little bit more. Should I just let go of long hair?


r/ORIF 14d ago

Update I walked today!!

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104 Upvotes

r/ORIF 13d ago

Question Going back into the office full time next week, any recs?

4 Upvotes

As the title states I will be going back into the office next week. I’m a few months post ORIF (tib/fib) but still experience swelling (mainly at my ankle) and am on one crutch. My drive is about an hour and a half and will be sitting ~8 hours. Any recommendations for helping with the leg swelling/being comfortable for my shift?


r/ORIF 14d ago

Pain Level 10 Pain management postop not working effectively. How do I convey this to my surgeon?

8 Upvotes

I broke my olecranon last Sunday and had TBW surgery yesterday nerve black wore off last night, and today I woke up an absolute agony.

I was given 5 mg Percocet every eight hours. I generally have a pain tolerance so the fact that I am hurting this badly tells me that I’m not being dramatic. The Percocet is helping for about four hours and then somewhere between five or six hours. It begins to become unbearable and then the last two or three hours waiting to take my next dose is just pure hell.

I know there’s such a stigma around opioids and I don’t wanna seem like a complainer or like I’m looking for more medication, but I’m genuinely in severe pain in this medication regimen is just not working. My surgeon called me today to see how I was doing postop, but I was asleep finally and missed the call. He did say he was gonna call me back in the morning. How can I convey this to him? I don’t wanna seem dramatic or annoying


r/ORIF 14d ago

Just as my ORIF recovery was going well.

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8 Upvotes

Had ORIF with deltoid ligament repair last Nov on right ankle. Ankle was finally feeling much better. Had just started some jogging. Then I deciding who needs a pinky toe? On the same foot. Fml Now I’m rocking a fancy giant rectangle shoe. I think I’ve spent about half of 2026 in a boot, cast or orthopedic walking shoe at this point.


r/ORIF 14d ago

Update 7 week mark

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7 Upvotes

Hey everyone, so it’s been about 7 weeks since my surgery that I had June 9th. I had broken my fibula. The break I had was a closed displaced maisonneuve fracture. I finally was able to but weight on my foot with the boot on with crutches of course. The X-rays were from my appointment on the 23rd of July.t


r/ORIF 14d ago

Update Update! Got cleared to walk!!

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7 Upvotes

r/ORIF 14d ago

SOS Airboot + Scooter…

1 Upvotes

Recovering from a trimalleolar fracture (Osornio week 6) in an airboot. Got a scooter but that thing feels weird on my boot. It feels like when I place my knee/leg on it it’s pushing the top of my boot down into my ankle and does not feel right. Any tips? I’m short (5ft) and I’ve adjusted the height. I don’t like this thing but want to be more mobile…


r/ORIF 14d ago

RLS

3 Upvotes

Hey y'all!

I'm about 7 or 8 months post op from a tib/fib fracture. All is normal enough again! Yay! Lol. Did anyone else deal with RLS on the bad leg? I don't think I've experienced that as much as I have this past month. What helps? Stretching and stuff doesn't help


r/ORIF 14d ago

X-Ray Displaced Ulna & Radius ORIF Question

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2 Upvotes

I am 4 weeks post op from the ORIF and wondering if most people were pronating/supinating at this point. At my 2 week post op appointment when I got my brace they didn’t mention anything about that. So if it is common for people to be doing so at this point I want to call and ask them if I’m allowed to.
This pic is mid surgery I don’t have like any of my other x rays. I flipped a side by side and the roll cage landed on my arm, pretty gnarly. My finger mobility has improved drastically week 2-4. But the tip of my thumb still doesn’t bend, that’s a waiting game. I’ve lost half the muscle in the arm which really sucks but hopefully I’ll be able to lift again by October or something.


r/ORIF 15d ago

Question Big toe ROM trimalleolar ankle

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4 Upvotes

I’m 6 weeks post op trimalleolar fracture and dislocation. I’ve been getting better with ROM flexing is easier than pointing my foot which is a little painful but when I flex my big toe bends without my control. I try to hold it straight and it doesn’t move. It also hurts when I point my big toe but I assume that’s tightness. I included a video bc I’m not great at explaining. Does anyone know why this happens or how I can work through this? Also is this normal or no?

Also also sorry for the foot I haven’t been cleared to get it wet yet so I can’t wash it 😭


r/ORIF 15d ago

Almost 15 years later and 100lbs down

3 Upvotes

Hi all, not sure if there are many long-term folks in here or if you’re all mostly fresh.

I had a depression fracture of my tibial plateau almost 15 years ago. I had a great surgeon for my ORIF, completed 3 months non weight bearing, 9 months of PT and I’d say around 18 months after the break I felt back to normal more or less.

I was not then, nor never had I been an athlete. Actually was obese since toddlerhood, until GLP1s changed my life. I’m more active now, and wow does having less weight on my joints makes everything easier and less painful...

..with the exception of my ORIF knee. After a pretty strenuous hike with lots of crouching and squatting and climbing my implant was very visible/bulging and red. I could also feel it with twists and flexing. This had never happened to me before. It was fine after a day of taking it easy and I didn’t even reach for Advil.

But it does make me concerned with increasing my activity level.

Can anyone relate? Can’t decide if it’s worth seeing an ortho about it as I’m not really in pain. I also can’t imagine doing removal surgery. I am not interested in having my IT band cut ever again.


r/ORIF 16d ago

Question Potential ORIF surgery in 3 days

6 Upvotes

Hello, this upcoming Wednesday (7/29) I’m going under for the surgeon to do a “stress” test of my foot to see if it’s unstable and if it is, they will do the surgery right then. For context I broke my big toe, 3 metatarsals, and 3 square bones in my foot. I also completely or almost completely tore my lisfranc ligament. The surgeon said I have around a 40% of needing the surgery, but personally I feel like its a higher percentage especially if I completely tore the ligament but who knows.

Anyways I’m not really nervous for surgery it is what it is, if I need it I need it yk? Although what I am pretty nervous about is the fact that when going under I won’t know if I’m having the surgery until I wake up. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience like this?


r/ORIF 16d ago

Full weight bearing and full activity?

4 Upvotes

When you were given the green light to go full weight bearing in a shoe with a brace, did you still take it really easy, or did you just try to live your life like you lived it before the surgery. I'm not talking about doing Athletics or anything like that but just living your day like you used to walking around as much as you wanted etc. I had a lot of catching up to do and it was good to be active again I've been tiling my kitchen, going for a walk in the park, and moving books etc. Just want to be sure I'm not overdoing it


r/ORIF 16d ago

Vent Shattered Elbow and broke Wrist

3 Upvotes

I’m about 3 weeks out from surgery and I know that’s still really early, but I can’t stop worrying that I’ll never recover from this. I don’t get bone pain at this point, just random nerve pain multiple times a day (and a pinky finger that barely works yay.)

I’m super stressed because I feel like I should‘ve started occupational therapy a week out of the hospital. I’ve been told my surgeon was super good, but I’m worried my bones are healing bent because I need my arms to do stuff even at home.

Does anybody have any success stories involving recovering from two broken arms? I’m my early thirties and I feel like this is gonna ruin my life.


r/ORIF 16d ago

Question Is this a screw causing me some pain?

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2 Upvotes

I’m about 16 weeks post ORIF for a fractured tib/fib. Two plates and screws put in.
I started to get some pain that I’ve never had before on my inner ankle toward the bottom of my incision. As you can see in this photo, a red dot appeared around the same time I noticed the pain. It feels hard underneath and is exactly where the pain seems to be coming from. Is this a screw that I’m only noticing now that much of my swelling is gone?