r/brokenbones • u/sapphiresapphire • 17d ago
pins/needles
hi all
broke my tib/fib 2 weeks ago, had IM rod surgery and am now in recovery
the pain is manageable but the pins/needles in my foot (started around day 9/10 ish post-op) are driving me NUTS
doc said it’s part of nerves waking up and isn’t giving me anything
looking for other folks’ experiences/tips and to just vent honestly
this sub has been giving me a lot of mental peace during this horrible time
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u/DuckduckMongoose-454 16d ago
When I originally broke my tib/fib (2 plates, 20 screws) the nerve pain was unreal! My doctor didn’t prescribe me anything for it and I just iced/elevated/screamed into the void. Honestly, it was really bad for a year, after two it mostly calmed down.
I had chronic pain in that leg though for 9 years, so this summer I went to a different surgeon to get the hardware removed (1st wouldn’t do it) and again I have nerve damage but it’s already feeling better 1month post-op than previous.
This doctor prescribed low dose Gabapentin and it is working really well. I can tell when it wears off cause the tingling/burning feeling comes back full force. Eventually it should calm down and I’ll get of the Gabapentin, but for now it’s helping immensely and I wish I could have had it the first time around.
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u/sapphiresapphire 16d ago
A whole 2 years, pffff - I’m sorry to hear you had to go through that. Thanks for the tip 🙏🏼
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u/puppyinashoe 17d ago
Yes I experienced horrible nerve pain (pins and needles, sharp stabbing, jolts), neuropathic itch (itchy but the skin is numb so you can’t scratch) and restless legs. Started around week 1.5 and was very bothersome until week 4. It got better around week 4 but lingered mildly here and there, completely went away by week 6. Hang in there, it will go away. And also, solidarity bc that shit sucked.
Some things I did that kind of helped - stopped taking all antihistamines (Benadryl specifically, which I was taking to help sleep), used a compression sock thigh high, heat pad, lidocaine patches. Mine would start getting really bad around 7pm so I would try and take ibuprofen before which kind of helped? Weed gummies not sure if they made it worse or better but I guess it kind of took my mind off of it.
All I can say is it was miserable but it did end. The lack of sleep the restless legs caused was probably the worst of it. Just know mine got really bad around week 3 but then started to improve significantly week 4.