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I fractured my pelvis 8 months ago (crushed injury as a result of motor vehicle accident). I had surgery and rehad, i am able to ambulate with a limp & some left lower extremity weakness due to sciatia nerve injury I sustained. I am preparing to return to work but I am unsure as my job is physically demanding. I am also concerned because i am experiencing intermittent hip pains. I am a 42 yr old female. My bladder is intact however i am experiencing urinary frequency in the absence of a urinary tract infection.
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I'm a writer and have a character break his pelvic bone, femur, tibia and fibula. I put him in an external brace for the pelvis right away and in traction for the leg bones until the swelling goes down enough to do surgery. All this was the result of a car accident. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for these types of injuries to heal and how long between surgeries. I have them putting pins and plates in his leg bones.
February 20, 2015 - 10:50amThis Comment
Hi, I'm a writer too and I'm just recovering from a broken pelvis, so I thought I'd help a bit. I was hit by a car as a pedestrian and sustained a open book fracture of the pelvis, I did not (thankfully) get any of the other injuries you mentioned, but I spent time in hospital with people who did.
March 15, 2015 - 11:05amThe external brace lasted 4 days until surgery. If it helps once surgery is complete because everything is fixed back into the pelvic circle things get easier for the patient (in this case, me.) The surgery put in bolts at the sides and a plate across the front. This was followed by 2 weeks in hospital, and after about 2 weeks, very arduous physio to get sat up and transferring (non weight bearing) from bed to wheel chair. Then 3 months non weight bearing (wheelchair) and I'm still on a single crutch 3 months after that. In short 6 months to get back to no cructhes with twice weekly physio. You have extra complications with your other injuries including shortening of the limbs etc. Age is also a factor - if your character is young (lets say 20's) then they are made of bubblegum and magic and will be healed pretty quickly. If your 39 like I was, then this is what your looking at. Stay safe, avoid cars and keep writing! (p.s. 3 months in a wheelchair helped me finish my novel... so that's something I suppose :))
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I was in a motorcycle accident and broke my pelvic ring in a couple of places. Pelvic hematoma, concussion were also a part of the accident. Eight days in trauma burn. I have a 15mm rod screwed through my iliac bones in the back side and a plate and 4 screws in the front of the pelvic ring. 2-1/2 months with a walker and wheelchair. I am walking now. Lots of crying. Urinary incontinence for quite a while. Much better now. Back to work. Still limp. Now I have trochanter bursitis on both sides. Shoots pain down both legs when I walk. Never had so much pain. I can't believe I am walking again. Have a totally different view of people who have to be wheelchair bound now. Can walk for miles now. Still stiff if I sit for long periods of time. Pelvic fractures are just nasty. Thankful for doctors who know what they are doing. The body is an amazing machine.
December 26, 2014 - 11:39pmThis Comment
Hi I broke my pelvis 5 weeks ago in a horse accident, it broke in 3 places but I seem to be up and going pretty good, despite a lot of pain, specially at night. Wondering how long I will have my limp approx? I still use a walker most of the time, but I'm only 39 so I hope to recover soon. I also use essential oils and not so much medication because they all seem to make me sick. The doctor has changed them z3 times already and still vomit Fromm all of them. Not sure what else to try. I know I am in beginning stages of healing but I have never had this much pain in my life.
October 30, 2014 - 9:00pmThis Comment
Hi
February 25, 2017 - 4:04pmI am a 40 year old female. I was in a skiing accident 5 weeks ago and suffered a fractured pelvis. I have never been injured in my life. I had been running and do yoga on a regular basis before the injury.
This was one of the hardest things I ever went through. I was on crutches for 5 weeks... It was supposed to be six but just got off of them. I will be starting PT next week. I cannot wait. Its been such ups and downs. The pain was bad first 1-2 weeks. I am hoping you have a good recovery. I finally see light at the end of this now.
Hang in there....
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I am a 56 year old female triathlete and had a bike accident and broke/fractured my pelvis from the fall. (a van pulled out in front of me) I was in grave pain for 2 months but continued to walk and do my work. I was in the gym 7 days after doing upper body weights and swimming 10 days after. I did PT everyday on my own and horrific pelvic floor PT with a specialist twice a week. Within a month I was back on the stationary bike and within three months now I'm walk/running. I hope to do a triathlon this weekend after 14 weeks. I never stayed in bed accept the first 5 days. I moved my body as much as possible and never took pain medication. The doctor said no meds so I needed to feel what was hurting. He said I was allowed to do whatever the body would tolerate. I firmly believe you can do much more than you think if you put your mind to it. My bone was healed by the 8th week abundantly due to calcium and vit. D and lots of protein intake.
June 17, 2017 - 4:51amIt is a dark road of silent pain and having the specialist PT work inside you on the pelvic floor was by far the most painful thing anyone will ever experience, but I can tell you I have no limp because of it. You have to work hard at this. It will not just heal on its own. You will need 100's of hours of personal PT and professional PT and you can get back to where you were. No one told me any of this, but I figured it out myself. I hope you will have the stamina to work at your recovery. Crutches just give you back problems and laying around makes you lazy, unhealthy and gain weight. Get up and move. It is the best thing for your soul and mind.
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There are so many types of fractures that can occur in the pelvic ring. Working w/a horse, he lost his focus and went down on his front knees at a canter. I knew he was going down and I didn't want to be the first thing he hit. I pushed off to the right side of the saddle, trying to avoid being hit, but that didn't work out so well. I am 6 months out from sustaining 5 fractures in my pelvis, 5 broken ribs, 3 broken vertebrae, a concussion and a collapsed lung. No surgery, as the fractures were "stable" and the internal bleeding was controlled at a trauma center. 6 weeks in a wheel chair and 3 weeks w/a walker. Now I walk 3-5 miles daily. I can't run, and sometimes my legs give out. I'm not giving up. I am scheduled for PT every Friday and am looking forward to riding again. There is pain everyday, but I don't take anything anymore, other than a hot bath. Is the pain going to be "forever", unlike my marriage?
October 14, 2013 - 4:22pmThis Comment
hi sorry about your accident. i shattered my pelvis 2 months ago running around with my kids, i did it in mid air i didnt even fall on it. anyway i am trying to find out how soon can i start walkingon my leg the doctors said 12 weeks but i cant handle another month the pain isnt to bad when i try to stand on it. should i wait will i hurt myself even more if i do try. someone help.
February 15, 2013 - 5:13amThis Comment
I fractured my pelivs 2 months ago,since it was a stable fracture i was managed conservatively,i was immobilised for 6 weeks then adviced physiotherapy....altough my progress is good but i stil have pain in my groin area,inner thigh region when i exercise and when i walk. its told to me that the pain will occur cause i am exercising the musles around the fracture.when will the pain subside completely?is it normal to pain to exs?or is it an indication to stop exs?
April 28, 2010 - 4:29amThis Comment
Anon,
I'm so sorry you fractured your pelvis, but I'm glad it was a stable fracture.
The fact that your progress is good in physiotherapy is very important. I am glad you are telling your physical therapists about the pain; they are trained in bone and muscle recovery and are good at being able to gauge whether the pain you are feeling is normal recovery pain or is above normal.
Are you doing any weight-bearing exercise? It may be too soon for that. MDguidelines.com says that individuals need to minimize the weight they place on the affected area for as long as three months.
Here's more:
"Bone healing may occur within 6 to 12 weeks; however, the bone strength and the ability of the bone to sustain a heavy load may take up to a year (Chapman). Once healing has occurred, the individual may resume full activities of daily living. It is important to instruct the individual not to overload the fracture site until the bone has regained its full strength. The treating physician should guide the resumption of heavy work and sports."
And here's what the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says:
"Stable fractures, such as the avulsion fracture experienced by an athlete, will normally heal without surgery. The patient will have to use crutches or a walker, and will not be able to put all of his or her weight on one or both legs for up to three months, or when the bones are healed. The doctor may prescribe medication to lessen pain. Because mobility may be limited for several months, the physician may also prescribe a blood-thinner to reduce the risk of blood clots forming in the veins of the legs."
and this:
"Stable pelvic fractures heal well. Pelvic fractures sustained during a high-energy incident, such as an automobile accident, may have significant complications, including severe bleeding, internal organ damage, and infection. However, these are due more to the associated injuries than to the fracture. If these injuries are addressed, the fracture usually heals well. People may walk with a limp for several months because of damage to the muscles around the pelvis. Thse muscles take a long time to become strong again. Subsequent problems, such as pain, impaired mobility, and sexual dysfunction, are usually the result of damage to nerves and organs that is associated with the pelvic fracture."
Does this information help?
It sounds like you are definitely on the road to recovery, and since your injury was just 2 months ago, you're doing really well. Make sure your physical therapists know how intense the pain is on a scale of 1 to 10 so that they can know when it's important to scale back.
April 29, 2010 - 9:07amThis Comment