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.
Comment Reply
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
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