Sounds like you are on a good track. Good luck with the recovery. I too had a fib break and while actively recovering placing gradual and incremental stress increases to the leg I supplemented this with an aggressive site related soft tissue self -massage (hot tub water jets). Unbeknownst to me at the time but felt less than 4 hours later was that I had managed to break loose the trauma related blood clot up into my lungs. Bam! a simple break turns into a pulmonary embolism.
So it’s been 7 days since breaking my fibula. Been hobbling around no crutches for past two days. Very, very sore at night while sleeping…almost keeping me awake. I swam (mostly pull buoy but some kick) yesterday and it was pretty good. Ventured downstairs to the trainer this morning. Managed to get regular bike shoes on and clipped in. Spun between 40-100 watts at about 75 RPM for 40 mins. It was sore…the whole time…really sore. Was not the type of “oh crap, I better stop” sore or pain. I could have probably gone a full hour or more but I cut it off. If my memory is correct from prior broken bones, sore is normal and good as some stress keeps the healing process engaged and productive.
This was exactly my experience on the first few rides…but as I mentioned the “black and blue” body parts dramatically transformed from those rides closer to a normal leg/foot size and color.
All right…so, I’ve done several trainer rides of 40-50 mins and IF right around 40-50% of FTP (~150 watts avg). I could go longer and possibly even harder but I’m trying to keep it reeled in. I find that lower cadence (80s) is more comfortable. The fx site and surrounding tissue is “uncomfortable” for the entire time. Same thing with swimming…have been gradually losing the pull bouy and kicking a little more - albeit very, very easy. Worst pain is in the morning straight out of bed…it feels sharp and pronounced and it makes me second guess whether this thing is healing. The ortho was real relaxed about the whole thing basically saying “yeah, the fib doesn’t bear weight so do what you want or can”. About the only restriction he put on me was don’t run or ski for 6 weeks.
Does your experience sound similar?
All right…so, I’ve done several trainer rides of 40-50 mins and IF right around 40-50% of FTP (~150 watts avg). I could go longer and possibly even harder but I’m trying to keep it reeled in. I find that lower cadence (80s) is more comfortable. The fx site and surrounding tissue is “uncomfortable” for the entire time. Same thing with swimming…have been gradually losing the pull bouy and kicking a little more - albeit very, very easy. Worst pain is in the morning straight out of bed…it feels sharp and pronounced and it makes me second guess whether this thing is healing. The ortho was real relaxed about the whole thing basically saying “yeah, the fib doesn’t bear weight so do what you want or can”. About the only restriction he put on me was don’t run or ski for 6 weeks.
Does your experience sound similar?
Looking back that sounds about right and what my doc was saying too. Yours also looks less “complicated” given that it is not close to the ankle/achilles
I broke mine mid shaft a few years ago. The break healed quickly. I took the boot off after 3 weeks and work a heavy supportive elastic brace due to impatience. i started riding then. As someone else already stated, it was the soft tissue damage that took longer to resolve. My lower calf felt weak and jiggled like a bowl of jello when I started running again. I developed peroneal tendinitis as well. It all resolved, but I was surprised at how long it took to rebuild the strength. PT might have helped with that and helped me to avoid the tendinitis issues.
The question I have is…how much (if any) can the fx move around? I would think little or not at all given it is embedded/protected in the calf muscles. Yeah, I know that if I went out and ran on it or took a lower leg blow from the side it would move. But my assumption is that the really uncomfortable soreness around it is largely due to the muscle trauma, etc.
Jim I missed your last reply to me somehow.
Yes I had surgery. I have a titanium rod full length of my tibia. 2 screws top, 2 bottom holding it in place. Fib was a clean snap so it floated around until it stuck back together. It’s healing offset. Surgeon says that’s ok.
I am JUST starting to hobble on the treadmill again. It hurts and yes the fibula hurts too. So running is still pretty much a nogo for me…sucks.
That said I’m pretty fit in the water and on the bike again. I’m not all that far from my best ever FTP right now which occurred after almost 2 years of non-stop bike focus.
Keep after it! Nice work on getting the FTP rebuilt.
Dev - This recovery is unlike any other I’ve experienced…and in a remarkably good way. I’ve been riding both inside and outside now since 10 days post-accident. I’m up to IM and Half IM watts now. I could easily start throwing down FTP intervals if I wanted to but I’m trying to keep it sane. Today is 4 weeks and I’m heading out with my wife to go on about a 50 miler that will involve 3,000 feet of gradual climbing. Going down stairs is about the only thing that is still awkward. I’m sure I’ll be really sore at the end of today’s ride but I am still blown away by how the healing process has almost been conducive to just about anything I want to do. I guess I am the luckiest unlucky person. No one believes me that my leg was (and still is) broken.
Thanks for the words of encouragement early on. It gave me the belief that I could stress it pretty hard and be okay.
I found this thread through the search function. I snapped my fibula at IMTX on Saturday. In hindsight, I realize I had a stress fracture that I ignored. I snapped in the first mile or so, which made the run pretty tough. I just thought it was a sprain and a case of mind over matter.
Doctors tell me what was discussed here: swimming after two or three weeks, cycling maybe a week after that, walking/light running after six to eight weeks. Doctors are debating whether I should have surgery. Looks like most of the people here opted not to have surgery, which I also hope to avoid.
Question: I need to make some decisions about cancelling and deferring race plans. When is a realistic time to think I might do a HIM? I am signed up for a couple in late August / early September. May I keep those plans? I also am signed up for IMLP. With that about nine weeks away, I assume I need to defer it, and swap it for a Fall race.
People gave some good anecdotes in this thread about reclaiming swim and bike fitness. How did your run fitness recover? Any tips on minimizing the loss of that (i.e., water jogging?).
It kind of feels like the season is over before it began.
At this point, I’ve recovered from 3 stress fractures within the past 3-4 years. I would suggest canceling the race plans. You’ll be back to running at that point, but running a marathon after only being back on your legs a few weeks might just aggravate the healing process and set you back. Coming back from a stress fracture, you really have to be patient with the loading on that bone.
I missed 3 months last year with a femur stress fracture. I did really focus on my swim and bike, and managed to PR well in both of those. I also aquajogged. There are some good aquajogging plans if you search for them. The key with aquajogging is I feel you have to try harder to maintain intensity, kinda like biking on a trainer versus outside. Combining those 3, I PRed in a half marathon after only running on the ground for 4 weeks after I was cleared, so I think you can maintain fitness if not become stronger by working on weaknesses.
That’s a very encouraging response. Thank you.
My doctor agrees that swimming and biking should be very doable in a few weeks.
Lake Placid in July seems like a lost cause. How about doing a HIM in late August? Is that reasonable (three months post surgery)?
I would think so, but you have to play it by ear on recovery. A little bit of pain is normal coming back, but it can be tricky to know the line between recovery and bad pain. Try not to overthink it. I always have the issue of not knowing whether it hurts slightly, or I’m just anticipating it hurting and am thinking that it’ll hurt. But a stress fracture is far from a death sentence!
Out of four broken bones, this Fibula fx was the easiest recovery I’ve had. Here’s my basic timeline:
1st week post break - ditched the crutches, began waking/limping and swimming no kicking
2nd week - started riding the trainer. First several rides were super uncomfortable. Gradually increased time and intensity. Started out at about 50% of FTP for an hour.
3rd week - ramped to maybe 70% FTP.
4th week - rode outside. Did some mild and short hills. Started walking outside and on the treadmill.
5th week - more riding. Lots more. Lots of walking. Attempted to run. No dice.
6th week - rode a lot. Hills. Cross bike on dirt.
7th week - tried running again. Pushed through some really uncomfortable feelings. Seemed to work better.
8th week - ran a lot more. Felt like massive shin splints every time. Went hiking a lot.
9th week - basically back to normal. But would never have been able to run a long distance race.
After a particularly hard weekend of riding and hiking out of nowhere the pain just vanished. No more soreness. Nothing.
If every injury could have been this easy for me…well, I’d be ecstatic.
Mine is a full break. I think it was a undiagnosed stress fracture that popped. Surgery tomorrow.
Jim – was yours a full break too?
Thanks for the great breakdown. It seems consistent with what my doctors have told me.
It was more like a long crack through the bone. No displacement at all…it was sort of hard to see on the Xray.