Hi All,
new to the forum. anyone here had/have a lower nondisplaced fibula stress fracture? I read an article that Tim Deboom had a similar injury. Any recommendations for recovery plan, orthopedic that has a good rep in the boulder area? Thx
Duper
I’ve fx’ed both fibulae though not at the same time fortunately.
You will need to tkae 6-8 wks off from weight bearing sport (RUNNING) for it to heal. Cycling and swim should be ok.
1500mg Ca a day - no more than 500 mg at a time
Don’t try to run on it earlier or it’ll fracture again
Assumedly you got this diagnosed via an x ray or bone scan?
(((((hugs))))))
Are you up all day and night on this forum? 
THx, I know about the calcium intake as I usually am pretty good about taking in enough vitamin D and calcium intake. I was just diagnosed out here in Boulder from a orthopedic (DR.OCEL) via MRI. First time i have been to an orthopedic and a first for an injury. I have a follow up on Monday to go over specifics. I am somewhat skeptical as to what i should be doing since this doctor gave me the thumbs up on doing intensity rides PRIOR to the results and then had one of his assistants call up today to tell me NO RUNNING (of course not, i can hardly walk up and down the stairs without discomfort) but I could most likely swim. Said nothing about biking or intensity level this time around. Hence, I am not sure what to believe when I see the doc on Monday. Hope i didn’t confuse the readers here. Also, not trying to bash any orthopedic professional here. Just trying to make out what remedies have or have not worked in the past for folks with the same issue.
Nonetheless, I am open to strategies that have worked for this type of injury and specific training regiments to keep in shape in the pool and maybe on the bike. For example, is doing aerobic threshold pace on the bike 90min up to 3 hours harmful? how long should one be in the pool training on a weekly basis? Same for the bike portion? I am going to ask the same questions on Monday, but again, any insight would be greatly appreciated.
btw, Spent time in the harbour some time ago. Loved the area. not so much in the winter time and that water is COLD.
OK.
The fibula is not a major weight bearing bone in the lower leg. But it can be quite painful.
here are the considerations you need to take into account.
- When did the injury occur? Bones take anywhere from 6-12 weeks to heal. Did you see thex-ray/MRI?
- Calcium and Vitamin D intake will not heal bones faster, especially if you alreaday have a good diet.
- Running is OUT. None. Until the bone is completely healed.
- Biking should be out for the first 4 weeks. Why? You are not completing normal weightbearing.
As a Dr., rest and time are the best strategies. Working on triathlete’s and being one myself, it is hard to take the time off, but for your legs sake you will need to do it. All you need to do is start compensating for the pain (even a small amount) and overusing the opposite leg…and then you will be in more pain with a longer rehab.
Start biking at week 4. Nothing more than an hour. No anerobic training. Submax, level rides of less than 60 minutes. Pool sessions per week can be 3 times. TM walking…note walking…at 6 weeks…no longer than 30 mintes. Begin running upon full healing at 50% of your previous pace for 2-3 weeks.
Your major problem will be getting the tendons and ligaments strong again. Give them time. Don’t just listen to your BRAIN or HEART…listen to the pain in the leg. If you get it STOP. No exceptions. Most injuries like this can cause overuse injuries in the non-affected leg.
Of course…listen to your referring MD regarding how you are healing, and listen to your body.
Good luck.
I’ve fx’ed both fibulae though not at the same time fortunately.
You will need to tkae 6-8 wks off from weight bearing sport (RUNNING) for it to heal. Cycling and swim should be ok.
1500mg Ca a day - no more than 500 mg at a time
Don’t try to run on it earlier or it’ll fracture again
Assumedly you got this diagnosed via an x ray or bone scan?
(((((hugs))))))
What Tiger says. I fractured both left and right at the same time. Tried coming back after about 7 weeks and fractured both of them again. Time is the best thing, although I guess you can look into that new take out your blood put the plasma back dealeo.
Ricky,
First of all, BIG THANKS! Secondly, if you ever are coming into Boulder give me a heads up, beer is on me or whatever you like to drink/eat within reason. Your strategies seem quite sound and logical, plus you know what we go through being an athlete yourself. After reading this, you have spawned several additional questions and some clarifications that would be helpful for me. Before I do so, I’ll give you more background on my training and when the injury occurred as you asked.
Approx Jan 27th did the following workout:
50min run
10 minute warmup and strides then 4X1 minutes fast, 2 minute recoveries, follow with a 20 minute zone 4 effort.
Result:did workout on treadmill due to windy weather and cold. 4x1min’s were at 4:25 pace. 5:15-5:20 pace for zone 4 effort. didn’t feel up to par today. just didn’t seem to have it going today. Tired and felt a little sore.
Jan 28th did the following workout:
Workout 1: 40 minute zone 1-2 run
Result: 6:20 pace mostly zone 1 and a little in zone 2
Workout 2: 1 hour ride with 4X6 minutes of (2 minutes in zone 2,3, two in zone 3-4, 2 in zone 4-5). 2 minute recoveries.
Result: this felt pretty hard. exhausted afterwards. great workout. rode on trainer. 1st interval- 24.7mph, 104rpm, 2nd-25.4, 106rpm, 3rd-24.9, 102, 4th-24.3, 100rpm. BIG GEAR throughout whole workout.
Jan 29th did the following workout:
50 minute zone 1-2 run. On track for 3X400 fast -90s recoveries. then include 2 miles at zone 4.
Result:cool and somewhat windy gusts. 35 degrees and sunny. splits on 400’s 63, 63, 65. Felt real tired on last interval. 5:13 pace on 2.13 mile run in zone 4. felt fatigue toward the end and some soreness around ankle area.
After the 29th the next day I woke up and could hardly walk just like Tim’s description of what happened to him with a similar injury. Afterwhich I took the 30th of Jan off and did a 2.5 hour ride on the 1st of Feb and kept riding in aerobic effort zone 2/3 each day until the end of the last week (Saturday). Total bike mileage per week for the last several weeks was 160-170 and 7 to 8hrs weekly avg.
And the answer to your other question, yes I have a copy of the CD of the MRI images.
So my other questions are as follows:
- Once I can start swimming what type of workouts work best to keep cardio fitness but not impeding on injury recovery and for how long in each session (30min, 1hour)?
- What about strength training? Is it recommended that I do strengthening exercises for the ligaments and tendons at sometime during the healing process or should that be a no go until 100% recovery?
- What do you mean by TM walking?
Once again, thx for your assistance/advice.
This is a really helpful thread… Broke the fibula at Copper Mtn skiing the “freshies” … hit a filled in ditch, ski jammed into ditch side, I catapulted and ended up with a non-displaced fib fracture at the top of the boot. Broke bone on Feb 22 and was put in a compression boot. It’s now two weeks later and I can walk on it with minimal discomfort or pain and without boot on. As so many have noted, walking with the boot really messes with the good leg. OK, I know I can’t go back to my sports … My question is, am I wrong to be walking on it without the boot and so soon? Neither the Copper Clinic Doc nor the post injury Otho were very specific about length of time or when to do what = other than no more skiing this winter. I have read heaps and gobs of discussion threads and searched the professional literature and I can’t come up with an answer.
63 year old Ski Gal…pro instructor…pretty athletic.
Hawk - fractures at the upper end of the fibula won’t happen all that often but you want to keep in mind that a traumatic injury and stress related injury are not the same and not treated the same. For your injury, all things being equal, a short period of immobilization is frequently suggested and once you can walk without pain, which it sounds like now, both boots and crutches are set aside in my practice. Given that this is already March, you’re probably done with the slopes for this season, could do stationary bike now (if painful, delay) and probably return to running in a graduated form by 4/2. At 63, your healing potential is not what it was when you were 13 so try not to duplicate this injury next time you’re slopes bound. Good luck.
John
Thanks so much for the quick response. I am a fanatic in terms of plant-based, whole foods diet with a purpose…strong bones, good HDL, and medication avoidance. I’d like to think my diet and supplements have helped a lot. For example, I am convinced that turmeric helped with inflammation, and Arnica (cream and pellets) helped the muscles… It seemed like the boot may have contributed to really stiff and bunched tendons and muscles, so I kept the boot off as much as possible. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, which means pain may or may not be useful for managing level of activity. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t setting myself up for problems later or taking too much risk. Again, thanks for the advice. This is a really great help site. PS: 63 is the new 36!
63 is the new 36! Not a chance! Perhaps the it’s the whole foods diet that has impeded your thought processes. I only say this as I’ve seen 63 come and go. Maybe we can be on the same bowling team! I’ll let you go first.
John
quick question: should I be concerned about a knot in my calf? It is not adjacent to the fibula break but in the back of the calf. I have been applying heat and massage but is just doesn’t seem to want to go away and it gets much worse overnight. If it’s just a matter of continuing the heat and massage, I certainly can try to be more patient.
Sorry about the delay, I just missed it. By now your “knot” should be lessening in size. Although it’s highly unlikely to be a tumor, abscess, aneurysm, etc. if unchanged or modestly better. If not, get it checked out when you talk to the fibula fracture doctor.
John