March 17
This afternoon I had an appointment with Dr. Allan Maples of The
Orthopaedic Center here in Huntsville.
They took another round of x-rays, and then we discussed. He showed us the three pieces of the upper
tibia that had broken from the main part of the bone. Basically, there is one piece on each side
and the third piece is down the middle.
The middle piece has been pounded down by the impact. The top of the tibia plateau has an
indentation that looks like a ball mark on a soft putting green. So, the surgery will raise the middle section
and then screw everything together.
Dr. Maples estimated I will be non-weight bearing for 8-12 weeks, but I
will be able to bend my knee. So, I am
hopeful that I will be able to drive the automatic sedan we have very soon. Our other vehicle is a Ford Bronco with a
manual transmission. Fortunately, Martha
can drive that easily even though I usually drive it.
March 19
Surgery went well today. The
first surgery to install the external fixation took all of 20 minutes. This surgery was much longer at more than an
hour and a half. According to Dr. Maples
PA, Mason, it all came together as well as it could. Mason was optimistic on getting weight on the
leg in 6-8 weeks. However, it really
matters on how well things heal over the next several weeks. I have an appointment back with Dr. Maples on
April 9 when the stitches should come out.
No glue or extra bone material required
As best as I can tell at this point, two plates were used and a total
of 16 screws—one less than Lindsey Vonn needed.
March 20
I got released from the hospital this afternoon. This morning before breakfast, I worked with
Sara, the PT. She had me crutch up and
down the hallway once. She also opened
up the splint, and she bent the knee a little bit, maybe 10-15 degrees.
March 22
My industrial brace
Nathan and his two oldest boys came to visit this weekend. Nathan is going to deploy on the USS H.W.
Bush any day now. It was great to see
them even though we had just seen them for Seb’s birthday three weeks ago. They left this morning, and I put in my first
self PT session.
My leg is in a brace that can be locked straight or unlocked. I worked all variations of straight leg
raises on the floor—on my back, side, and belly. I also added in some crunches. Then I unlocked the brace and worked the
range of motion for 10 minutes or so. At
this point, I can bend the knee about 25 degrees.
Never stop running (unless you have a broken leg or a knee
replacement),
Darin
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