Bone breaks around the knee :

Advice Please - - Posted by davewill (davewill), 23 December 2004

Hi, i've just found this forum and would appreciate some advice for my mother.
She is 79 years old, fit and healthy in herself, (although overweight) but fell last week, and broke her Patella in two.  
She has had it wired, and is now in hospital with full leg plaster. The staff have tried to get her to stand using a frame, but every time she touches her toes to the floor on her plastered leg, it is very painful through her knee. Any idea how long it should be before she is able to put weight on it.
Also is it normal that the plasster stays on for say the full 6 weeks, or do hospitals change the plaster for a lighter one?
Thanks, i look forward to your advice
Posted by lizl (lizl), 24 December 2004

Hey, Dave! Sorry to hear about your Mom.  I remember being in lots of pain nearly every time I moved my leg much at all. I don't remember, however, any particular increase in pain associated specifically with touching my toes/feet to the floor. I do remember being surprised that I could stand.

I wonder if maybe your Mom has her foot flexed in some way or is maybe otherwise tensing muscles in anticipation of pain. Perhaps you can reassure her that she will NOT fall with helpers all around her when she tries to weight bear and she might also try changing the angle of her foot in various ways.

I believe that most doctors in the US use an immobilizer now, rather than a plaster cast, but it does stay on for 6-8 weeks. The immobilizer is so much lighter. On the other hand, a cast stays in place better. Those immobilizers slip and have to be readjusted constantly.

If your mother had been living by herself, you will probably have to make arrangements for someone to stay with her or for her to go to a convalescent center for a time. I'm quite a bit younger than she is, and I needed help for weeks. I actually had someone with me constantly for around 10 days post-surgery and then had help for around three weeks with cooking, etc. Your Mom with need help with bathing for several weeks.

Let us know how you and your Mom are doing. Try to have a Merry Christmas, in spite of it all.

LizL
Posted by kgrosskurth (Kathy G), 10 January 2005

Hi, Dave. Sorry to hear about your mother, but I just wanted to welcome you to KneeGeeks and hope she gets better really soon. We are a great group and hope you enjoy posting with us. We will try to help you as much as we can. Be sure to read some of the other threads as well, they will help you out if you can find any info similar to your mom's experience.

Again Welcome!!  

This old Forum was so valuable that we have kept it as an archive. It is just for reference. If you want to ask questions or offer advice, there is also a current Bulletin Board which you can access from our home page.