I had a crash...a big one!

[Rob S.]

Sorry for your bad luck, and sorry to say I know your predicament. It's been 11 months for me, and I've been avoiding the orthopedic surgeon. How do your knees feel?

When you rode recently, were you able to put your weight on your knees and thighs, even the balls of your feet to 'dance' with the bike?

[trevor]

Well sh!t man, I'm sorry to hear that. I've been following your progress, quietly rooting for you from the sidelines. I suppose, as you said, at least things are moving in a forward trajectory. Any idea if COVID will delay a surgery like that?

No covid concerns for surgery. Should be within a few months

Sorry for your bad luck, and sorry to say I know your predicament. It's been 11 months for me, and I've been avoiding the orthopedic surgeon. How do your knees feel?

When you rode recently, were you able to put your weight on your knees and thighs, even the balls of your feet to 'dance' with the bike?

My knees are fine...I have been working out a minimum of 5 times a week. I'm in good shape...no weight gain...weigh 190lbs...the exact same as the day I got hurt. My only problem is the bone in my hip. Oh and my finger....they now want to operate on that....

[Rob S.]

I've found many MDs (particularly ER docs), are biased against motorcycles. I wonder why...

Mention two wheels, and the first thing they say in hospitals around here is, "We don't take motorcycle insurance." Although one young doc who visited me when I was bedridden did mention that he had a new Iron 1200.

[trevor]

Well sh!t man, I'm sorry to hear that. I've been following your progress, quietly rooting for you from the sidelines. I suppose, as you said, at least things are moving in a forward trajectory. Any idea if COVID will delay a surgery like that?

Sorry for your bad luck, and sorry to say I know your predicament. It's been 11 months for me, and I've been avoiding the orthopedic surgeon. How do your knees feel?

When you rode recently, were you able to put your weight on your knees and thighs, even the balls of your feet to 'dance' with the bike?

I've found many MDs (particularly ER docs), are biased against motorcycles. I wonder why...

Mention two wheels, and the first thing they say in hospitals around here is, "We don't take motorcycle insurance." Although one young doc who visited me when I was bedridden did mention that he had a new Iron 1200.

No issues here with that. Remember, we don't need insurance here to get looked after in the hospital.
My care has been amazing. 30 healthcare appointments in January alone...not a penny out of my pocket....and I got paid 53 cents a kilometer to go to said appointments....about $400...$500 in December. Talked to my lawyer tonight...he said my payout just got a lot bigger because of the hip replacement....

[bwringer]

Sorry to hear that, Trevor. Nonunions and healing problems suck, and there's so much that's unknown about why they happen and what to do about it.

Best wishes for your hip replacement and healing.



With broken femur #1, I had a nonunion and had to repeat the surgery a year later. It seemed to take hold and heal, but the angle ended up about 10 degrees wrong and I had all sorts of issues from that. I had to wear a leg brace for a long time.

At broken femur #2, we found that the new bone had retreated, and I was walking (hobbling, really) around on nothing but the pin through my femur (the x-ray with all the broken hardware was stomach-churning, and the surgery to get it out lasted hours). This actually healed quickly and correctly, but I was still limping because I never got competent physical therapy. I will never understand why surgeons #1 and #2 were so opposed to ordering PT. The PT I got did help some, but as I later found out much of what they were doing was pretty useless.

At broken femur #3, I had good healing and I fought like hell and paid through the nose to get the best PT I could find at the place the Colts football team uses. And it was intense physical training and exercise, and the results were pretty rapid.

I can walk, hike, lift weights, climb stairs, ride a bicycle, etc. perfectly normally now, but the muscle is too damaged to run; I can't seem to get the leg to move fast enough. Then again, maybe I could get there with some coaching and training, but it would be insanely expensive.

[trevor]

Sorry to hear that, Trevor. Nonunions and healing problems suck, and there's so much that's unknown about why they happen and what to do about it.

Best wishes for your hip replacement and healing.



With broken femur #1, I had a nonunion and had to repeat the surgery a year later. It seemed to take hold and heal, but the angle ended up about 10 degrees wrong and I had all sorts of issues from that. I had to wear a leg brace for a long time.

At broken femur #2, we found that the new bone had retreated, and I was walking (hobbling, really) around on nothing but the pin through my femur (the x-ray with all the broken hardware was stomach-churning, and the surgery to get it out lasted hours). This actually healed quickly and correctly, but I was still limping because I never got competent physical therapy. I will never understand why surgeons #1 and #2 were so opposed to ordering PT. The PT I got did help some, but as I later found out much of what they were doing was pretty useless.

At broken femur #3, I had good healing and I fought like hell and paid through the nose to get the best PT I could find at the place the Colts football team uses. And it was intense physical training and exercise, and the results were pretty rapid.

I can walk, hike, lift weights, climb stairs, ride a bicycle, etc. perfectly normally now, but the muscle is too damaged to run; I can't seem to get the leg to move fast enough. Then again, maybe I could get there with some coaching and training, but it would be insanely expensive.

I hear what you are saying about surgeons and physio....when I asked my surgeon in the beginning of all this about getting physio he said "you can if you want"....lol...I didn't get why he would not insist on it.
I have been working hard, thankfully I make my own schedule at work so that I can do all the physio everyday.
It has put me in a very good position for a replacement because I'm in good shape and the muscles that were pulverized from the trauma of the accident are very strong now. I have gained no weight as well.
As for the nonunion, you are right, who knows why. My surgeon has asked me to get blood work done to see if there is any infection. I'll go do that today.
Thanks for telling me your experience.

[Cipher]

I hear what you are saying about surgeons and physio....when I asked my surgeon in the beginning of all this about getting physio he said "you can if you want"....lol...I didn't get why he would not insist on it.
I have been working hard, thankfully I make my own schedule at work so that I can do all the physio everyday.
It has put me in a very good position for a replacement because I'm in good shape and the muscles that were pulverized from the trauma of the accident are very strong now. I have gained no weight as well.
As for the nonunion, you are right, who knows why. My surgeon has asked me to get blood work done to see if there is any infection. I'll go do that today.
Thanks for telling me your experience.

I have talked to two surgeons who held physio in the same regard as snake oil. Arses that don't care beyond their own skills.
There's two distinct types of physio that I've experienced one tries to get you back to percentage of what you once were and smells like hospital. Second tries to have you exceed you former self and smells like gym.

[trevor]

I have talked to two surgeons who held physio in the same regard as snake oil. Arses that don't care beyond their own skills.
There's two distinct types of physio that I've experienced one tries to get you back to percentage of what you once were and smells like hospital. Second tries to have you exceed you former self and smells like gym.

Lol....the ironic part is my surgeon said to me yesterday "you have been doing physio and getting stronger, so you will have a quick recovery after hip replacement"...2 months ago he told be "don't be too hard on yourself in physio, I'm not worried about you getting muscle back after the bone heals"....lol...make up your mind.
My physio is definitely "smells like gym"....and I'm happy she makes me work hard. But I don't think I'll be back to dead lifting 385lbs anytime soon. Lol

[bccap]

I have talked to two surgeons who held physio in the same regard as snake oil. Arses that don't care beyond their own skills.
There's two distinct types of physio that I've experienced one tries to get you back to percentage of what you once were and smells like hospital. Second tries to have you exceed you former self and smells like gym.

I hate physios ! When I was in the hospital they would come every day to try to get me to go for a walk ..... I said .... " How but we start on me getting in and out of bed first ? Never mind going for a walk " .......

[trevor]

I hate physios ! When I was in the hospital they would come every day to try to get me to go for a walk ..... I said .... " How but we start on me getting in and out of bed first ? Never mind going for a walk " .......

Lmao.....good one Garth.

[BigD_83]

Lol....the ironic part is my surgeon said to me yesterday "you have been doing physio and getting stronger, so you will have a quick recovery after hip replacement"...2 months ago he told be "don't be too hard on yourself in physio, I'm not worried about you getting muscle back after the bone heals"....lol...make up your mind.
My physio is definitely "smells like gym"....and I'm happy she makes me work hard. But I don't think I'll be back to dead lifting 385lbs anytime soon. Lol

I don't see those two positions from the surgeon as incompatible. The original statement was made before the surgeon knew your commitment level. There is a case to be made that physio, poorly done, can actually be detrimental to positive healing.

[Rob S.]

Sometimes these doctors remind me of dentists admiring their own work. They give you a mirror and say, "Doesn't that look great? You're the best looking guy in the room!"

When I was cleared to put weight on my legs (after 3 months), a physio would come to my room and have me stand while she watched the clock and counted to 30 seconds. "Okay, sit and rest." We'd do it maybe once more, then it was, "See you tomorrow." For this she wents (sic) to school?

When I was mobile enough to make my way down to them, I'd be given a dumbbell and told to do curls. From what I observed, they spent 20 minutes with a patient and 40 minutes booking their hours on a computer.

[bwringer]

I hate physios ! When I was in the hospital they would come every day to try to get me to go for a walk ..... I said .... " How but we start on me getting in and out of bed first ? Never mind going for a walk " .......

For me it was more like "OMFG! What are you doing out of bed?" They were routinely appalled at the advanced walker maneuvers I could manage... I wanted out of there bad.


When I finally got good physical therapy after busted femur #3 (yes the place did smell like a gym, as a matter of fact, and much sweat was spilled), I warned her "I want to get back to 100% ASAP. I will do exactly what you tell me, and I won't care how much it hurts. I will split myself open if it means I can walk normally again."

So we had a very productive discussion on how to recognize good pain and bad pain, and agreed on how we would approach and communicate my limits. IIRC, we did about three months in total, starting at three times a week, then twice a week, then once a week. At the end, my broken left leg was actually a little over-trained and stronger than my right leg, with full flexibility. And my twice-broken right wrist was back to 100% flexibility and strength.



As to why surgeons (and insurance companies) don't think PT is needed, I don't know. Been there, done that, tried it both ways, and the evidence is crystal clear.

The surgeon after broken femur #1 told me I was active and motivated, and wouldn't need PT. Yes, I was back on my feet pretty quickly, but I was pretty badly damaged and far less functional. I really, really wish I had gotten PT. I've always wondered whether the nonunion would have been prevented with more activity, or at least caught sooner. That one came with a lot of muscle damage (I hit a curb with my thigh...) and looking back it seems insane he wouldn't at least let me try PT. Surgeons can be narrow-minded to an extreme

I got off the opiate pain pills ASAP after surgery, but I took a LOT of ibuprofen in the following months. There's quite a lot of evidence that NSAIDs can cause healing problems, since healing depends on the body's response to inflammation. No one ever mentioned this; they just told me I could take up to 600mg or 800mg every four to six hours if my leg hurt.

As to the insurance companies... let's just say I could have had a VERY nice shiny new motorcycle for what I was forced to shell out for PT. Still worth it, of course.

[bccap]

For me it was more like "OMFG! What are you doing out of bed?" They were routinely appalled at the advanced walker maneuvers I could manage... I wanted out of there bad.


When I finally got good physical therapy after busted femur #3 (yes the place did smell like a gym, as a matter of fact, and much sweat was spilled), I warned her "I want to get back to 100% ASAP. I will do exactly what you tell me, and I won't care how much it hurts. I will split myself open if it means I can walk normally again."

So we had a very productive discussion on how to recognize good pain and bad pain, and agreed on how we would approach and communicate my limits. IIRC, we did about three months in total, starting at three times a week, then twice a week, then once a week. At the end, my broken left leg was actually a little over-trained and stronger than my right leg, with full flexibility. And my twice-broken right wrist was back to 100% flexibility and strength.



As to why surgeons (and insurance companies) don't think PT is needed, I don't know. Been there, done that, tried it both ways, and the evidence is crystal clear.

The surgeon after broken femur #1 told me I was active and motivated, and wouldn't need PT. Yes, I was back on my feet pretty quickly, but I was pretty badly damaged and far less functional. I really, really wish I had gotten PT. I've always wondered whether the nonunion would have been prevented with more activity, or at least caught sooner. That one came with a lot of muscle damage (I hit a curb with my thigh...) and looking back it seems insane he wouldn't at least let me try PT. Surgeons can be narrow-minded to an extreme

I got off the opiate pain pills ASAP after surgery, but I took a LOT of ibuprofen in the following months. There's quite a lot of evidence that NSAIDs can cause healing problems, since healing depends on the body's response to inflammation. No one ever mentioned this; they just told me I could take up to 600mg or 800mg every four to six hours if my leg hurt.

As to the insurance companies... let's just say I could have had a VERY nice shiny new motorcycle for what I was forced to shell out for PT. Still worth it, of course.

With me it was after two months in ICU and a loss of 110 lb's ..... I couldn't even roll over in bed let alone get out of it...... Not to mention I was stark raving loonie tunes from surgical trauma .... That time in ICU was with my arms strapped to the bed as I did try to bust out of there a few times....{ when you have 24 hours a day to work on the tie down straps you get pretty good at it } .... Busting out being sliding off of the bed tied to two of those poles filled with drips and pumps then taking one step before doing a face plant and getting a trip down for x-rays and a CT scan to see what my dumb little stunt had pucked up..... I hadn't even been eating solid food for more than two days before they showed up with the bright idea of going for a walk .......

[bwringer]

With me it was after two months in ICU and a loss of 110 lb's ..... I couldn't even roll over in bed let alone get out of it...... Not to mention I was stark raving loonie tunes from surgical trauma .... That time in ICU was with my arms strapped to the bed as I did try to bust out of there a few times....{ when you have 24 hours a day to work on the tie down straps you get pretty good at it } .... Busting out being sliding off of the bed tied to two of those poles filled with drips and pumps then taking one step before doing a face plant and getting a trip down for x-rays and a CT scan to see what my dumb little stunt had pucked up..... I hadn't even been eating solid food for more than two days before they showed up with the bright idea of going for a walk .......

Yikes, you had it much worse. I hope you're doing well these days.

We sure ain't playin' tiddly-winks with these two-wheelers.