The reasoning for these updates
It’s been five years since my accident and while I don’t have much news, I thought an update was needed, nevertheless!
The reason? Apparently my blog posts about this topic have found their way around the world! I receive 4-6 emails every month inquiring about my progress or asking me for recovery advice. I like to think that I can offer help in what little way I’m able to during some very dark times for some people. Those who know me will know that I don’t like to talk about myself or share successes openly. But for this, I will.
Immediately following my accident and for several weeks post-surgery, I remember how difficult it was to find any nugget of hope on the internet about recovering from tibial plateau fractures (TPFs). So here I am, once again sharing about my journey.
Onto the update
The leg is doing very well. I have occasional minor pain in the inner knee due to the one screw that is slightly too long. I feel it when I’m kneeling on it or when I’m lying down and my other leg is resting on it. This frustrates me sometimes because other than that, I don’t have any pain at all in the leg unless I’m doing high impact activities like running or jumping (which I don’t usually do).
The scar is hardly noticeable and I have regained some but not all nerve sensation in the skin around it. It is a non-issue for me, the way it looks and the way it feels.
I am able to touch my heel to my bum if I push myself. It is slightly painful to do, so I don’t do it! I do, however, have full range of motion for squats, lunges, and deadlifts and am able to do those with no pain at all. In fact, most activities that I’ve tried – swimming, weight training, climbing, hiking, skiing, cycling, golf – have been totally fine for the knee. Walking long distances and standing for long periods of time are also pain-free. Again, the only exception are activities that are high-impact and involve a lot of jumping or running. I get asked a lot what activities I can do so that’s why I am posting everything that I’ve tried!
…Oh! One thing that I don’t think I’ve mentioned before is that the leg DOES become a bit sore when I’ve spent a long time being inactive, like if I’ve been sitting on an airplane or in a movie theatre for several hours. But maybe this is because I’m getting old (I’m 44)? I’m not sure. I guess it needs motion to remain lubricated, LOL!
I had a bit of a scare in March 2022 while skiing in Whistler, B.C. I made a wrong turn into a run that was too difficult for me (not great visibility that day so I should have been more careful) and had a pretty big fall. This time it was my other leg that had some pain. I’m pretty sure I over-extended that knee. I was able to ski back down but I had some pain in that knee for MONTHS after the trip whenever I extended it. Thankfully, by the summer (about 3 months afterwards) the pain was completely gone and I’ve been working on strengthening it leading up to this ski season.
…I refuse to give up skiing. This might be my downfall, but…I just refuse. I love it so much! I didn’t grow up doing this activity and as an adult learner, it is incredibly fun getting outdoors in the winter and challenging myself to improve with each visit to the slopes!
So that’s my update for year 5 post-surgery. If you’ve found these posts helpful for your own recovery journey, I’m so very glad!
Warmly,
Jessica
