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fell off on saturday, landed on a tree and broke my patella pretty badly. Had surgery on monday (NHS have been amazingly quick) and back home in bed in a locked brace. I can currently hobble around the house very slowly either with or without crutches, that's about it. Recovery looks to be a slow process - 8 weeks till I'm allowed 90 degree movement (I'm in a brace where that's adjustable), so I'm not able to drive or ride a bike till at least christmas, then full strength not back till autumn next year.
Wondering if there's anyone else on the forum who's had a similar injury who might be able to comment on what their recovery timing was like and how good the joint was afterwards, as well as any tips on long-term lower limb injuries in general - I'm basically completely homebound (and likely bedbound for this week) at the moment, no idea how I'll keep vaguely fit or sane - all the things I like to do to keep myself in good shape (ride bikes, surf, dig trails, cut up trees) are all out of the picture.
You have my sympathy. I had 6 months in bed after snapping my ankle off and 5 years on and off crutches while they did 6 operations trying to put it back on in a stable configuration. It sucks. There is no good news other than you will get out the other side of it. sorry.
Having said that, I used the time I was sat on my arse to work out how to turn some vague ideas for a 1960's style car design into something more tangible that I was then able to build once I was back on my foot/feet as a sort of mental rehab. I worked out what donor I needed, had to be an automatic unfortunately, and who could help me with the bits I really couldn't do myself. I still use the car regularly now.
I also took up painting. Something I had zero interest in before but sat in bed 24 hours a day for 6 months barely sleeping gives you almost 4,500 hours to fill and painting didn't hurt. I am now enjoying painting which is a big surprise as it always seemed dull and pointless before.
I think that if I was in the same situation now, I might try and set up some kind of online shop selling something digital, so I didn't need to make or post it, that I could run from my bed, Here is a quick guide I wrote if you want to give that a go : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYJfb2rKqnzcBX6OW2bw8hWOb2gtKxYtG0fDMjhTJeU/edit?usp=sharing
thanks WCA - I remembered you'd had something fairly horrific.
Fortunately (?) I work from home in IT so I'm continuing work as normal for now, but based a lot in bed rather than 100% at my desk. I've also got 2 smallish (6 and 9) kids kicking around after school. This does mean no stresses about money, and something to keep my mind occupied during the day, but the flip side is its a lot of screen time, part of the reason I guess I lean so heavily into being outside the rest of the time.
I'm half considering a hand-bike to keep me going for a bit, the trouble is they're not a small amount of cash and there's not enough for sale to understand what the real value is (prices seem to be all over the place)..
Maybe a completely different project is the answer
I did something very similar about 10 years ago. It might not seem it now but you will recover a bit quicker than that.
I was in a cast for 10 days and then a brace, I was able to get to 30 degrees very soon after. It was 7 weeks before I could walk but I was able to bear weight on that leg sooner, 5 months before I could begin to ride.
One thing that will shock you is muscle atrophy. It will come back, creatine helps with this. I only had 4, 30 minute physio appts, then eft to my own devices. If you can, get more.
I still have screws, pins & wire in there, they said it would have to come out, but then changed their mind. I am able to ride fine but steep climbs and technical climbs at low speed are painful. I am looking at stem cells treatment to regrow the cartilage soon.
Good luck.
It was 7 weeks before I could walk but I was able to bear weight on that leg sooner, 5 months before I could begin to ride.
out of interest, what was causing the gap between walking and riding? Would gentle pootling about have been possible, or is the muscle loss too great?
I actually broke the same leg's femur when I was young (7) so already grew the muscle back from scratch once. I suspect that 35 years later it'll be a slower process this time
As you can already bear weight I would say your injury is probably less bad than mine. I completely shattered mine, the surgeon told me he took the 9 big bits & stick them together, then chucked the rest away.
As I remember it was pain & lack of motion, the knee would not bend enough to pedal. I was going to the gym a bit, using the bikes there with the seat very high. I would sit on my bike with no chain on trying to increase the amount it would bend, then one day it just felt like time to put the chain on.
yeah mine is a fairly clean snap into 2, but with a bunch of tendon damage.
I bumped into a pedal pendulum https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chainsets/left-fietsen-op-maat-rompedal-eccentric-pedal-device/ which reduces the angle your leg goes through during pedaling, but they seem really expensive for something you'll only use for a few weeks till you get your range of movement back (unless anyone knows if you can rent them?). I guess my other option would be fitting a set of kids cranks @ 135mm or similar to get the height difference down
Might be worth having an online consultation with a sports physio to get ideas on how to minimise muscle wastage and possibly strength train around your injury.
I remember youtube footage of Chris Froome riding a turbo 1-legged and other physio he did after hid big crash. Again might give you ideas.
Good luck with project rehab!!!
i had a fibula plateau fracture on May 21st this year. Playing football with work, someone clattered into the side of me, i heard the knee pop and basically snapped a third of the bone off, just below the knee cap. 3 nights in hospital, 6 screw, 1 plate and a chunky scar and i was home. Similar, 8 weeks without weight bearing, in a brace. 6 weeks in i could move it 90 degrees.
Worked from home for a fair chunk of it. But it wasnt easy. Makes you realise how much you cant do when using crutches. I remember one lunch time i assumed i could carry some food to the table... turns out i was wrong, so had an apple and bag of crisps! Worst part of it all for me was 30 days of blood thinners injected into my stomach before bed. Had to get my wife to do it, was a fairly harrowing experience!
But, as for recovery, once i started having physio, i did the exercises religiously, and did more than they suggested. I just listened to my body. If it hurt, i stopped, otherwise i was determined and did as much as i could.
I was also told i wouldnt ever run again, need a new knee at some point, will get arthritis.... needless to say, I didnt agree with this. I have run 20+ km, alongside loads of park runs etc. Have signed up for a half and full marathon for 2026. Did 10 days in the Meribel riding DH around 12 weeks after the break, plus lots of other things. A positive mental attitude has helped loads.
On the odd occasion i can feel the bone/leg isnt as it was before, but no pain, just a funny feeling. Otherwise i am full bore.... even played football again the other day!
I think what helped me was good rest, good recovery exercise, a good diet (I am veggie, so am convinced that helped) and avoid alcohol, as it slows bone recovery. I also took some 'bone' supplements. Anything that i thought would help, i did.
A bit of a random ramble there, but i wish you all the best in a speedy recovery.
Might be worth having an online consultation with a sports physio to get ideas on how to minimise muscle wastage and possibly strength train around your injury.
I remember youtube footage of Chris Froome riding a turbo 1-legged and other physio he did after hid big crash. Again might give you ideas.
Good luck with project rehab!!!
ah yes, i forgot about the muscle wastage. my right leg was an empty sack. it was pretty upsetting to see at times. so be prepared to see years of hard craft disappear. thankfully, it comes back quite quickly.
Fortunately (?) I work from home in IT so I'm continuing work as normal for now, but based a lot in bed rather than 100% at my desk.
Likewise. I only took 2 weeks sick leave initially and then a few days after each of the subsequent operations. The great thing about being an IT consultant working remotely is the clients can't tell if you are stoned on pain meds or just very relaxed about the project.
Check out if you can hire / borrow a motor chair / hand bike. They can be expensive for a relatively short time period. I managed to gety a Boma when I was okay to be in a wheelchair. It was an absolute sanity saver as I could get back out and see the woods etc. I even managed a few bike tracks.
Stomach injections weren't fun but you get used to them.
I modified my crutches so I could rest my knee without putting load on the ankle. This let me balance so I could at least make a coffee myself. Probably not a good idea for your knee injury though.
a few months is nothing. You'll be on your feet soon. 90 degrees movement doesn't prevent you from walking. Having had a serious knee injury and then aggravating it again last year just make sure you start to move and do physio as soon as the doctors think you can. Bones heal quick but ligaments are ****s.
The serious knee injury i put up with as I accepted it would take a while (broken tib, tib plateau, separated ACL from lower leg) but this latest one I could walk the next day badly. It was a tear to the cartilage and something on the MCL (all as a result of my ACL degrading) but a year later its still a bit dodgy and it is pretty frustrating. Had to bin off football and can't run for long. Riding is fine as long as I don't fall off or make a dab.
two young kids - I'm sure you'll find plenty to keep you occupied
Didn’t fracture my knee, but had a 15x7cm hematoma. Which meant 3 months off work and 5 months (ish) of the bike.
Range of motion is what will stop you riding a bike.
I bought myself a swing crank adapter, also known as a mobility crank.
Also did a bit of one legged indoor rowing. With the injured leg sliding on a tea tray.
Basically means you have an extra pivot on one crank arm, meaning the injured side can make smaller circles.
It’s adjustable as range of motion improves.
I started on the Turbo, then a bit of off-road with a crutch gaffer taped to the cross bar in case.
I even used it on some of the red trails at Bikepark Wales. Drops were scary though.
https://highpath.co.uk/pulse-swing-cranks/
Not the one I used but the animation explains the swing crank better than my words.
which reduces the angle your leg goes through during pedaling, but they seem really expensive for something you'll only use for a few weeks till you get your range of movement back (unless anyone knows if you can rent them?). I guess my other option would be fitting a set of kids cranks @ 135mm or similar to get the height difference down
Ah, missed this post. Which knee is it?
I broke a kneecap although cracked might better describe it. The brace works really well and you can walk on it to an increasing extent as soon as the lock is eased to give you get the first degrees of movement. Tap into physio advice as soon as practicable - I remember there was one particular move they explicitly warned me against in the early days although I can’t remember which one it was(!).
cheers for all the advice. Yeah I'm on the dreaded blood thinners too, the last bit of push (to get the needle to retract) seems really awkward, but I expect I'll get used to them after a month..
I have actually ridden the bike since doing my knee - it was the only way we could figure out to get me off the hill, so I scooted down with the dropper post/left pedal allowing the exact right amount of pressure on my knee (it was super painful to have the lower leg "hanging" as it was to put weight on it), till we got to the bottom. It was pure chance I was with my mates - I normally ride there alone, which would have involved something equivilent to mountain rescue to peel me off.
Check out if you can hire / borrow a motor chair / hand bike. They can be expensive for a relatively short time period. I managed to gety a Boma when I was okay to be in a wheelchair. It was an absolute sanity saver as I could get back out and see the woods etc. I even managed a few bike tracks.
any suggestions to places to get them from? I did a quick google and found nothing round here, but I'm wondering if general mobility places might have them in?
Ah, missed this post. Which knee is it?
left knee. There's a second hand right-side crank on ebay at the moment, but nothing on my side
Mine was small fry compared to yours, a break with minimal displacement at the joint surface that didn't require screws. Patience. I'm a swimmer so was back in the pool with a pool bouy ASAP. Muscle loss is impressive, and muscle return once you can use it equally impressive. You can't fight it, patience. A long time to get full joint amplitude back. The patella is now bigger than the other one.
left knee. There's a second hand right-side crank on ebay at the moment, but nothing on my side
That’s a shame mine is a RH.
Smashed my patella hitting a wall in May and stlll struggling to get flexion back but all cases are different. Physio support and advice is key as there is a balance between keeping it straight for healing and getting it moving so you dont loose flexion. Find a good local physio and ask for a rehab plan that shows the types of exercise over time - physio becomes your new job - it also maybe painful so dont shy away from painkillers as needed prior to daily physio exercises when you get allowed to do them. Possible also look at some technology to help - game ready cryo cuff which is compression and cold water really can help with swelling and pain in the early phases. Possible electro muscle stim if physio thinks its ok. Dont forget about your head health - mates are a great help to have regular chats with, getting out rather than stuck in house, projects to focus on all need a little extra effort to make happen.
Good luck and be patient - search under patella fracture as there was more dicussion from others with simialr injuries early this year...
And the last question - is any type of ebike a good rehab bike once we can pedal circles ....
With blood thinner injections my stomach really bruised, so I did some in upper thigh. It numbs the injection if you flick the entry point with a finger. I rotated round stomach like a clockface, today 12, tomorrow 3 etc.
Best wishes, I was soooo bored. After 6 weeks I was back in the pool with a floaty thing between my legs. Just using cupped hands as propulsion. Then a float and straight leg kick. Stitches dissolved first entry in water and blood wouldn't clot so q a mess...be warned.
If I did it again I d be in a hyperbaric chamber every day, there's one near me so easy.
Follow what the docs say. Not done a knee, but spine and 4 ribs (10 years ago) then hip socket and pelvis in January.
It takes time. Been on the injections twice - second time was a waste as I'd been hobbling about, working and taken two three hour flights before 'we' found out I had extensive fractures. I was then told to rest and take injections. Stopped the injections when I was bruising too badly each time. I'd not had any time off work either, I was in work for the first six weeks, then told, rest, but got bored and thought what the hell as I'd already been hobbling about. Didn't start using the turbo until I'd seen a hip consultant - about 3 months. No surgery though, because they missed the fractures. Had they found it, I'd be sporting a new ceramic hip socket and titanium leg components.