Non-displaced transverse with a small inferior fracture too.
No surgery just a splint.
My swelling has gone down and I can get around in the splint ok.
An orthopaedic specialist gave me the go ahead to start walking without the splint so long as the patella stays in place.
And to also do some small quad exercises. Im a mountain biker so am keen to get back to the active lifestyle I had before.
What was your experience in regards to healing time????
Has anyone had a similar story to mine and how have they gone/going?
I had an motorcycle accident last September 21, 2012 that broke my right kneecap in two. An x-ray showed that my kneecap was separated an inch and a half apart. The doctor immediately suggested operation but we didn't undergo with it because my aunt was hesitant believing an operation would damage some nerves on my knee. Another doctor suggested that we just leave it be because it would normally heal by itself. We were still skeptical with the second doctor's opinion so we opted to have a cast bandaged on my right knee that would help in preventing my right knee to be accidentally bent.I was quite surprised by the fact that I haven't felt felt any pain even though my right knee was swollen up for the first three weeks after the accident. By the way, I started going to office last October 12, 2012. A second x-ray last November 5, 2012 showed a big improvement. Imagine the side of the kneecap closer to the tibia is almost touching. I'm a bit worried because the other side is still quite distant. Would I still be able to walk normally???
Please go to the Doctor and see about your knee so you want have problems in the further. I fracture my knee and i have been in a brace for three weeks.
Sondra%-)
I broke my kneecap Nov. 30. The doctor has me in an immobiler ankle to thigh and no weight or bending. The X-ray looks like a spider web but it stayed together. I go back the 18th to see how it is healing. I am not getting an operation unless absolutely there is no other option.
I would get a second opinion if I was you. Common sense would say that if you put weight on something broken it would not hold but I am not a doctor.
When I broke my kneecap September 2011 it was broken into 3 pieces. The bottom 2 pieces were separated from the top part by almost 2 centimeters. I was told that if the pieces are still attached, you can get away without surgery. I was told that with a break like mine (and yours it sounds like), when the pieces have moved significantly out of place, it's necessary to operate to get the pieces back together.
I spent 3 or 4 months in an ankle to thigh brace, gradually increasing my mobility 15 degrees at a time. I can walk fine, I can even run. A year later I still avoid the stairs (especially going down) because weight on my bended knee is uncomfortable. I also experience pain more quickly in that knee than my other knee.
As far as your aunt's concern about nerve damage...it's a valid concern. I was told there was 50 (or maybe 80?) percent chance they were going to hit a nerve when operating on my knee and that if they did, the skin would be numb for several years. They knicked it. A patch of skin on the knee has no sensation--but I can walk, run, and do just about anything else.
my mother is 83 and after a successful knee replacement ,fractured the patella it has not mended together and has been told that the scare tissue is holding it together ,she can bend it and dose exercises but has a lot of pain still with it and still has to wear a brace ,like you it has been such a long haul and I wonder if it ever will be better ??
I am experiencing the exact same situation - had a patella fracture after a direct fall on the sidewalk - which resulted in it breaking in 5 pieces. The CT scan showed that it was a nondisplaced fracture - and I was released with a brace. I'm actually happy surgery was avoided as it sounds like that can introduce complications down the line. Conservative treatment is better for healthy people with normal bone healing capacity. I was curious how it all turned out for you. An update would be most welcome!
Sharing my story here as well:
Like many of you, I tripped and fell on concrete. I had a non-displace fracture, but mine was very very wide (2.5 mm) - all the way down and all the way through. I had a second break meeting it from the back. They call it a "butterfly fracture." The second break was small and not a huge deal. I also had a small cartilage crack, which did not need surgery.
Here's what my healing timeline looked like
Weeks 1-3In a lot of pain. Full leg brace. Lots of rest on my back. Lots of elevation and icing. I took a lot of hot epsom salt baths to ease the pain. I also took Traumeel (all natural remedy for swelling and injuries), which was the only thing that helped the swelling. Could not move or control the joint. Leg muscles were atrophied.
Weeks 4-8Leg brace came off and I slowly started walking. Initially, I kept the leg brace on if I needed to move quickly. Leg brace came off when I went home and had time to work on learning to contract the muscle to walk again. I gradually kept the brace off more and more. I had good days and bad days. Days where I took a wrong stepped, and days where I had little victories. I had about 60% bending range. 4 months laterI still have trouble getting up and down stairs. I feel some pain, it's not terrible. Swelling is now gone. I can walk fine, but no sudden movements and def. no running. I do hot yoga and then a lot of stationary bike and elliptical machine is very easy as well now. I have about 80-90% range of motion back in it.
To everyone on here! Stay positive. Most people don't realize how tough a knee break is until it happens. It is one of the worst places to have a break because of the amount of muscles your patella controls. There are also a ton of nerve ending in that area, so it's going to hurt like hell!
We are all warriors!
Thanks for sharing! I'm at the week 3 stage (mine was shattered in 5 pieces - but they managed to hang together) - and I have sensed an improvement. I'm glad they gave me a hinged brace as opposed to a cast. After the first week I was sent for lymph drainage massages to reduce swelling. The second week an MRI showed blood accumulation near the bone which the doctor didn't like - so he aspirated some of it out - and I think that was a good move. I am able to bear weight without pain - and can do leg lifts (both with the brace on). I think massages are really helpful for blood flow and they help keep the tone of the tissues - both useful for bone healing. There is still clear swelling that impedes bending the knee very far, but I think that is also helpful for protecting the bone while it heals completely and prevents displacement. Did you use crutches after you first removed your brace?
I also did get a massage which really really helped move the blood swelling around. My swelling only JUST went away after 4 months, so don't lose faith!
I did not get a hinged cast, which made it so difficult to bend it once the brace was off. I was just having to pick it up and bend it with my hand.
I HAD to use crutches without the brace. My leg was so atrophied and skinny, there was not enough muscle to support it. It wasn't long before I was only one one crutch though, and then no crutches!
You'll get there. It's a long process, but around the 5 week mark, the healing really started speeding up for me. Every day was better!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and for light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you eventually get to a point where you forget you ever had the damn injury!
Hello, I am so sorry that you are part of the broken patella club but am very grateful to read your post. I too broke my patella in January 2012. Would you mind sharing a little more about the things you can do? Did your muscle atrophy at all? I am so happy that you can run. I wanted to know how soon after your injury were you able to run again?