Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks • Hacker News Board

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#211

Post by jvanderbot » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 2:25 AM UTC

pkulak wrote: post #203

ehnto wrote: post #3

The pathology for broken collar bones was changing right as I took up mountain biking, and subsequently shattered my collarbone. It was hotly debated at the hospital, if my specific case should be operated on or not. Each time I had a checkup, one doctor would say "wait and see" while the other was saying "I can't believe we didn't operate on this". At any rate, the outcome was as good as if they had operated on it,…

I've still never heard a satisfactory explanation for how in the hell two parts of a bone, broken such that they aren't even touching, can find their way back to each other and heal. My son broke his collar bone, and the hospital sent him home in a sling. When I looked at the x-ray, I couldn't believe that's the correct treatment. But a month or two later and he was good as new. Absolutely blows my mind every time I…

They sense other bone tissue and grow together I guess. Same for severed nerves, up to a point.

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#212

Post by rodary » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 2:29 AM UTC

Anecdotal but...

Broke my femur neck on a mountain bike. Surgery, plates and screws. Surgeon said no weight on the broken bone for 8 weeks and no walking on it for 12. And then we'll see he said.

In 4 weeks I was on a trainer (fork fixed to the trainer). Started easy with 30min sessions and then increased time and force applied to the pedals.

After 2 weeks of "riding", started putting weight on the bone with short walks around the house.

8 weeks after the surgery rocked up to a road race, still on crutches because walking was still a bit uncomfy but being on the bike was fine. Raced to a 3rd place (Masters A) with hard breakaways and all.

12 weeks after the surgery go to see the surgeon to check if I can start walking (already walking by this stage as normal). He X-rays me and says your bone is fully healed. Strange but good he said.

I told him the story. Still don't know if he believed me.

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#213

Post by rodary » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 2:35 AM UTC

rodary wrote: post #212

Anecdotal but... Broke my femur neck on a mountain bike. Surgery, plates and screws. Surgeon said no weight on the broken bone for 8 weeks and no walking on it for 12. And then we'll see he said. In 4 weeks I was on a trainer (fork fixed to the trainer). Started easy with 30min sessions and then increased time and force applied to the pedals. After 2 weeks of "riding", started putting weight on the bone with short wa…

Another thing – the surgeon told me I'll need a hip replacement in 10 years' time. This was 16 years ago and I don't feel I need a new hip although it's not perfect the way it works sometimes but nothing even remotely serious.

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#214

Post by brewdad » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 2:37 AM UTC

pkulak wrote: post #203

ehnto wrote: post #3

The pathology for broken collar bones was changing right as I took up mountain biking, and subsequently shattered my collarbone. It was hotly debated at the hospital, if my specific case should be operated on or not. Each time I had a checkup, one doctor would say "wait and see" while the other was saying "I can't believe we didn't operate on this". At any rate, the outcome was as good as if they had operated on it,…

I've still never heard a satisfactory explanation for how in the hell two parts of a bone, broken such that they aren't even touching, can find their way back to each other and heal. My son broke his collar bone, and the hospital sent him home in a sling. When I looked at the x-ray, I couldn't believe that's the correct treatment. But a month or two later and he was good as new. Absolutely blows my mind every time I…

I broke my collarbone about 30 years ago. Then had it partially rebroken when a friend forgot about my healing bone and greeting me with a shoulder grab from behind. (He felt like shit afterwards). I got the most basic healthcare a free college clinic could offer. Today, you can only tell I ever broke it when I'm shirtless and at my skinniest weight.

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#215

Post by m463 » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

sexy_seedbox wrote: post #192

m463 wrote: post #170

I broke an arm and the emergency room couldn't see it on the x-ray and gave me a sling to wear. A couple days later I got to see an actual bone doctor and he got the x-ray and immediately pointed to the fracture. What surprised me was that he said not to use the sling, because it would lose my range of motion. "Keep moving your arm, use the entire range of motion, and let pain be your guide."

Remember, "Pain is weakness leaving your body".

Well in my case pain was half a bone trying to leave my body. :)

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#216

Post by pgreenwood » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 2:59 AM UTC

pkulak wrote: post #203

ehnto wrote: post #3

The pathology for broken collar bones was changing right as I took up mountain biking, and subsequently shattered my collarbone. It was hotly debated at the hospital, if my specific case should be operated on or not. Each time I had a checkup, one doctor would say "wait and see" while the other was saying "I can't believe we didn't operate on this". At any rate, the outcome was as good as if they had operated on it,…

I've still never heard a satisfactory explanation for how in the hell two parts of a bone, broken such that they aren't even touching, can find their way back to each other and heal. My son broke his collar bone, and the hospital sent him home in a sling. When I looked at the x-ray, I couldn't believe that's the correct treatment. But a month or two later and he was good as new. Absolutely blows my mind every time I…

Mine ended up healing with a 15mm overlap. So it is a weird shape. It gives me 0 issues however.

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#217

Post by danuker » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 3:02 AM UTC

jack_pp wrote: post #84

ehnto wrote: post #3

The pathology for broken collar bones was changing right as I took up mountain biking, and subsequently shattered my collarbone. It was hotly debated at the hospital, if my specific case should be operated on or not. Each time I had a checkup, one doctor would say "wait and see" while the other was saying "I can't believe we didn't operate on this". At any rate, the outcome was as good as if they had operated on it,…

I had a broken collar bone last year in Bucharest and I moved back to my hometown because of it. I had to check in after a week or two to see how it's healing but was lazy about it so I went to the hospital after 3 weeks and was told there's a waiting list 10 days long and go to a private clinic. At the private clinic the doctor didn't even look at me, or the x-rays I just took and just told me to go into surgery bac…

Placebo and nocebo are strong effects. Even when the people taking placebos knows it, they still work.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-83148-6

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#218

Post by keepamovin » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 3:05 AM UTC

Also another hack - doxycycline speeds up repair, and nothing to do with fighting infection. It assists the matrix proteins build faster and better.

Don't believe it? Try it out. It's well tolerated. There's research on how it works, too. Search for it.

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#219

Post by pavelstoev » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 3:16 AM UTC

20 years ago, I broke my ankle in a friendly soccer game on the Cambridge Commons field. I was shocked when the doctor who performed surgery to put it back together ordered me to walk on crutches the next day after surgery and to continue placing more load on the ankle thereafter. 20 years later I can't complain :)

Re: Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

#220

Post by spacemark » Thu, Feb 20, 2025, 3:40 AM UTC

rodary wrote: post #212

Anecdotal but... Broke my femur neck on a mountain bike. Surgery, plates and screws. Surgeon said no weight on the broken bone for 8 weeks and no walking on it for 12. And then we'll see he said. In 4 weeks I was on a trainer (fork fixed to the trainer). Started easy with 30min sessions and then increased time and force applied to the pedals. After 2 weeks of "riding", started putting weight on the bone with short wa…

I definitely believe you. I know from a few injuries that with tendons you want to be moving and applying resistance as soon as you are able to prevent the formation of scar tissue and encourage blood flow. It's not a huge leap of logic that bones, too, benefit from movement and resistance when healing.

Honest question, how did you know to disregard the doctor 's instructions and start home exercises on the bone at 4 weeks? How did you limit yourself during your riding and other resistance work? How long was the recovery period after every session?