Fibula non union!

[NikkiOliOli]

I broke my right fibula in January of 07. When i went to the hospital they told me i could get surgery or to put it in a cast.My entire family trying avoid surgery at all costs, so for whatever reason i came up with at the time, I decided against the surgery, and of course, I regret that decision.
As of now I can walk fine with the occasional aching when cold or pain when hit or twisted. For me to try to run would be an absolute joke (good thing i never liked to run! haha)  But per my X-ray, my leg is still just as broken as it was last January.
  For a while i thought oh well, it doesnt hurt so it must be fine. But im really not looking forward to later years because i do not want to have walking issues as i get older. I've been told my options are either Bone grafting or a bone stimulator. I'm really troubled because im not sure what should be done next. What do i do?!?

[Linda_rose]

I also fractured my fibula in Winter 07, during a skiing accident. A cast was put on, and it appeared that my fracture has healed by three months post-accident. However, it continued to cause a lot of pain and swelling, but the Orthopaedic Specialist just figuratively patted me on the head and said these things will hurt for quite a while. So I made myself use it, despite the pain, refusing to let myself even limp. Going to a sport's physiotherapist three times a week, exercising and trying to strengthen the leg did not help. Nor did massage nor ultrasound. Finally I was able to get an appointment with the Orthopaedic Specialist two weeks ago. The fracture is completely separated, and they cannot explain how that happened. I am most interested in what my options are now. The fracture clinic technician was talking about a magnetizing treatment as a possibility. Anyone know what this is , and how successful it may be? The doctor said she might have to operate to put in a 'plate', but I do not know if this will be her final recommendation or not. She wants a tomogram first, to see better what is actually going on, which sound like a good idea to me, but is not scheduled as of yet. To make matters worse, I have re-injured the leg....tearing the ligament in the ankle, and doing something to the area of the fracture. The pain is very bad, and getting worse by the day, however, I will not see the Doctor for several more days (not for lack of trying on my part, but she is away). What ideas are out there about various options for treating a non-union 16 month old fibula fracture, especially since it is newly re-injured? Linda

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Do not blame yourself for the decisions of the past. They were influenced by the circumstances. Things could have been worse!

This time around, you have two options. The option of bone graft is a more traditional way, where you can be pretty sure the grafted bone will grow and the broken bone will be joined. Bone stimulator may not work that well since the two ends of the fibula are lying just like that without a reunion.

Regards