Just coming up on four great, complication-free years with a McMinn BHR. Totally happy with surgery and device...
Slow-speed accident in a group ride this past Saturday. Went down hard, dead-on operated hip. Fractured femur with no apparent damage to BHR.
Tough trauma surgery Sunday with pins/screws put in place to stabilize femur.
Not sure how this will turn out. Real shame...
Back to square one this week...
Geesh, I'm really sorry to hear that. Good luck with your recovery.
As an aside, I had read previously that as metal HR's aren't going to break, it's the femur that will. Is it the neck that fractured? When I clean my gutters I am concerned about falling and wonder what would happen. Maybe something like your accident.
Mike
Your bones return to full strength.
Dr. Bose theorized that the femur neck becomes even stronger than before due to the "splinting effect" from the metal stem.
You don't become any more brittle post BHR but I could see an argument that where one might have broken the neck it now breaks somewhere else in the bone instead.
Chuckm
Really bad luck. I hope it is not too painful.
Did the doctor who treated you expect all to be OK with your BHR?
Get well soon.
Jon, sorry to hear of your bad luck. I fractured the head of my femur in a mountain bike crash about 1 1/2 years ago, did not require surgery. It did not disturb the BHR, dodged a bullet there. I was non weight bearing for 4 weeks, and it took about 12 weeks to fully heal. I concentrated on hiking and weight training to build up bone strength for rehab. Today I am at 100%, road and mountain biking. Take it slow and I am sure you will be ok in time, be patient and good luck.
moe
Moe:
You made my morning!
Granton:
McMinn did my BHR and I am just sharing info with his folks now. Too soon for an opinion. Did my surgery in Birmingham and all of this current stuff will be managed in Massachusetts. Real bummer...
Good luck, Jon - several hippies have had crashes like moe's, thankfully the hip survived well and they recovered.
Jon, I assumed you were in the UK but I see you're in Mass. I'm close by in RI. After my crash and recovery I got some protective hip padded bike shorts from G-form for mountain biking. I haven't crash tested them and I hope not to but I feel a bit safer with them. I realize you have a long way to go in your recovery but it may be something to consider in the future. I am sure you will ride again.
moe
Sorry to hear that, Jon. I know it's preliminary but sounds like they can save the BHR? I hope so. Keep us posted and hoping for a full recovery for you.
Thanks, guys...
One day at a time for the foreseeable future. Hurts like heck too...
I will share the post-op x-rays as soon as I get them. I think I have 6-8 screws holding it together.
Saving my BHR is definitely the hope.
Moe: thanks for the tip on G-Form. Will take a look.
Steady as she goes...
Jon
I am sorry to hear about your accident.
I wish you a quick recovery and back to an active life with your BHR.
Pat
Pat:
Thanks for the kind words of support.
As always, thanks as well for your commitment and dedication to the site. It is an invaluable resource for so may of us.
Regards,
Jon
Quick report six weeks post bike crash...
Evaluation by two docs after surgery confirm they really like the results so far. I ended up with a very large incision, one long plate that curves over my trochanter, and eight screws of varying lengths. Not very pretty, but I hope effective! Fingers crossed.
Break in the femur was just below bottom of the small BHR pin/post. Docs think that the BHR will be OK and that I will make a complete recovery. Hope so...
Question remains whether the metal should come out. I'm hearing that for active people it is a good idea to pull the screws and plate out before one year...(?)
Tougher recovery than BHR. More pain and slower to put weight on the femur. Just coming off meds now and just down to one crutch. Guessing will take through November to go to a cane.
Stay healthy, train smartly...
Jon
Quick follow-up post.
Femur has healed really well.
Rehabbed a lot last two months.
Four months post-break, back on bike, jogging on treadmill, and skied 20,000 feet of vertical this am.
The body is a resilient beast. Stay positive through tough times.
Cheers,
Jon
Great stuff. Reassuring, and inspirational, to read. And filled with envy at your skiing exploit this morning!
Out of interest, how long post op before first skiing? My surgeon says skip one season. I had op nearly 9 months ago today and feel pretty good, but still find myself wondering if/when I'd ski again much as I miss it. I keep thinking about catching an edge ...
That's a great question because the guidance for the broken femur was very different than the BHR guidance.
I can't recall exactly, but McMinn had me avoiding all impact activities for roughly a year, and I complied with those restrictions. I started skiing after one year and it went really well. The great part was that I had quit completely owing to the initial hip problems probably 5-6 years earlier. At the time, I never thought I would ever ski again...
With the leg break, I was initially told that it would be at least a year before I could ramp up the fun stuff again. Fortunately, it turns out, the break healed quickly and I was cleared at the four-month point. Good news!
Good luck with your recovery and one year might do the trick...!
Thanks for that. Starting new job in March and I think skiing is a long shot before then so will take heed of the guidance!
I hadn't realised we were both McMinn patients, btw, so same guidance you will have followed I suppose.
Maybe this Christmas ...
That's great news Jon! I was confident you would be back. What about the added hardware?
moe
Thanks for the update, that's an impressive injury and recovery!
Hey folks.
Thanks for the positive comments.
Remaining hardware is eight screws and a 6-7 inch plate. Have to decide before 12 months if I want (should?) take it out. Input/advice invited...
Hi Jon, really glad that you've made such an excellent recovery from your unfortunate accident post BHR. Unlike you I had serious femoral fracture in my early twenties- stupid climbing accident- I had plate and pins exactly like yours. I was back to all sports at 6 months. All the advice I received at the time was to have hardware removed at a year which I did ( although they were unable to remove 3 screws which were too difficult to get out!). I was warned at the time that I'd most likely get OA and need a replacement in my forties. Got my excellent HR at 57. Indeed, if I ever need an total hip they would have to find a way to remove the screws to make way for the THR stem! My surgeon is pretty optimistic a well placed HR will last a lifetime so hopefully I'll not have to worry about it but this is an issue for you to consider.
Best Wishes
Toby
Quick update at eight months post-op...
Broken femur almost a distant memory now.
Just spent three days kiteboarding in Turks and Caicos. Everything held up really well.
Doc says plate and screws good to take out in September.
Onward...!
Fantastic to hear. What a relief Jon!
Great to hear things are going well for you. Have fun.
Pat