[Blog] How a Kitesurfing Accident Changed My Life

[Fabian]

Timeline

• 044 - 050 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• That week was quite challenging from a mental perspective. Not being able to do things alone for weeks and not knowing how long it would last was a big challenge for me. The pain was one thing, but the mental challenge, in my opinion, was the biggest struggle. I completely underestimated how this injury could affect my whole family and me.
• Since day one, sleeping had been an issue. I had good nights and terrible nights. I was still too afraid to sleep without the boot, but on the other hand, sleeping with the boot was extremely uncomfortable.
• After 44 days, I showered alone for the first time without support on the first floor. This small improvement made a huge difference for me.
• I had my first long walk (about 1 km) with my Aircast shoe and crutches, which caused immense swelling in my foot afterward.
• Unfortunately, I experienced pain in my right knee because the Aircast shoe was super heavy.
• Because I temporarily stopped using my crutches, I developed very severe muscle soreness.
• I noticed a new blue spot on the outside of the foot which wasn’t there last week.
• The pain decreased to 0-2 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• Session 1 - Lymphatic drainage and stretching of the foot through up and down movements

Pictures

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 051 - 057 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• At the beginning of the week, my walking without crutches improved steadily. At home, I no longer used crutches.
• The foot developed some new blue spots around the fibula and the outer part of the foot.
• Swelling was an all-day issue. The longer I walked in the boot, the more the foot swelled.
• In the middle of the week, I stopped using crutches, which worked quite well but caused swelling that I treated with ice.
• Walking without crutches got better and better day by day, and the swelling wasn't as painful anymore.
• Mowing the front and backyard was possible without issues but caused a bit of pain in the foot the day after.

Physiotherapy

• Session 2 - Lymphatic drainage, foot stretching with up and down movements, and massage of the rectus femoris, which caused some pain when the leg was fully stretched out.
• Session 3 - Lymphatic drainage, foot stretching with up and down movements, massage of the rectus femoris, and slowly 1-2cm rotations which were quite painful.
• Session 4 - Stretching the foot in all directions and moving it in the shape of the ABCs.

Pictures

Swelling when the foot comes out of the shoe after walking.

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 058 - 064 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• Due to warm temperatures and increased activities like walking, staying and small trips, the pain increased. The pain was moderate and reached 3-5 out of 10.
• I was able to walk distances of up to 1 km without crutches. Sometimes, I used my monopod, which I had upgraded to a walking stick, to support myself, especially on uneven ground.
• In general, walking improved over time, and my mobility returned, which also helped me with the mental challenge of the injury.

Physiotherapy

• Session 5 - Lymphatic drainage, stretching the foot in all directions, and moving it in the shape of the ABCs were performed.
• Session 6 - Lymphatic drainage, stretching the foot in all directions, and moving in all directions. the foot was so swollen, we had to ice it after the treatment.

Pictures

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For less than 15 EUR, I transformed my Photo-Monostick into a walking stick simply by adding a handle. It worked quite well, and since the stick is foldable, it was very easy to carry in my backpack.

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 065 - 071 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• This week, I had my first night in eight weeks where I needed painkillers to sleep. I experienced a stabbing pain near my ankle, which spread to my heel, the bottom of my foot, and the outside of my ankle. I wasn't sure if the ligaments were reacting to the activity or if the bone was still broken or had broken again.
• At the end of the week, I had my follow-up appointment, during which an X-ray was performed to check the healing progress. The bone is still in the healing process, but I received final approval to start walking without support.
• Taking the first steps without any protection felt really good, but also a bit strange. My heels especially weren’t used to walking without the Aircast Boot.

Physiotherapy

• Session 7 - Lymphatic drainage, stretching the foot in all directions, and moving in all directions. The foot was so swollen, we had to ice it after the treatment.
• Session 8 - Lymphatic drainage and various exercises to stretch and move the foot in all directions were done. The swelling definitely decreased compared to the week before, and we also iced the foot as an additional measure.
• Session 9 - Lymphatic drainage and various exercises to stretch and move the foot in all directions were done. The swelling definitely decreased more compared to the last session, and we also iced the foot as an additional measure.

Pictures

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Activities without proper support caused significant swelling of the ankle, which I treated using the ice method mentioned below.

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Finally, after more than nine weeks, I found the best way to ice my ankle. I used diapers from our son, which I filled with water and put in the freezer. They were perfect because the ice didn't come into direct contact with my skin, and I could use the straps to attach them to my foot.

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 072 - 079 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• After three days without the aircast boot, I unfortunately experienced significant pain along the fibula. The pain was quite intense, around a 5 out of 10, and I worried that the bone might be fractured again. I recalled that the week before, increased activity had caused a lot of pain, which subsided after two days, so I hope the same will happen this time.
• After the recommendations of my physiotherapist and the fact the all muscles were overloaded after 3 days, I decided to mix the support for the foot 1/3 in the Aircast Boot, 1/3 with Bracelet and 1/3 without any support. Especially on uneven grounds or longer walks, I still used the boot.
• With an 11-week delay due to accident, we have finally managed to set off towards the water and I drove 800km in total in 2 days. The driving was absolutely okay

Physiotherapy

• Session 10 - Lymphatic drainage, different exercises balance and walking exercises to regain the movement and strength of the Foot. We had to ice the foot after the treatment.
• Session 11 - Different exercises with full body weight and without protection to relearn walking and gain balance. Lymphatic drainage and icing at the end.

Pictures

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 080 - 086 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• Walking still felt a bit strange because I couldn't fully relax my foot, which caused me to limp.
• The persistent poor posture and significant muscle deterioration along the spine repeatedly led to back and headaches, unfortunately.
• I noticed more and more “clocks” in my Enkel when I tried to walk normal. Due to the fact the foot I wasn’t more swollen like usual, I thought that a result of the ligaments.
• Mentally that week was again a challengel. Being at the Atlantic in this condition showed me how far away I’m at the moment from living like before the accident happened.

Physiotherapy

• Since we spent the whole week at a campsite, I only did exercises on my own. (Gastroc Stretch on Wall, Tandem Stance, Eccentric Heel Lowering on Step and Towel Scrunches)

[Fabian]

Timeline

• 087 - 093 Days after the accident

Overall situation

• Walking improved gradually. My biggest challenge was walking down stairs because the flexibility in my ankle was still limited. Walking up stairs was more manageable.
• For the first time since the accident, I walked a distance of more than 2 km, which caused some swelling but no pain.

Physiotherapy

• Since we spent the entire week at a campsite again, I only did exercises on my own, just like the previous week. These exercises included the Gastroc Stretch on the wall, Tandem Stance, Eccentric Heel Lowering on a step, and Towel Scrunches.

Pictures

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