[Blog] How a Kitesurfing Accident Changed My Life

[Fabian]

Timeline

• 142 - 148 Days after the accident
• 040 - 046 Days after the surgery

Overall situation

• Since I past the 6 weeks after surgery this week, my foot started to feel more or less okay.
• The pain level was 0-2 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• There was no physiotherapy sessions this week.

Pictures


What a difference: Left - 6 weeks in a cast without surgery; Right - 6 weeks post-surgery.

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Day 46 after the surgery

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 149 - 155 Days after the accident
• 047 - 053 Days after the surgery

Overall situation

• Evaluation at 7 weeks post-surgery shows that the plate and screws remain securely in place, and the bone has started to heal properly.
• The treatment will continue with the Aircast boot and a gradual increase in weight-bearing on the leg. I am to start with 20 kg, adding 10 kg every 10 days until my next evaluation in 4 weeks.
• First steps were strange, painful and caused swelling but also felt good because its part of a progression.
• The pain level was 0-2 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

To give the bone more time to heal properly, I was still not allowed to do any specific physiotherapy for the foot, but I continued with physiotherapy for my upper and lower back.

• Session 13 - My upper back muscles were relaxed using a TENS machine, followed by a manual massage to relieve the tension.

Pictures

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 156 - 162 Days after the accident
• 054 - 060 Days after the surgery

Overall situation

• I spent the entire week working on my walking skills with a 20 kg weight on my ankle. I started with 500 meters and managed to reach 2 kilometers by the end of the week. I can't remember the last time I moved so slowly (30 minutes per kilometer, I'm definitely not winning any medals!)
• I had to remind myself again to be patient because the extended walks with crutches caused pain in my back and hips. Walking with the boot is far from natural, even with a shoe adapter, my legs have different lengths.
• The pain level was 0-3 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

To give the bone more time to heal properly, I was still not allowed to do any specific physiotherapy for the foot, but I continued with physiotherapy for my upper and lower back.

• Session 14 & 15 - Again upper back muscles were relaxed using a TENS machine, followed by a manual massage to relieve the tension.

Pictures

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 163 - 169 Days after the accident
• 061 - 067 Days after the surgery

Overall situation

• A new issue came up: due to increased walking to improve my bone density, I began experiencing increasing pain in my left groin. After a few days, the pain became so intense that I had to stop my walking exercises. The problem turned out to be inflammation in my adductor, caused by the Aircast boot and the difference in leg length. Although I was using a shoe lift, it wasn’t enough to fully compensate for the difference. The only way to treat this inflammation was with ibuprofen combined with special physiotherapy exercises to stretch the adductor.
• The pain level was 0-3 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• Session 16 - Again upper back muscles were relaxed using a TENS machine, followed by a manual massage to relieve the tension.

Pictures

The image illustrates quite well the muscle atrophy in my right lower leg.

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Tried to walk and increase the pressure slowly but steadily on the foot

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 170 - 176 Days after the accident
• 068 - 74 Days after the surgery

Overall situation

• Slowly but steadily, walking began to feel better. On day 68 after the surgery, I started walking with 40 kg of pressure on the foot. This meant I could stand normally with weight distributed evenly on both legs. However, I still used both crutches for walking because the ground outside was becoming slippery.
• For the first time after the surgery, I walked straight for over 2 km without a break and did not experience increased swelling or pain afterward.
• I wasn’t sure why, but I experienced increased pain and tingling in my leg and foot. Since my next evaluation is scheduled for next week, I decided to manage the pain with Ibuprofen and by icing my leg.
• The pain level was 0-4 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• Session 17 & 18 - Upper back muscles were relaxed using heat, followed by a manual trigger point massage to relieve the tension.

Pictures

Ten weeks after the surgery

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 177 - 183 Days after the accident
• 075 - 081 Days after the surgery

Overall situation

• Day 76 after surgery revealed a catastrophic X-ray, followed by a CT scan that showed almost no improvement in new bone structure.
  
  
  
  In fact, the X-ray and CT scan showed worse results compared to the X-ray taken 4 weeks ago. The overall bone density in my foot has decreased significantly because I haven’t used it properly for nearly 5 months, and the doctors suspect the early stages of "Complex Regional Pain Syndrom (CRPS)". The only way to stimulate bone density improvement and treat the beginning CRPS is to bear full body weight on the leg, even though it’s painful. This means I need to take painkillers and gradually increase weight-bearing and walking.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Additionally, I have to start an advanced outpatient physical therapy (EOP) next week to regain mobility and improve the weight-bearing ability of my leg in a controlled environment.
• The pain level was 0-4 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• Due to the monitoring of the healing process at the hospital this week, no physiotherapy sessions were conducted.

Pictures

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 184 - 190 Days after the accident
• 082 - 088 Days after the surgery
• 001 - 005 Days of EOP

Overall situation

• Extended outpatient physiotherapy was really challenging in the first few days. Although I’ve run marathons before, after the initial sessions, I needed to rest for a couple of hours.
• 85 Days after the surgery, I slept my first night without any protection for my leg.
• The pain level was 0-5 out of 10.

Extended outpatient physiotherapy (EOP)

• Throughout the entire week of extended outpatient physiotherapy, I underwent a combination of manual therapy to regain mobility, massages, and various gym exercises to strengthen my left leg.
• On the fifth day of EOP, I walked for the first time after the surgery, using both feet and supported by a special harness that helped distribute my body weight.

Pictures

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It felt so nice to use my foot again, but two hours of physiotherapy felt like running a marathon.

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