[Blog] How a Kitesurfing Accident Changed My Life

[Fabian]

Timeline

• 338 - 344 Days after the accident
• 236 - 242 Days after the surgery
• 019 - 020 Days of EOP (finished)
• 004 - 005 Days of PEMF therapy (finished)

Overall situation

• 11 months after the accident, I went to Ouddorp Beach for the first time. It felt strange, because the accident was — and still is — a difficult mental challenge for me.
  
  
• The pain level was 0-1 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• Since we spent the entire week at Center Paris, I only did exercises on my own, just like the previous week.

Pictures / Videos

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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 345 - 351 Days after the accident
• 243 - 249 Days after the surgery
• 019 - 020 Days of EOP (finished)
• 004 - 005 Days of PEMF therapy (finished)

Overall situation

• My plate and the eight screws were removed. It was an early removal because the screw heads were so close under the skin that there was a constant risk of them breaking through. This would have been quite serious, as once a screw breaks the skin, the implant and the bone are exposed, which leads to a high risk of infection. To prevent this, everything was already removed after eight months instead of twelve.
  
  
• Overall, the operation went quite well. Nevertheless, a new access to the bone had to be created in order to remove the plate and the screws. This caused pain, especially during the first three days after the operation, but it was nothing compared to the pain I had when the screws and plate were inserted. In general, I had to keep weight off the foot for at least two more weeks and walk with crutches. This was a precaution, as the healing process of the whole fracture had some complications. Already on the third day, I was able to stop taking painkillers. Continuous cooling and movement, as well as wearing a compression sock, actually helped me a lot.
  
  
• Since I had no idea how painful it would be after the removal of the plate and screws – and I got very different advice from doctors, from “you can drive the next day” to “you’ll need crutches for weeks” – I felt quite unsure.
  
  What I can say for sure: I would not recommend driving during the first three days after the removal. The pain from the screws is not the worst part – it’s the swelling, especially if the foot isn’t kept elevated. This puts pressure on the stitches and causes pain.
  
  The procedure itself is quick and not extremely painful, but you should wait until the stitched wound has healed before returning fully to normal activities.
  
  
• The pain level was 7-10 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• I had no physiotherapy all week due to my stay in hospital.

Pictures / Videos

• Day of the surgery
  
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• X-Ray after the surgery
  For those who have never seen an X-ray after surgery: the structure you can see on the outside of my bone is the thread used to stitch the wound. This thread contains a material that makes it visible on the X-ray.
  
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• 1 Day after the surgery
  
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• 3 Days after the surgery
  
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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 352 - 358 Days after the accident
• 250 - 256 Days after the surgery
• 005 - 011 Days after removal surgery
• 019 - 020 Days of EOP (finished)
• 004 - 005 Days of PEMF therapy (finished)

Overall situation

• On day 5, while changing the bandage, I noticed a small red spot at the lower part of the scar. This red area was still visible on day 6. I became concerned that it might be the start of an infection. Because of this, I began taking Diclofenac 75 mg once a day. In addition, I cooled the area for 20 minutes several times a day and kept my leg raised for a longer period than usual, hoping to prevent a real infection from developing.
  
  
• By the end of the week, I hardly felt any pain. I began walking short distances without crutches, slowly and carefully. It felt quite good and didn’t cause any pain.
  
  
• As you can see in the pictures, the redness around the scar has reduced over the week.
  
  
• The pain level was 2-8 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• I had no physiotherapy all week due to the recovery process.

Pictures / Videos

• 5 Days after the surgery
  
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• 6 Days after the surgery (I marked the red area to observe whether the area increases or decreases)
  
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• 7 Days after the surgery (It luckily looked like the area had gotten smaller and the redness had become brighter)
  
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• 10 Days after the surgery (First day without any pain and I did my first steps without crutches)
  
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[Fabian]

Timeline

• 359 - 365 Days after the accident
• 257 - 263 Days after the surgery
• 012 - 018 Days after removal surgery
• 019 - 020 Days of EOP (finished)
• 004 - 005 Days of PEMF therapy (finished)

Overall situation

• I didn’t expect this accident would cost me an entire year, but here we are. One year later, and I’m still recovering from a 'small' twist of my ankle. I know it’s not the usual case, but it clearly shows how quickly small things can affect your life.
  
  
• I didn’t expect my ankle to become so stiff again after just two weeks, but its flexibility has significantly decreased. Since I had no pain, the scar looked good, and I only noticed the stiffness, I stopped using crutches 14 days after the surgery. My walking still looks a bit robotic, but it feels like the flexibility will return quickly this time.
  
  
  [*By the end of the week, I had increased the weight I put on my foot, which unfortunately led to more pain. However, the pain feels more like it’s coming from the scar, tendons and ligaments rather than the bone itself.
  
  
• The pain level was 0-7 out of 10.

Physiotherapy

• I had no physiotherapy all week due to the recovery process.

Pictures / Videos

• 13 Days after the surgery
  
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• 14 Days after the surgery (The stitches from the surgical wound have been removed)
  
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[Fabian]

!	Message from: Fabian
	It’s now exactly one year since the accident . As I’m now hopeful that there will be a slow but steady improvement in the injury, I’ve decided to change the blog updates from weekly to monthly.

Timeline

• 366 - 394 Days after the accident
• 264 - 292 Days after the surgery
• 019 - 047 Days after removal surgery
• 019 - 020 Days of EOP (finished)
• 004 - 005 Days of PEMF therapy (finished)

Overall situation

• 
  
• 
  
• The pain level was XX out of 10.

Physiotherapy

Pictures / Videos

• 13 Days after the surgery