Bilateral fraction of the knee

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I'm a 33-YR old male in excellen shape (or at least was, lifestyle of a highly-trained athlete since a child) who suffered bilateral fractions of both knees 4 weeks ago. I had emergency surgery within 24 hours, spent a week in the hospital and have been home in a wheelchair for three weeks. I have gained a large degree of flexibility and some strength in the knee joints. While I have not tried to stand, I feel as though I could. My surgeon has advised me that I should spend three more weeks as is before attempting therapy to walk again. My question is this: Because I tend to heal very quickly from injuries, my health/physical shape/diet were and are exceptional and as I feel I am ready for rehab, is the additional 3 weeks (7 total from surgery) absolutely necessary or is my surgeon being overly careful? Thank you!!

-- Dennis M Ballard (dbal100477@aol.com), July 01, 2001

Answers

Mr. Ballard, Your questions really can't be answered without knowing the extent of your injuries and how they were treated. I caution you in that bones do take long to heal 4-6 weeks at the earliest. If you were to overdue it before they healed, you could potentialy ruin everything that was done and end up worse off than you were after your accident. Your knees carry your body so they see tremendous force. Take the advice of your physician. If you are not confident than get a second oponion by being seen with x-rays.

-- Paul Khanuja, MD (DrKhanuja@cs.com), July 13, 2001.

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