Options for broken fib after hit by car.

[CORoadie]

In June a car took a left turn and broadsided me on my left side while I was riding my bike.  I had a variety of injuries, mostly soft tissue (a huge hematoma on the inside of my right thigh from groin to knee when I yanked the bike seat off its rails, two strained/separated shoulders, a sore left hip, big deep hematoma on the right outside thigh that they originally feared indicated a broken femur, left knee with medial pain and a bursa that still hasn't calmed down, a sprained or partially dislocated ankle, strained neck and a broken fibula).  Through PT, rest and getting back on the bike I have been able to work through most of the injuries to the point while still having some pain at least I am pretty functional.  The one exception to this is my fibula.  When the car hit me the bumper hit me right on the calf and I flew through the air and landed upside down on my head and handlebars and I knew as soon as I hit the ground that my lower leg had been fractured.  The first x-rays showed a displaced fracture of the fibula about 2/3 of the way up the calf.  The displacement seemed to me rather severe, with about 1/2 to 2/3 of the bone not joining up with the other bone, and the upper bone (where the car hit) seemed to be pushed inward.  The doc at the time told me they wouldn't cast it because of the location (the doc said any cast that could help would have to be a full leg cast and that the rehab would even be longer than not casting it) and that the tibia would act like a cast and it should mend in a few weeks.  Weeks went by, but nothing showed the fracture closing.  Now 5 months and could of weeks ago I felt what seemed like a snap and I scheduled an appointment with the Ortho I have been seeing (the first I gave up on when I had to explain to him what and arthrogram was and how that could be an option for me since I cannot have an MRI) and he took another set of x-rays and confirmed that there has not been a join and in fact the bones to me actually looked like they have moved and are now more misaligned then they were originally.

Anyway, doc is sending me in for a CT with contrast next week to see if there is ANY bone growth and if there isn't we will be talking about either a bone stimulator or possibly surgery that will be very invasive, involve breaking the bone that has formed around the ends but has not bridged to the two halves and maybe even chiseling some of that away and then plating it with the possibility of also using a bone graft in between.  Anyone been through this type of issue with a fibula or have suggestions of possible treatment options and anything else that might help.  I had asked right after the accident about the need to plate it, or at least better align the bones but was told that it wouldn't be necessary.

Thanks

[CORoadie]

Turns out the bone never did heal on its own and I now have a plate, pin and 5 screws the doc said they will leave in for the rest of my life.  The two ends of the bone were producing bone but I kept snapping it so they were beginning to look like two heads of cauliflower.  They had to chisle it clean before putting it back together and putting all the hardware in place.  Still hurts if I try and run on it but doc says unless I can break steel the bone won't separate again and has healed and joined.

[PedroH]

I had a bone graft 5 months after my accident in which I broke my tibia in a few places as well as my fibula.While my tibia had an IM nail in it and was healing my fibula had not.I was still able to walk and with the exception of pushing on my break had little to no discomfort.Anyway,the bone was taken from my hip,put on my fibula then was plated.I healed fine and all harware was removed  16 months later.Hope this is of some help to you.Good luck!