hip fractures

[blueangel101]

Is 2 weeks after being hit by a car but not needing surgery too soon to start exercising and trying to walk?

[Jaybay]

Ouch!  You might want to consider attending that wedding in a wheelchair.  At least have one available in case you need it.  Travel is hard on anyone and even more difficult for someone with an injury.

When a doctor says "x weeks" to heal, they usually don't mean that you will be normal in that amount of time.  You're likely going to have pain for several months (but lessening) and regular activity could take longer to return.  That 1 month timeframe probably just means you can start moving around a bit more.  

I'll never forget my neck surgeons both telling me recovery would be 8 weeks.  HA!  That was 8 weeks of misery followed by a couple of years of rehab - both times.

If you haven't spoken with your doctor specifically about your travel plans, now is the time to do it.  Don't push yourself and risk another injury either.  These things can't be hurried.

One thing that might speed things up a bit is to make certain you maintain the best nutrition you possibly can.  My surgeons put me on prescription vitamins after fusion surgery to enhance healing.  Calcium is important too.  It's not that you need extra, just that you need to make sure you're getting enough.  Calories are even more important.  Many patients fall into a trap of not eating because they think they'll gain weight from all the inactivity.  The body needs a whole lot more calories while it's healing, so eat well and give your body what it needs.  :-)

[blueangel101]

Thank you for your response.  My doctor said  it would take about 1 month to heal. He also said to go slowly trying to walk. I am in pain when I try to walk but  my daughter is getting married in the Bahamas on November 12th and I don't know if pushing myself will get me off crutches faster.  I  can't believe you went back to work so soon after your accident. I am disabled with a spinal fusion and taking vicoprofin and vicodin. My doctor gave me oxycodone for my hip.. It works very well bur I am afraid I will do too much if I don't feel any pain.

[Jaybay]

It depends.  :-)  What are your exact injuries and how severe?  What did your doctor recommend?

If it's restricted to hip fractures, I'd be surprised to see you doing much walking around so soon.  Any movement is going to hurt like hades, and it's going to take a lot of time for that to go away.  Your bones need to heal before they can completely support your weight without assistance - like crutches or a walker.  I can't imagine exercising would be recommended for some time - again, depending on the severity of the fractures.

Around 1993 my horse threw me rear-first into a metal fence post.  My head hit the wood fence board and it knocked me out for a few minutes.  My trainer kept insisting on calling an ambulance because I couldn't move without screaming.  Little did I realize that argument went on for an hour.  LOL!  All I ended up with was a cracked tailbone, but OMG!  I literally could not walk for a week, and had to drag around a donut pad at work for 6 more weeks along with a pair of crutches.

Once I got settled in a certain position, I was OK for a couple of hours, but changing positions was agony.  I can't even imagine what a broken hip/ pelvis must feel like!

This is one of those injuries you can't hurry along no matter how much you want to, or think you need to.  It's just going to take time for your body to heal.  How are you feeling overall?