Metal tibial rod and severe knee pain??

[Damenb755]

Hi. In June 2013 I had a quite serious motorbike crash just before my 21st birthday. I had open tibia and fibula fractures in my left leg and to fix the bone together the surgeons operated and put a metal rod in my left leg. After a few months they told me I can start putting weight on my leg and start learning to walk again. However, i get such severe pain in my knee.

It has been almost 8 months since my crash and the pain in my knee has gotten so much worse. I am still unable to walk without using a crutch (which helps me take a lot of weight off of my leg).

I have seen 4 different knee specialists, they are completely contradict what each other say. None of them really know why I am getting such bad pain. They tell me whatever it is, the pain should go within time.. But the pain is getting worse.

I only get the pain when i weight bear on the leg. When im sat down my leg feels completely normal.

Can anyone please suggest something I could perhaps say to the next consultant I see? I am seeing a lot of stuff online about knee pain from having a metal rod put in their leg, but they all complain about mild pain and can still walk. Nobody knows how to cure my pain, so I feel like im going to be walking with a crutch for the rest of my life.

[Damenb755]

Hi Dr,

Thank you so much for your message. Yes i am almost certain that your 2nd reason could be the problem. I have had an MRI scan on my knee and my consultant advised that my knee looks completely normal. All my tendons, ligaments etc look in perfect condition.

From researching online, i have read that about 80% of people who have IM nailing done complain of knee pain, which is usually due to the incision that surgeons make through the patella tendon in order to put the nail in. Sometimes it causes damage to the tendon, therefore causing anterior knee pain. However if this was my problem, then surely i would get the pain in my tendon all the time? And the MRI shows it is compeltely normal.

So i agree with you so much that the rod may be pushing pressure on my knee when walking. I cant really think of any other reason for the pain as i only get it when i weight bear. A lot of other people from forums have also said this could be the problem.

Thank you so much for your response. All the doctors that i have seen on the NHS have been terrible.

Many thanks,

Damen

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your medical problems. In all probability you have a torn ligament or cartilage in the knee that was missed in the initial stage because of a more obvious fracture. You ideally need a MRI of the knee which may not be possible since you have metallic rod. However, please ask your doctor regarding this. They may take you up for ultrasound of the knee.
Usually this will be treated with knee braces, rest, physiotherapy and corticosteroid injections.  Surgical repair may be advised for a few.
Another possibility is a mis-aligned rod putting pressure on the knee while walking.  Please consult your doctor regarding this. Hope this helps. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.