Non-weight Bearing (NWB)

I went non-weight bearing immediately, going so far as to request my family practice doctor provide me with the crutches. The date was August 29^th. I had an appointment with an orthopedic specialist on September 1^st.  My “clock” for recovery began … who knows? The injury likely happened on July 12^th. I had been exercising without running for a month, and much of this wasn’t weight bearing.  Still, I can’t deny that I wasn’t doing some exercising (and simply walking around), but on August 29^th that all stopped.

Xray number 2 (below) showed a compression side fracture and a tension side fracture.

A small ghostly line literally went from the compression side to approximately one third across of the neck, and another line went from the tension side only an eighth of the way in. In other words, the fracture hadn’t completed – I was graded as a Garden I fracture, non-displaced. My orthopedic specialist (Matt) put the fear of God into me that any continued use (weight) might result in a complete fracture, necessitating pinning and or (worst case) a hip replacement. I was scared like I’ve never been scared.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention. I had been taking Advil (NSAID ibuprofen) for the first three weeks of August. I was taking it like candy – 600 mg in the morning and 600 mg in the evening. It would notably dull the pain and allow me to “function” (which meant walk and ride a bike). 600 mg would last roughly 8 hours, and the deep pain would return in earnest.

I immediately discontinued all pain medications when I got the diagnosis. My opinion is that you too should do this. Regardless of discomfort, I believe you need to know exactly where the pain is to keep the fear well in your mind, and as you ultimately will return to weight bearing activities – you need to know if there is the slightest hint of any pain.

My initial schedule:  Non-weight bearing (NWB) on crutches for 3 to 4 weeks, with a hip xray every 7 to 10 days to see progress. Yes, I realize after having read numerous survivor stories that 3 to 4 weeks NWB is low – but Matt indicated that this might go notably up in time depending on luck (or unluck) and my compliance.