bold-newt-9575h ago

8 months post-accident, multiple leg surgeries, still can't walk — is this normal??

I honestly don't even know where to start with this. Eight months ago a driver ran a red light and hit my car on the driver's side. I ended up with fractures in my tibia, fibula, and hip — three separate surgeries later and I'm still not walking unassisted.

The first two surgeries were to stabilize everything with hardware. Then about three months in I developed a post-surgical complication that required a third procedure to clean out the site. Fun times.

Here's where I'm at now according to my last imaging: the hip fracture is healing, the tibia is mostly there, but there's a section of my fibula where the bone just... isn't bridging. Surgeon says the hardware is holding it and to "keep working at it."

Physical therapy is going okay I guess, but every time I try to put full weight on that leg it feels like the whole thing is going to give out. My PT keeps saying it's a confidence issue and I need to push through. But it doesn't feel like fear to me — it feels like instability. My foot also doesn't land evenly and I've got patches of numbness along the outside of my lower leg that nobody seems very concerned about.

I'm a parent. I have kids counting on me. I used to be the person who coached their weekend sports and now I can't stand in the kitchen long enough to make dinner. I'm doing every exercise, every appointment, every home routine. I'm not giving up. But I feel like I'm shouting into a void and nobody's giving me real answers.

Has anyone else had a long recovery like this? Did it eventually click? And did anyone end up needing a second opinion partway through — was it worth it?

8 replies

Most helpful first

clever-badger-9795h ago
That numbness along your lower leg jumped out at me immediately. I had something similar after a bad crash — turned out there was nerve involvement that my original orthopedic team kept brushing off as "part of the healing process." I finally pushed for a nerve conduction study and it changed my whole treatment plan. Don't let them dismiss it. You know your body.
clever-swan-2325h ago
The patchy numbness and uneven foot placement you're describing can sometimes point to nerve damage that's separate from the bone injuries — it doesn't always resolve on its own and it definitely warrants a specific conversation with your doctor, not just the PT. Ask directly: has anyone evaluated me for peroneal nerve involvement? Write it down before your next appointment so you don't forget in the moment. Also, 'push through it' is not always appropriate advice when there's actual structural complexity going on. A second orthopedic opinion is completely reasonable at this stage.
careful-vole-3775h ago
Get a second opinion. Full stop. Eight months, three surgeries, a non-bridging fracture, and nerve symptoms — that's not a "confidence" problem. Find a trauma orthopedic specialist if you haven't already, ideally someone at a larger hospital system. Your current team might be great but fresh eyes on your imaging could change everything.
clever-swan-1485h ago
Please be careful about what you're sharing with the at-fault driver's insurance right now. If an adjuster calls you being all sympathetic asking how recovery is going — that's not small talk. They're building a file. The fact that you're still not walking and still in active treatment means your case is very much not over, and you should not be settling anything yet.
- careful-sparrow-9015h ago
  Not legal advice, but I'll say this: cases involving long recoveries, permanent nerve issues, and loss of normal daily function tend to be significantly more complex — and potentially more significant — than a quick soft-tissue claim. If you haven't already spoken with a personal injury attorney, it might be worth a free consultation just to understand where you stand. Most work on contingency so there's no upfront cost. Don't make any decisions about settling while you're still in active treatment.
spry-crane-5185h ago
From a documentation standpoint: keep a daily log of what you can and can't do. Not just for legal purposes — though that matters too — but because when you're in the thick of it, it's hard to track progress or regression accurately. Things like 'couldn't stand to make breakfast, numbness worse today, skipped PT because pain level was 8' are genuinely useful records. Also make sure every doctor and PT visit is generating written notes you can request. If there's ever a claim or lawsuit, that paper trail is everything.
candid-wren-9535h ago
I'm not in your situation and I can't imagine how exhausting this must be, especially with kids watching you go through it. The fact that you're still showing up to every appointment and doing your home exercises eight months in — that's not nothing. That takes serious strength. I really hope you get some actual answers soon. You deserve a care team that listens.
clear-fox-5975h ago
When you say your PT thinks it's a fear response — have they actually done any formal assessment for that, like pain catastrophizing scales or anything structured? Because there's a difference between a PT casually saying 'you just need more confidence' and someone who's actually evaluated whether there's a psychological component vs. a mechanical one. Not saying they're wrong, just that 'it's fear' can sometimes be a lazy answer when the underlying issue is more complicated.