Non-Displaced Patella Fracture at 10 Weeks: Concerns about Recovery

Bones, joints and muscles
1

10 weeks ago: 48 yo male: Motorcycle accident causing the following injury:

* Vertical non-displaced patella fracture 

* Grade II injury at quadriceps tendon.

* Possible small vertical tear at medial meniscus

* Mild grade 1 injury of MCL ligament

Unfortunately, injury was misdiagnosed and mistreated for the for the first few weeks (I'm an expat living in Asia) and I started with just a half leg splint instead of a full cast. 

Treatment:

* Knee Splint: first 3 1/2 weeks

* Crutches: 6 weeks (alternating between 1 and 2 crutches: Should've been    using 2 always for 6 weeks)

* Fibreglass cast (on at week 3.5, off at weeks 5: should've been put on at      day 1)

* Knee brace: Locked at 90 degrees: Weeks 5-Week 10

Progress

* I can walk okay at 10 weeks but still can’t take stairs without pain.

* Doing PT for ROM and isometric exercises. (A physiotherapist actually had    me doing leg extensions with weights at 4 1/2 weeks, which is way to soon    to be doing bent-leg weight bearing exercises so I stopped going. Doing PT    on my own)

* Still some pain and swelling

* Still wearing brace for stability and to prevent hyperextension (Doc says I      don't need it anymore, but I feel safer with it)

Conerns

I’m concerned that not having a proper cast for the first 6 weeks and only using 1 crutch at times could’ve caused damage such as an excess of internal scar tissue (adhesions) which could lead to arthristis.

Does it sound like I’m being paranoid?

2

Oh Garet, what an awful time you're having! Are you still in Asia? What are the doctors saying about all this? I'm not a medic so can't advise you other than to see a specialist, having just undergone tkr because of arthritis I know you don't want to be in my position now if you don't have to be. You need answers now & proper advice. I hope things turn out well for you. X

3

You just need to recover, you did not mention your age, but there is always a chance for arthritis when you get older, so keep living .

Good healing

4

48 years old.  Other than soreness and stiffness, I seem to be recovering okay. I'm just concerned that not having a cast for the first month, and walking with only one crutch early on might have caused damage which will effect me in the future.. 

5

I'm not doing that bad. Just concerned about improper treatment at the early stages of this injury. The main doctor diagnosed it as a sprain and didn't see the fracture which is why he didn't put a cast on it and why he said I could use only one crutch when my knee was feeling stronger..  Physiotherapy with weights (quadriceps extensions) at only 4.5 weeks was another wrong descision by one of the doctors.

My doctor now knows what he is doing, but I'm Just being paranoid whether any additional damage was caused.