Resolved question:
I have a plateau fracture of the tibia. It is nondisplaced, this happened last Friday, I got into an orthopedic surgeon yesterday and my question is, should it be immobilized. I am a 59 year old female and am concerned, understandably. Thank you for any insight you can give me. Pat
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Orthopedic Surgeon
Hello. I have read your query and understand your concern. Compression, icing, knee splinting in full extension, elevation of your affected limb, and strict non-weight bearing are required in the initial phase of treatment of a tibial plateau fracture. After the first follow-up visit to your doctor, you will need to wear a hinged brace that is locked in full extension and need to continue non-weight bearing crutch walking, icing, and intermittent elevation of the leg. If there is no displacement of your fracture at two weeks, you can begin working on knee flexion with the brace still on. You should be able to achieve 90 degrees of knee flexion by four weeks. You can start partial weight bearing once X-Ray shows good healing. Hope this was helpful to you. Feel free to ask queries. Thank you.
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com.
Tibial plateau fracture should be immobilised for better healing. Immobilisation leads to the development of a uniting callus (new bone) between the fractured ends. In case of undisplaced fracture, treatment may be of short duration for around 3-4 weeks.