Broken leg

[Towering Q]

Chasing some advice from those out there that may have been through the same experience as me.

Thanks to a dirt bike incident I have a right tibia that is being held together with a metal plate and about nine screws. The fibula is broken too but apparently not much is done with this bone and it heals by itself.

I normally fly for a small charter company, mostly C310/402 and being a "full time casual" have no money coming in whilst waiting for aforementioned leg to mend.

I have been told that it takes 3 months from the date of injury for this type of fracture to heal sufficiently to get around without a leg cast. Has anyone done it sooner?

If anyone else has been down this road, was it a hassle getting your medical back? I imagine it would be a case of proving that the recently mended leg is capable of providing sufficient rudder force to deal with an engine failure.

[Hwel]

mate of mine broke his leg, AME requires you to hop 6 times on the one you broke, (this is in the UK) took him bout 4 months to recover to flying status.

good luck.

[QDMQDMQDM]

AME requires you to hop 6 times on the one you broke,

Get the permission of your orthopaedic surgeon before you attempt this! It could be a very bad idea.

David

[mad_jock]

Instead of a cast get them to strap it.

Almost everyone gets a cast put on because it is easier and causes less pain.

But you can asked to get it strapped. The advantage of this is that you use it more and more which stimulates it to heal and also means you don't loose as much muscle bulk.

Dissadvantage is that it hurts like hell for the first week.

Jockeys get this done quiet alot. My friends dad got it done to him and he didn't suffer after the six weeks, no cramps bit gimpy but soon got back to normal.

Its worth asking if its an option for your injury.

MJ

[cyan]

Tibial fractures of sufficient severity to warrent internal fixation are a significant injury. Even an undisplaced stable tibial fracture not requiring internal fixation may require 3- 6 months for full weight bearing to take place.

To reliably manage an aircraft with a sudden engine failure after take off you need incontrovertable power and control from the relevent rudder...

I would suggest that you should think in terms of a minimum of 6 months for return to full flying duties..

It is impossible to give really accurate advice with out seeing your X-rays... there is a very wide spectrum of degrees of severity of this injury.. Your Orthopaedic Surgeon is by far the best person to advise... in consultation with the CAA med Docs.. if nec..

Good luck.. and work hard at the physio and you will be back up there soon....

Cyan

[Towering Q]

Thanks for the replys.

Hop 6 times on the affected leg??:eek: At this point in time the very thought makes my eyes water.

cyan , you seem to have a reasonable amount of medical knowledge. What are your thoughts on removing the hardware in a year or two?

Do the plate and screws normally set off the metal detectors at the Airport Security Screening?

[crispy banana]

Hi TQ,
I broke my right femur in a wakeboard accident a couple of years ago. They put a rod in it and four screws (..its still there).

I was out of work for 10 weeks (non-flying job).

I had no problem passing my JAA Class 1 with the CAA a year later. He just asked what happenned and what they did to it! :}

I don't have any problems with passing airport security which I pass thru quite a bit; but every time I go to the INS (Immigration & Nat. Service) the thing goes off....

The leg is quite good for predicting storms aswell:E :E

Hope this helps!

CB :ok:

[cyan]

Hi TQ,

Yep do have med knowledge.... lucky really as flying jobs so scarce!! :{

Hope leg behaving itself.... Re tibial plate... It is common ( normal )to leave these in. If there is a problem or clinical reason they can be removed at 12 - 18 months..

Re the airport security question... depends on the sensitivity of the detector... some do, some dont go off... Is the same with hip replacements..

C

[ausdoc]

These injuries can take quite a while to heal properly (ie. with sufficient strength). Remember that it is not just the flying aspect that is the issue. Depending on the aircraft type, the pre-flight can be a challenge if you have to climb. The issue of emergency egress is also taken into account.

Cheers,

ausdoc