A tibia fracture can be one of the most gruesome injuries in all of sports. While most adults need surgery, children and adolescents can often be treated in a cast. In this Ask Dr. Geier video, I discuss the process of getting an athlete with a tibia fracture back to sports.
Anton in British Columbia asks:
I would like to know when I would be able to play badminton after I take my cast off. I fractured my tibia really close to my ankle, about a couple of cm from the joint. It was a spiral fracture and it was not displaced. It will be 8 weeks in about 5 days, and that is when the doctor thinks the cast can be taken off. But will I be able to play badminton on the day it is taken off?
Like many fractures, the bone usually needs to heal before full activity out of the cast or boot is allowed. Just because the patient can start putting full weight on it without immobilization, he often cannot return to unlimited activity, such as playing sports, right away. He usually follows a progression of walking in normal shoes, jogging, sport-specific activities, and finally, playing sports.
In this video, I discuss the progression from healing to return to sports for a tibia fracture.
Also read:
Tibia fractures: Questions about the injury, treatment and recovery
Are athletes likely to return to sports after tibia fractures?
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