Ask Carroll

[Nick Carroll]

I was in a fibreglass cast from below the knee and around the ankle. This was after internal fixation of a medial malleolus and lower tibia fracture and a full pinning of the syndesmosis, and also to protect a high break in the fibula.

The ankle couldn't move so once the cast came off, the calf muscles were very wasted and the joint itself was more or less locked. The quads had lost a bit of mass but not too much, I did lots of light work on 'em with the cast on.

The hardest thing to deal with was unlocking the ankle joint, which at first didn't want to move at all. I thought I'd just get out of the cast and be walking around fine but I had to stay on crutches on and off for at least a week. I couldn't really start full recovery till they unpinned the syndesmosis gap (that's the gap between the tibia and fibula at the base of the lower leg, it's normally bound together by a ligamental sheath but the sheath had been totally ruptured, like a football injury). Once they extracted that pin and I rested again for a week, I got stuck in hard to rehab and was able to surf again - very carefully - about a month later, four months from the surgery.

I kinda think when you're cast, you're cast, it's on there for a reason and trying to work the quadriceps a lot with a fractured kneecap sounds like it may not be the go. It's more important to show yourself as little mercy as possible in rehab.

[otway1949]

Very like an injury you'd get playing netball on a hard court! worth a serious ouch!

[Beerfan]

Cheers nick. 2 week appt today, they told me I need to do leg raises with the splint on obviously and that I could walk with full weight on it if it doesn't hurt. I'll try both tomorrow. My leg was wobbly as trying to do the leg raise today and that was with the 2kg splint off haha. Something to work on for the next month though. Keen to see if I can walk on it, maybe with one crutch at first. Both excercises should build some muscle.

[Nick Carroll]

Very like an injury you'd get playing netball on a hard court! worth a serious ouch!

Maisson-Neuve fracture with the complication of a break in the lower tibia. More of a motocross or football accident. Oddly it never hurt that much, just the terrible sense of impact then some swelling and numbness.

[Nick Carroll]

Cheers nick. 2 week appt today, they told me I need to do leg raises with the splint on obviously and that I could walk with full weight on it if it doesn't hurt. I'll try both tomorrow. My leg was wobbly as trying to do the leg raise today and that was with the 2kg splint off haha. Something to work on for the next month though. Keen to see if I can walk on it, maybe with one crutch at first. Both excercises should build some muscle.

Oh yeah, do whatever they let you do.

Your tendinitis will be a distant memory after this I imagine.

[otway1949]

Very like an injury you'd get playing netball on a hard court! worth a serious ouch!

Maisson-Neuve fracture with the complication of a break in the lower tibia. More of a motocross or football accident. Oddly it never hurt that much, just the terrible sense of impact then some swelling and numbness.

It was the selection of the optional extra of the tibial break that gave it away, good thing you are smart about your own rehab and restoration of function by following sensible exercise etc. Good stuff

[Beerfan]

Cheers nick. 2 week appt today, they told me I need to do leg raises with the splint on obviously and that I could walk with full weight on it if it doesn't hurt. I'll try both tomorrow. My leg was wobbly as trying to do the leg raise today and that was with the 2kg splint off haha. Something to work on for the next month though. Keen to see if I can walk on it, maybe with one crutch at first. Both excercises should build some muscle.

Oh yeah, do whatever they let you do.

Your tendinitis will be a distant memory after this I imagine.

They showed the MRI to me on the day it happened. Because the patellar snapped I could clearly see the tendons were quite slack. No tension at all. That's the first thing I thought, cool, tendonitis should clear up then !. I did some leg raises this morning, feels weird. I can feel the wire in my knee or possibly the stitches when I do them. No real pain, just weird.

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[Nick Carroll]

Yes he has, and I have no idea. I don't really get the whole Shark Shield thing myself but there ya go.

[Natho]

Hi Nick,

will you be reading the latest book by one Robert John 'Red Rinse' Carr?.
looks like its going to be a riverting read.

[marauding mullet]

NC do you have any formal qualifications or training (other than from SLSC which I know is quite comprehensive) in any medical field?

If not, you should do something it's obviously something you're interested in and dare I say, you're a natural.
I wouldn't know first hand, but I reckon the most rewarding professions are those where you're directly helping people.
Physio to the pros?

[Nick Carroll]

Hi Nick,

will you be reading the latest book by one Robert John 'Red Rinse' Carr?.
looks like its going to be a riverting read.

I dunno. I have a lot of other books to read at the moment.

Though I do think the Murdoch press have a hide, calling him a tosser, seeing as how they employ some of Australia's greatest ever tossers to write for them.

[Nick Carroll]

NC do you have any formal qualifications or training (other than from SLSC which I know is quite comprehensive) in any medical field?

If not, you should do something it's obviously something you're interested in and dare I say, you're a natural.
I wouldn't know first hand, but I reckon the most rewarding professions are those where you're directly helping people.
Physio to the pros?

No I don't. I pretty much have every possible qualification in the SLSA field but nothing outside that. Not really considering any career moves in that direction, and definitely no desire to be any more tangled up in professional surfing than I already am.

It's awesome to be of help to people, I kind of like doing that on a volunteer basis more than I suspect I would as a professional.

[Beanpole]

You have, given Wayne lynch tuflite boards a rap in the past. Any suggestion for fin set ups on these boards?
Particularly quasi widow makers set ups. How do you reckon they would go?

[Nick Carroll]

I think simpler the better, I'd just go the glass version of the FCS 5 template as a thruster. Re the widowmaker one, I don't know a good side fin for that set-up but you wanna go small small small in my opinion, the widowmaker is not a pretend thruster, it's a single fin with a bit extra on the side. For the middle fin I would use of Futures's awesome Albacore range, just which ever one seems the right size.

[bobjs]

You have, given Wayne lynch tuflite boards a rap in the past.

Do you know where I can find the NC 'rap' on the wayne lynch tufflites?

[Beanpole]

A bit over a year ago or probably more as I remember Nick was recommending them as a travel board for Indo.

Thanks for the advice Nick.

[Natho]

Nick how did the new 5'9 MC go?

Im guessing it was another 5'9 x 18 1/2 x 2 1/4?