hypotheses on recovery times – WWN

Bad fall for Sofia Goggia during training in Pontedilegno. The athlete, busy preparing for the Soldeu giant slalom (Andorra) next weekend, was rescued and taken away by air ambulance.

There
diagnosis will be carried out in the next few hours by the FISI Medical Commission which will carry out the checks, but initially there was talk of possible fracture a tibia And fibula
of the right leg.

We asked Cesare Faldinifull professor at the University of Bologna and director of the First Orthopedic Clinic at the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, how to deal with a fracture in that point of the leg, what are the procedures, the dcourse and what the recovery times are. Prognosis and healing depend on the type of fracture: if it affects the central part of the bone, what we jargon call the “diaphysis”, that is, the part far from the joints, and is not exposed, therefore without a skin wound from which the fracture emerged bone, a type of fracture that can heal with‘nailinga titanium nail inside the tibia which guides the healing, with the function like that of a carpenter’s clamp that holds the small piece of wood in place until the glue has taken effect.

In this case, what would be the recovery time?

Obviously it depends on many factors: the relatively rapid recovery, but to be able to repeat a sporting gesture, holding the nail is not enoughwe need the new bone to be rebuilt, which can fit in a leg three to six monthsdepending on the type of fracture. If broken into several fragments it takes longer.

What should be done in the case of an open fracture?

When the strength ofimpact caused the bone to pop out of the skinthat is, there is a hole or a cut, a much more serious condition because there is a greater risk of contamination and infection on the bone. The second risk is that the hematoma that comes out is full of “growth factors” that promote the start of healing (because when the bone breaks it creates a hematoma and in the hematoma there are already the ingredients to begin the “repair”), so having an open fracture means losing some beneficial cells and take longer to heal.

Do you put the nail?

Usually this type of fracture requires a external fixatorso as not to put metal on the site of the invoice, with the “scaffolding” therefore.

What if the fracture was not in the central area?

If the fracture affects the joint region the situation becomes much more serious because thejoint must be reconstructed millimetrically especially for an athlete, because otherwise yes loses functionality. In these cases obviously the operation is more delicate and the healing process is slower. It is valid in “high” fractures towards the knee and in “low” fractures towards the ankle. Today ski equipment means that ankle fractures are very rare because the boot protects the entire lower part of the bone from trauma, they are those in the center of the bone or towards the knee are more frequent.

Are there cases in which you can put a cast on without operating?

If there was an incomplete or compound fracture, that is, with only a crack in the bone without it having moved, just immobilize it in a cast and wait for healing.

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