Top Tips for Recovering from a Broken Leg

(Photo: bunchofpants)

I broke my leg playing football. The pain, which is extraordinary, is not something it’s easy to misdiagnose. You know when you’ve got a broken leg. You also know that you’ve got a lengthy spell out of action and on the sofa, during which the daily habits you adopt will significantly effect how quickly your bone heals. Here are some tips (some legitimate science, some not) for making the most of your recovery period…

1/ Eat the right things

Not Haribo, Domino’s and beer, obviously, but also not so much red meat and eggs, which you might reasonably expect would help you heal. They’re too acidic, which means your bones have to give up valuable calcium and magnesium to keep your pH in check. Instead, in order of excellence, opt for sensible doses of these foods: yoghurt, sardines, pink salmon (canned with bones), almonds, bok choy, broccoli, kale, wild mushrooms and oat bran.

2/ Exact sympathy

In the early days, you’ll never have a better opportunity to be so dutifully waited on. Milk it. Later, you will receive hearty congratulations for routine tasks such as putting the kettle on or making it to the pub to meet a friend.

3/ Do loads of sleeping

You’ve suffered an acute injury, your body’s been traumatised and your anxiety levels have skyrocketed. The 19-year-old guy in the hospital bed opposite me had fractured his leg in three places playing American Football. I watched his heart monitor clock in at over 100bpm for the best part of an hour and a half. Rest, child.

4/ Lose your shit on co-codamol

Because you might as well. But don’t get reckless. In fact, don’t do this at all. Get it wrong and you risk addiction and constipation. Being constipated at the same time as having your leg in a cast would be distinctly uncomfortable.

5/ Drink lots of water

Drinking plenty of fluid while you’re recovering from injury is mandatory, but it has the added benefit of making five-hour stints on the sofa impossible. To avoid muscle atrophy, you need to be making regular journeys on your crutches, so every time you go to the loo, re-fill with a pint of water on your way back. It won’t be long before you need to get up again, but the flipside is you won’t turn scrawny.

6/ Have some fun with the blender

I’m calling it the eight o’clock shake. Chuck 200ml of milk, a banana and a big fistful of zinc-heavy nuts (almonds and cashews are best) in a blender with some chocolate powder. More zinc means more bone collagen which means better bone strength during the healing process.

7/ Focus

You’ll get some time off work, so use the opportunity to stare out of the window and take stock. Are you doing everything you want to do? Or are you farting away your one wild and precious life in a job that pays the bills and lets you go out get pissed on the weekends but is ultimately going to turn around one day and kick you in the nuts? To echo the political advice offered by Benjamin Franklin, whenever you are faced with a choice between liberty and security, choose liberty. Otherwise, you will end up with neither.

8/ Witness outrageous acts of nature

This is quite specialist and not widely available on-demand. However, while sat on the sofa, I looked out of the window and saw a kestrel attack another bird, slam it to the patio floor, then stand on its head for a couple of minutes looking smug. Unfortunately, the moment I hauled myself up to get a photo, it flew off, taking its prey with it. One day, further down my recovery, the goal is to treat a left-back with similar authority.

9/ Wiggle your toes

Just keep them moving. The act of moving the bones in your foot keeps the muscles all the way down your leg engaged. Let them know they’re still needed and that they’ll be back in action very soon.

10/ Somatic Exercises