Patient Name: Pati
Procedure: Foot Surgery
Location: Sentara RMH
I’m someone who’s always understood the importance of taking good care of myself. Over the years, I’ve led an active lifestyle that included a membership at the Sentara RMH Wellness Center, where I took up various types of exercise, individually and in group settings. But in January 2017, all of that got put on hold when a serious accident compromised my ability to move easily.
It was Jan. 11, a Wednesday evening, and I was working out in a Pilates class with my trainer and two other class members. Suddenly (and embarrassingly), I fell off my Pilates chair.
I’ve been doing Pilates for several years, so I was familiar with what I was doing, but I still don’t know how it happened. Suddenly I was on the floor in tremendous pain.
The staff called an ambulance, and I was taken to the Sentara RMH Emergency Department, where I was assessed and given an intravenous line and pain medication. X-rays revealed that I had fractures in both bones of my right forearm, several broken bones in my right foot, and a shattered heel bone in my left foot.
The orthopedic physician on call that evening was Robert Kime III, MD, of Hess Orthopaedic Center & Sports Medicine in Harrisonburg. Dr. Kime saw me in the hospital, where I’d been admitted, and began treating my injuries, starting with the arm. He informed me it was a pretty serious break, and he would have to use a splint rather than a regular cast due to the surrounding swelling.
About a week later, after the swelling had gone down, he put a regular cast on my arm. My arm wasn’t the only area where swelling was a problem, however. Swelling in my feet prevented those injuries from being treated upon my arrival at the hospital, so I was sent to a skilled nursing facility in town to wait for the swelling to subside.
Several days later, I met with Chad Moorman, DPM, a podiatric (foot and ankle) surgeon at Hess Orthopaedics. Since the fractures in the midportion of my right foot were still aligned properly, a boot was all that was necessary to keep me from further injuring that foot while the fractures healed. My left foot with the shattered heel bone, however, was a different matter, and surgery was scheduled at Sentara RMH for Friday, Jan. 27, to correct that issue.
Dr. Moorman essentially had to rebuild my heel. The procedure required the insertion of a stainless steel plate and 11 screws into my heel to hold things together. I also received donor bone to help restore the anatomy of the crushed heel.
I was discharged from the hospital that Sunday, Jan. 29, and then went to stay with a friend who happens to be a nurse, and who has an apartment in her home that would make it easier for me to get out to my follow-up appointments.
I stayed with my friend for more than a month while I healed. I kept the boot on my right foot for about eight weeks, and I had a soft cast on my left heel, which Dr. Moorman changed every week while the incisions healed. In the meantime, another friend built a ramp at my home so they could drive a golf cart to my door, which helped me get around with less walking.
I kept the cast on my left foot for four months and then wore a tall boot after the cast was removed. I was only able to begin putting increased weight on the reconstructed heel gradually—starting with just 25 percent of my body weight and then increasing the amount until I could bear 100 percent of my weight.
Today, more than a year after my mishap, I still have challenges with my feet, but I continue to improve.
Dr. Moorman told me at the outset that it could easily take up to a year and a half for me to heal fully. I haven’t been able to go on long walks, and I’ve been warned not to do anything with my feet involving pounding or absorbing impact.
I have to be very careful to avoid falling again. But Dr. Moorman says once I fully heal, I should be able to do low-impact aerobic activities like walking, bicycling or swimming, but probably not jogging, running, or faster-paced sports like tennis or basketball.