Help with non-union of broken bone

[mammynunswife]

Sorry to hear he's having such a difficult time! I have had 2 lumbar fusions. The first one didn't work, I couldn't seem to grow any bone. I used one of the electronic bone stimulator thingies and it didn't help either. The Dr. kept blaming second hand smoke for my failure to graft. My insurance paid for the stimulator and it was easy and not painful to use, maybe he would have some luck with it?

 

[SmileDocHill]

The osteoporosis drugs in the bisphosphonates catagory will not help him for this.
Risedronate (Actonel), Alendronate (Fosamax), Ibandronate (Boniva), Zoledronic Acid (Reclast), Pamidronate (Aredia), Etidronate (Didronel)
Bone naturally and always is repairing itself by 2 processes that work (hopefully) in sync. One constantly tunnels through the bone breaking it down and another follows building it back up. These meds act to decrease bone break down part of the balance. The increase in bone density is not due to any increase in the bone making part. In addition to than they come with a slight increase in problems with bone repair. (Google bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis or dental extraction.)

 

[Ogre]

I had the same problem 6 years ago. I shattered my tibula in two spots and fibula in one spot. The upper break in my tibia wouldnt heal. I had a rod in my tibia from knee to ankle the entire time. after 2 months they had me doing PT 2 - 3 times a week. During PT I would stand and do other exerices on it (weight bearing on the broken bone) would "wake" up the bone to start triggereing formation. I did this with no success for 5 months. I finally had a bone graft and it did the trick.
I know you said he had the bone graft already, but it may be the quickest way back.

 

[Rayne]

I had the same problem 6 years ago. I shattered my tibula in two spots and fibula in one spot. The upper break in my tibia wouldnt heal. I had a rod in my tibia from knee to ankle the entire time. after 2 months they had me doing PT 2 - 3 times a week. During PT I would stand and do other exerices on it (weight bearing on the broken bone) would "wake" up the bone to start triggereing formation. I did this with no success for 5 months. I finally had a bone graft and it did the trick.
I know you said he had the bone graft already, but it may be the quickest way back.

Did you ever use the elctrical bone stimulator or ultra sound on your break to stimulate bone growth? Or did they tell you what to eat or not to eat to help also.

 

[eatsnopaste]

Where is our resident Doctor?...Rambone someone needs you!

 

[shooter1054]

About 14 years ago I tore up my left index finger. I ended up losing it at the middle knuckle. Took a little getting used to but it isn't that bad. You learn to adjust. And yes, there IS such a thing as phantom sensations. It was weird but went away.

 

[Ogre]

Did you ever use the elctrical bone stimulator or ultra sound on your break to stimulate bone growth? Or did they tell you what to eat or not to eat to help also.

Yes, in PT they would use them both periodically. So in my experience they didnt help much, but it wasn't in the regular routine, so YMMV. My Ortho surgeon didn't advise me on anything as far as diet. He said that a normal diet would have enough vit. and mins. for natural growth. One other thing worth mentioning is all the soft tissue surrounding the bone. If there isn't adequate bloodflow to the area it will take longer because that has to start healing to supply the broken bone. My leg had quite abit of soft tissue damage as well and this was a factor.

 

[rambone]

One of the reasons his bone may not be healing is he has taken Nexium (esomeprazole) for ten years and has just recently switched to Prilosec(omeprazole). Both these medications inhibit calcium uptake. He already takes a multivitamin and a calcium suppliment. So all you guys/gals who are not doctors but play one on TV let me know what you think can be done to help get this bone healed up.

The bone definitely needs calcuim, and if the heartburn drugs are blocking calcium uptake, then you should be looking for a natural remedy for heartburn so he can stay off the drugs for a while. One remedy I can think of that is supposed to help with heartburn is Apple Cider Vinegar. Hopefully if it works he can stay away from drugs permanently. If it doesn't work, there may be other things he could try, and diet changes to make for the duration of his recovery.

Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar for health benefits, weight loss


Also, you'll probably also want to supplement more heavily in a few other vitamins. A multi-vitamin is just a baseline level. More Vitamin D3 is needed (6000 IU daily) for absorption of calcium and Vitamin K helps distribute it more effectively. Magnesium is another good supplement for bone health.

What vitamins aid in bone growth after a break

 

[Rayne]

The bone definitely needs calcuim, and if the heartburn drugs are blocking calcium uptake, then you should be looking for a natural remedy for heartburn so he can stay off the drugs for a while. One remedy I can think of that is supposed to help with heartburn is Apple Cider Vinegar. Hopefully if it works he can stay away from drugs permanently. If it doesn't work, there may be other things he could try, and diet changes to make for the duration of his recovery.

Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar for health benefits, weight loss

I'm glad the resident doctor put his two cents in . Thanks for the input.

He has already quit his evening dose of omeprazole and is drinking apple cidar vinegar instead but is hesitant about stopping his morning dose. His father had esophageal cancer and it ranks right up there as one of the nastiest cancers you can have. He eats a very healthy diet and there isn't much diet change we could make. I suppose if it comes down to losing the tip of his finger, we should talk to his gastrointerologist about stopping the medicine for a month or two to help the bone to healed up.

Back to the surgeon Thursday, praying for the xray to show some more bone growth. Going to start him on a different regiment of vitamins, more vitamin C, K and D3, plus calcium, magnesium and add bananas to his diet.

Also going to talk to the doctor about an electrial bone stimulator. I looked into the comfrey plant, but it says it can restrict blood vessels and that also might be one of his problems with the bone not healing. One of the arteries in the finger was crushed and non-repairable. Not enough to stop blood flow, but enough to restrict it. Without good blood flow it is hard for bones to heal according to what I'm learning.

Thanks for everyones input.

 

[rambone]

Best of luck Rayne. Prayers for an effective recovery.