Broken fibula, low vitamin D

by 3

Xray 1 of broken fibula

Xray 1 of broken fibula

I have been suffering with knee pain for the past year. Each time I went to an ortho, he suggested i do physio and that my muscles were weak. Now last week I broke my fibula bone, right above the ankle, after a simple ankle twist.



Post that I got my Vitamin D checked. The results showed its just 3.0 ng/ml .

Please advice me as what to do now.



----



Joshua Answers:

Hi 3.

Holy moley! A 3ng/ml????

A. That's the lowest I've ever seen.

B. A Vitamin D level of 3ng/ml is DANGEROUSLY low.

Not like you're going to die tomorrow, but like your body can't operate properly, which sets people up for disease process, and potentially severe Osteoporosis.

Which might explain the bone break...

See: Article On Osteoporosis

If Tendonitis gets bad enough, then muscle can/do get functionally weak.

See: What Is Tendonitis?


Muscles are supposed to absorb force...when they can't do that then all that force has to go somewhere....

So your muscles fail, your 'twist' your ankle, force translates to bone, bone breaks.

-Probably- that's because of low bone density, but it doesn't have to be.

But if your Vitamin D level is a 3, then it's been low for A LONG TIME.

Not good.

Vitamin D is a hormone that's basically at the base of your body operation. It is necessary for:

- muscle function
- immune system function
- hormone function
- strong bones
- etc, etc, etc

I don't know if you have any other health issues, but if you don't, you absolutely will at some point with a Vit D level of 3ng/ml.

And if you do, it will be interesting to see how much getting your Vit D level to between 60-80ng/ml will get rid of said health issues.

So we MUST get your levels up ASAP. Which is cheap and easy to do, no worries.


The one warning is, since your
Vit D levels have been so low for so long, and since you broke a bone (which is just a clue), it's possible and/or likely that as you've lost bone density your bones have shrunk down a little.

And the connective tissue wrapping the bone shrinks down with it.

When you get Vitamin D and other necessary nutrients back into your body, this will cause your bones to expand again (as they become more dense and healthy) and push against that connective tissue, which might cause you some bone pain.

If you do have bone pain, there's nothing to do but suck it up and wait it out until the bone expands and 'stretches' the connective tissue wrapping of the bone.

I'm not saying that will happen, I'm just saying that you should be aware of that.

I suggest that you get the Anti-Osteoporosis Pack I put together.

It has the nutrients you need to:

- get you Vit D levels back up to where they should be

- help your broken bone heal faster


So.

1. What did your doctor tell you about the Vit D level of 3ng/ml?

2. Was s/he worried or concerned?

3. What did they tell you to do about it?








----------------------
Please reply using the comment link below. Do not submit a new submission to answer/reply, it's too hard for me to find where it's supposed to go.

And, comments have a 3,000 character limit so you may have to comment twice.
-----------------------



Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com
















Subscribe to The Tendonitis Expert Newsletter Today!

For TIPS, TRICKS, and up-to-date Tendonitis information you need!

Email


Name



Then



Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.

I promise to use it only to send you The Tendonitis Expert Newsletter.














Reversing Achilles Tendonitis ebook cover



Plantar fasciitis Treatment That Works dvd cover


Reversing Shin Splints ebook cover





Comments for Broken fibula, low vitamin D

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Oct 08, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Low vitamin d
by: Anonymous

Thank you for the advice, I am equally scared about this.

I don't have any other problems going on with the body, besides the knee pain.

I wish my doctor had asked me to get the blood tests a year back when I had gone with the knee pain.

I did feel sleepy and tired most of the time recently, but I thought that's just me. I don't know if it could be linked, but that's about it.

My doctor said that such low vitamin d is very common for vegetarians and specially females and advised me to drink fortified milk (as opposed to fresh cow milk, which I'm currently drinking) . Also he gave me bio d3 (calcitriol& calcium) , and dv 60k(cholecalciferol) , supplements..


----


Joshua Comments:

Yeah...I have a lot of wishes about doctors being smarter/wiser/better educated/more motivated to educate themselves.

Being female as exactly 0 to do with low vitamin D.

Being vegetarian has exactly 0 to do with low vitamin D. Food is not a worthwhile source of Vitamin D, period.

Raw milk is GOOD for you. Processed and 'fortified' isn't. And there's still not enough Vit D in the 'fortified' to make it worth it. But then, there isn't enough in raw milk either....or any other food.


The good news is, that you have a severely deficient level of Vit D is nothing to worry about....IF you supplement adequately to correct that deficiency.

Sure there's downsides to being, and having been, deficient for any period of time. But my point is, it's cheap and easy to bring that deficient level up to optimal.

Being deficient is entirely a matter of not getting enough Vit D intake. Sunshine (or lack thereof), geographic location, time of year, etc, all play a role.

But if you have low levels, it's as simple as getting enough into you. Today. This week. This month.


So how much/how often of the Bio D3 product and 60k are you taking?
Oct 30, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Heel Pain With Spiral Fracture Of Fibula
by: JDF

Hi! I fractured my fibula 4 days ago. Was immediately sent to the er after I fell and was quickly x-rayed and diagnosed with a spiral fracture. (Not displaced). I was put in a cast that allows for swelling - and will be seeing the orthopedic doc on Tuesday. I have been icing it every 25 minutes and keeping it elevated.

I am only taking Tylenol as pain med. the issue is my heel is beyond painful. My toes and heel can move. Any clue for the reason for the heel pain?


----


Joshua Comments:

Hi there.

Before I can (best) answer that...how exactly did you get a spiral fracture of your fibula?





For future reference, see related: Fractured Fibula Healing But Pain Won't Go Away
Nov 28, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I broke my fibula back in 2009
by: Jeni

I broke my fibula back in 2009.

Every morning and I mean every morning I wake up I have to limp around for a bit. This just started a few months ago. And right now 8pm it's super sore. Any advice.....


----


Joshua Comments:

Hi Jeni.

That's the tendonitis dynamic: Progressive muscle and connective tissue tightness, chronic inflammation, and nutritional insufficiency.

It's been developing for years, and the trauma (and recovery) from the broken bone certainly didn't pushed it along/set you on a particular path.

My general suggestion is to get Reversing Achilles Tendonitis

It will show you exactly how to reverse the progressive, multi-factored mechanism that is causing your pain.

Maybe if you wait it out it will go away, but as a general rule, even if it goes away it will be back. That's just how it works unless you push it back to (more) optimal function.
Jun 13, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Neck fibula fracture, medial malleolus crack stroke patient
by: Jovanna

Hi,

I realy need a answer that will help me and i believe i am on a right place.

My mother had a stroke 10 months a go. After rehab she was able to walk with a quad stick and one person assist.

11 days ago she fractured neck of the fibula (no dislocation) and creck her ankle (medial malleolus). They put her leg in a boot and sugest puting weigh on her leg becouse she is in a risk never to walk again if she rests for 6 weeks.

She has pain when standing on her leg (she still can't move it or make a step) even when in bad and somone tries to move her leg)

What to do?


----


Joshua Comments:

Hi Jovanna.

The very first thing to do is answer this question: What is her Vitamin D level?

If you don't know, find out. They -probably- checked that on her labs when she was at the hospital.
Jul 11, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Fibula fracture - possible redamaged
by: Anonymous

Hello,
50's lady. Weber B Fibula fracture from falling off a walking track.

6 weeks cast, walking boot on and off for 2 weeks (too painful to walk in)

8 weeks in - Physio and hydrotheraphy - during hydro session of kicking rather vigorously - sharp pain at break site.

1 week later that area still hurts (along with the top of the joint between ankle and foot - but that has been ongoing the whole time.) Some swelling too for entire time.

If I twist/turn the foot inwards slightly now the break site hurts (decreasing daily but still sharp pain there), where that was the only bit that did not hurt before.

Vit D levels unknown - normally should be good in
our part of the world (wear shorts all summer dog walking) but it is winter now.

Is it likely that I re-damaged it? Thinking of getting an ultrasound - if I can. I am afraid to continue to do physio as I don't know if it's damaged.

Thank you :)

Kate


----


Joshua Comments:

Hi Kate.

Maybe redamaged it, but that would be in a context that it hasn't healed as well/as fast as we'd like.

Which is a nutritional issue. Easily correctable.

Having said that, a fracture (of any size, obviously the bigger it is the worse it is) from the fall is the result of A LOT of force, and bone breaking is very traumatic on a variety of levels. It's not at all surprising that you're still hurting two months later (if I read the timeline correctly).

So let's investigate.

Get your Vit D level asap. That you live somewhere you where shorts in no way correlates with you having adequate vit d levels. Even sunbathers in hawaii have deficient levels of Vit D for a variety of reasons.

Get a level in the next couple of days, results back in a week or two, let me know what the numbers are, and we'll go from there. Strong bones is easy peasy (well, it should be, and it should be for doctors, but...well...they didn't check your vit d levels, did they? [and if they did, give the hospital a call and find out what the Vit D3 level was]).
Jul 23, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Vitamin D how or what to combine it with
by: Anonymous

Hello Joshua, Unfortunately the doctors is far too smart to be told that I need a vit D test!

Hey thank you for you comments. I will have to find out how we check D levels here - does not seem to be something in the minds of the doctors - perhaps it should be!

I did go for an ultrasound and they found a avulsion fracture - with a flake (8mm x 4mm is a flake??) on the AITL. Heavens only know if it was missed originally or if this is something new - 'cause if it was there back now 11 weeks later - it should really be fixed. So now I am bouncing back to a bone surgeon - round in circles.

I suppose absent a D test I could just supplement it and assume it is low. I do have low-end-of-normal bone density for my age - so I can only think it would help. So are there foods or good supplements that can up the Vitamin D levels?

Thank you for your time.

So assuming I am vit D deficient - is there a correct way to take it e.g. a certain type of Vit D or combined with other things.

The calcium vs clogged arteries thing makes me aware that all vitamins are not created equal, overdosed or work well on their own.

Thank you

Kate
PS been referred back to an OS surgeon!


----


Joshua Comments:

Hi Anonymous.

1. Yep, that sounds like a big flake.

2. "I will have to find out how we check D levels here"

I don't know where 'here' is, but see if you can order a 'vit d test kit' online. If so it will get mailed, you'll do the finger prick test thing, you'll send it back, you'll get results back in a couple weeks.

3. Having said that, if you have low bone density, then you don't have enough Vit D3 (or magnesium). Low bone density is a symptom of low vit d/low magnesium.

How low your Vit D level is, we don't know, but it is low. While it would be interesting and possibly useful to know the exact level, we know it's some amount low so....

So yes, supplement. 10,000i.u.'s/day for a couple months should bring you up (if you also have enough magnesium in you, as the body requires magnesium to utilze Vit D3). THEN get your level checked, and adjust accordingly.


4. "So are there foods or good supplements that can up the Vitamin D levels?"

Foods, no. Any Vit D3 supplement will do. I'd get a liquid Vit D3 (in olive oil or equivalent) that is 2,000i.u.'s per DROP (not dropperful). If you get a 200i.u.'s per drop...you have to take a lot more volume to get enough.

Magnesium, anything but magnesium oxide (which is mostly what you'll find on the shelves).


5. "Unfortunately the doctors is far too smart to be told that I need a vit D test!"

Yeah..... :(
Jul 24, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you
by: Anonymous

Thanks - that's awesome guidance!

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Ask The Tendonitis Expert .





Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.