The Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery Program was built from real experience — not theory.

When I fractured my tibial plateau with an 8.5 mm dislocation and compression Type II fracture, the research said I would need 6 to 12 weeks in bed. But through a structured, progressive approach that I developed and refined with my background in sports medicine and rehabilitation, I was cleared by my doctor — a close colleague — to return to full activity by week five.

By that point, my bone had fully healed on X-ray, and I was safely back to CrossFit, yoga, and salsa dancing — everything except high-impact activities like jumping, landing, and running.

This program is exactly what I followed to make that possible. It’s designed to help you do the same: rebuild confidence, regain full range of motion, and return to the life you love — faster and safer than you thought possible.

You’ll find step-by-step guidance through every phase of your recovery, from early mobility and swelling reduction to regaining flexion, extension, and strength. The program also includes detailed instruction in self-massage, manual therapy, and scraping (IASTM/Gua Sha) techniques to reduce scar tissue and improve joint mobility — the same methods I used on myself.

Every week, you’ll get access to live coaching calls, where you can ask your questions directly to me and get tailored guidance for your current stage. You’ll also become part of an active recovery community, where we discuss progress, post updates, and dive deeper into topics like pain management, mindset, and movement strategies for long-term recovery.

The Tibial Plateau Fracture Recovery Program is constantly evolving — I update it weekly with new videos, lessons, and tutorials based on the most common challenges I see from patients around the world.

This isn’t a generic rehab plan or an influencer’s routine. It’s a proven, real-world system built from personal experience and professional expertise — designed to help you move confidently, recover completely, and get back to doing what you love.

Video: How to Use Your Crutches Effectively During Recovery

Focus: Managing partial weight-bearing (up to 20 kg) using safe crutch techniques, but also those who can't put any pressure on their leg.

Target Audience: Especially helpful for those with Type I and III fractures cleared for partial loading

Why This Matters Right Now:

As your doctor or surgeon begins to allow partial weight-bearing—typically around 20kg—you need to relearn how to move safely with crutches without compromising the healing of your tibial plateau.

Done right, this can build confidence, protect your healing leg, and help you regain natural movement patterns. Done wrong, it can overload the knee or set back progress.

Crutch Technique 1: 3-Point Gait for Partial Weight-Bearing

Ideal For: Patients allowed to put up to 20kg of weight through the injured leg

How it works:

1. Place both crutches forward together, just ahead of your feet.
2. Step with your injured leg at the same time as the crutches—this is the third “point.”
3. Follow by stepping through with your non-injured leg.
4. Keep the majority of your weight through your arms and uninjured leg, using the injured side more for balance and slight loading.

This allows safe, consistent weight exposure without overloading the fracture site.

Crutch Technique 2: Injured Leg Forward for Non-Weight-Bearing or Crutching Around

Ideal For: Individuals still mostly non-weight-bearing or who feel unstable during turns, stairs, or uneven terrain

Key tip:

Keep your injured leg slightly in front of your body as you move.

• This helps visually monitor your leg and protects it from catching or bumping
• It encourages a more upright and safe posture, reducing the chance of falling backward
• It's easier to transition into a seated position or brace against a wall if needed

Other Pro Tips:

• Don’t let your crutches drift too far ahead—it causes overreaching and instability
• Watch for poor habits like dragging the injured foot or locking your elbows
• Use mirrors or video to check your gait and make corrections
• If you're unsure how much pressure you’re placing, use a bathroom scale at home to practice safely hitting the 20kg range

Caution:

• Always follow your surgeon’s or doctor’s guidance for when and how much to load
• If your leg feels sore, swollen, or painful after crutching, back off and recheck your form
• Do not rush—quality movement now prevents setbacks later

This phase is about relearning movement and restoring confidence—your crutches are a tool, not a limitation. When used properly, they’ll help you transition smoothly into full weight-bearing with less pain and better control.

Understanding the Screw Home Mechanism

Target Concept: Optimal knee alignment, joint locking, and full extension

Purpose: To restore proper joint tracking and reduce strain on surrounding muscles during walking, standing, and exercise

What Is the Screw Home Mechanism?

The screw home mechanism is a subtle but important movement that happens during the last 15–20 degrees of knee extension (when your leg is almost completely straight). As the knee straightens, the tibia (shin bone) externally rotates slightly on the femur (thigh bone). This "locking" movement gives your knee extra stability when standing upright.

It’s like nature’s built-in way of making sure your body can stand with less muscular effort.

Why It Matters After a Tibial Plateau Fracture

• After surgery or prolonged immobility, this mechanism can become disrupted or limited
• If the tibia isn’t allowed to fully rotate or glide, the knee may feel unstable, tight, or “off” during walking
• Without this final locking movement, compensation patterns start to form in the quad, calf, and even hips
• It’s often the missing piece when people say “I can straighten my leg, but it still doesn’t feel right”

What You Should Focus On During This Phase (Weeks 6–8):

✅ Don’t rush full extension. Re-learn how to lock out with control, not just push the leg straight.

✅ Use exercises like quad sets, terminal knee extensions, and straight-leg raises to practice the final part of extension.

✅ Massage and mobilize the lateral hamstrings and outer calf, which often restrict tibial rotation.

✅ If you’re walking or standing and your leg feels "wobbly" near the end-range, the screw home mechanism may still need work.

How You’ll Know It’s Working Again:

• Your knee snaps into full extension with ease
• You feel stable and relaxed when standing upright
• Your gait starts to smooth out naturally
• Less quad fatigue or knee discomfort after long periods of standing

Final Thought:

The screw home mechanism is your body’s way of stabilizing from the inside out. You can’t “strengthen” it directly, but you can restore it through precise movement, consistent mobility, and deep tissue release. When it clicks back into place—literally or figuratively—you’ll know.

Analogy: Your Screws and Plates Are Like Fixing a Broken Table Corner

Let’s imagine the corner of a wooden table breaks off. One option might be to glue it back together. But here’s the problem with glue:

• You don’t really know how strong it is
• You don’t know how long it will hold
• You’re unsure if it works with the type of wood
• And you have no clue how it will react to heat, cold, moisture, or daily use

Now compare that to using six screws and a solid metal plate to hold the corner in place.

With that, the corner becomes stable, reinforced, and reliable. It’s not going anywhere.

That’s exactly what your surgeon has done with your tibial plateau: They didn’t just rely on nature—they reinforced it with hardware to give your body the best chance at healing safely and steadily.

But What If It Comes Loose?

Just like the table, if something were to go wrong, it wouldn't suddenly collapse. It would start to loosen slowly—and you'd notice.

Now here’s where your body is actually more advanced than any piece of furniture:

Bone is incredibly sensitive.

If your screws started to shift or loosen even slightly, your body would give you clear warning signs:

• A new kind of pain or deep ache
• A sense of instability
• Swelling that doesn't improve
• A grinding or shifting sensation

These signs would show up long before any serious damage could happen, which is why gradual loading and listening to your body is so important.

Final Thought

Your body is healing with a high-quality repair job—stronger than glue, more stable than guesswork.

Trust the process.

Respect the signals.

And know that if anything ever feels off, your body will let you know long before it’s too late.

Massage Directions:

🕐 Time: Spend 5-10 minutes on general, soft massage before your exercises. 🎯 Focus Areas: Gently work on areas that feel more sensitive or swollen.

⚖️ Pressure Level: Keep it at a 3-5 on a pain scale—enough to feel it, but never to the point of discomfort.

🚫 Avoid Stitches: Your stitches are still in at this point, so either go over the covered wound very, very lightly or skip it completely.

🧴 Lotion? Yes, but Carefully! Using lotion is fine, but be mindful not to loosen the adhesive of your bandage.

This quick routine optimizes your knee for better results and is a simple, natural way to decrease pain before starting your exercises or even your day.

Now that your knee is primed, let’s get moving!

Single-Leg Crossed-Leg Sit (3-5 minutes of exploration)

• This is a play-around exercise!
• For some, even a slight bend will be a challenge—that’s okay!
• Find your limit, breathe, and massage the area lightly as you hold the position.
• The goal isn’t to force it but to see what’s possible and gradually improve.

Exercise: Standing Leg Raises (Flexion & Extension)

Target: Hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and deep core stabilizers

Purpose: Begin safely moving the injured leg through space to reconnect brain-body pathways and reduce stiffness

Equipment: Crutches or stable surface for balance

Why This Matters in Weeks 2–4:

You’re not fully weight-bearing yet, but that doesn’t mean your leg should be inactive. These movements are about regaining coordination and control, reminding your body how to move the injured leg safely, without fear or compensation.

How to Perform It:

Position:

1. Stand using your crutches or a sturdy surface to help you balance.
2. Keep the uninjured leg planted with a soft knee bend.
3. Lift the injured leg slightly off the floor, just enough to move it freely.

Movement Options:

Hip Flexion (Forward Leg Raise):

• Raise your injured leg straight forward, either with the knee straight or slightly bent.
• Keep the movement slow and controlled, only going as high as comfortable.
• Lower the leg back down slowly.

Hip Extension (Backward Leg Raise):

• Gently extend your leg straight back, again either straight or bent.
• Avoid arching your back—focus on the glute and hamstring initiating the motion.
• Lower the leg back to starting position.

Sets & Reps:

• Perform 1–2 sets of 8–10 reps in each direction (forward & backward)
• Rest 30–60 seconds between rounds
• Do this 1–2 times per day, especially after massage or mobility work

Key Tips:

• Your leg should feel light and easy—this isn’t about strength yet, just reconnection and gentle motion
• Don’t push range of motion—stop well before discomfort or tension
• Support yourself fully with crutches to avoid any accidental loading
• Focus on slow, deliberate control rather than momentum

This simple drill is a big step toward trusting your leg again and reducing the fear of movement. It’s also a great prelude to more active loading in the weeks to come.

Seated Leg Extensions (Gravity Only)

Phase: Week 4–6

Goal: Activate and re-educate the quadriceps without added resistance

Why This Exercise Matters:

At this point in your recovery, your knee joint and surrounding muscles are slowly adjusting to more movement and light loading. This simple movement helps rebuild quad strength, improve neuromuscular control, and restore the feeling of being able to straighten your leg without compensation.

Setup:

• Sit on the edge of a sturdy table, bench, or high chair
• Let both legs hang naturally, knees bent at 90 degrees
• The injured leg should be relaxed to start

Movement:

1. Slowly extend your injured leg forward until it’s as straight as possible
2. Hold for 2–3 seconds at the top
3. Lower it back down under control
4. Keep your foot relaxed, and try not to swing—this is about controlled muscle engagement

Reps & Sets:

• 8–15 reps
• 2–3 sets, 1–2 times per day
• Stop if you feel sharp pain, pinching, or if swelling increases

Tips for Success:

✅ Focus on quality of movement, not how far you can go

✅ If it feels too intense or your quad won’t engage, try a few quad sets first to wake up the muscle

✅ Don’t rush—early controlled extensions are crucial for restoring the screw home mechanism and proper gait patterns later on

This is a foundational piece of your comeback—stay consistent and give your quad the chance to relearn its job!

2. Modified Standing Quad Stretch (2-3 minutes)

⚠ Use your crutch for balance!

• • How to do it:Stand using your crutch or a stable surface for support.
  • Place the injured leg behind you on a chair, couch, or bed with the knee bent.
  • Keep your torso tall and gently shift your weight forward to feel the stretch in your quad and hip flexor.
  • Modify as needed – if bending your knee too much causes discomfort, keep the stretch gentler and shallower.
• Why? Prepares your quad and hip flexors for more movement while staying safe in a non-weight-bearing position.

Exercise: Standing Anterior Tibialis Pumps (Toe Raises, Endurance Focus)

Target: Anterior tibialis (front of shin), ankle dorsiflexion control

Purpose: Improve muscle endurance in the front of the lower leg to assist with gait, reduce foot slap, and protect against compensatory walking mechanics.

Instructions:

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Lightly hold onto a wall, countertop, or crutch for balance if needed.
3. Keep your heels grounded and lift your toes and forefoot off the floor as high as you can.
4. Pause briefly at the top, then lower under control.
5. Keep the movement smooth and rhythmic—avoid bouncing or rushing.

Reps & Sets:

• 2–3 sets of 15–25 reps
• Perform 1–2 times per day
• If you're feeling fatigued or starting to cramp, take a short break, then continue

Key Focus Points:

• This variation is more about light pumping and activation, not max strength
• Think of it as endurance training for walking—building the ability to lift the toes repeatedly during every step
• The shin should feel a light burn or fatigue by the last few reps

Modifications & Progressions:

• Do single-leg reps on the uninjured side for more challenge
• Use a resistance band tied to a fixed object to add pull-down resistance
• Perform heel-supported seated toe raises if standing is too fatiguing at this stage

Tip:

This is a great “in-between” exercise—ideal to do while brushing your teeth, waiting for coffee, or during short breaks throughout the day. These micro-sessions build tendon capacity and help reset gait mechanics over time.