Shin injury has been painful for too long
DEAR DR. ROACH: I injured my left shin by impact two years and one month ago, and to my astonishment, it still hurts on a diminished but regular basis.
I had an X-ray, vein test, nerve test and, finally, an MRI, which showed “some swelling.” One doctor told me that it could hurt for the rest of my life! I am in my 60s, but he said age was not a factor. Is this really true? I read that a bone contusion is extremely painful and can take from two weeks to two years to heal; the article did not specify why there is such a large time range, and I assume age, severity of injury and condition of bone are issues.
I suffered a tibia and fibula break one year before this incident, but I was walking normally and had very little discomfort from that. This pain is right in the same spot all the time — exactly where my leg was hit.
My surgeon from the fib/tib said that my bones were 100 percent healed by the time of this new injury. Please advise as to whether my shin really could hurt for the rest of my life. — C.M.