David Smith is a 35-year-old business consultant from London. I had been out for the evening during the summer of 2011 and took a short cut through a park.
I went to hop over the railings but misjudged it and caught the top of my left leg on the sharp end of the rail. Fortunately, I freed my leg within seconds and the pain didn’t seem too bad.
At first, I didn’t seek medical advice
The big mistake was then to simply take a couple of pain-killers and go to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, my left leg was incredibly swollen and painful. I went straight to my local hospital where I was told I had compartment syndrome – something I’d not heard of before.
Compartment syndrome is a very serious condition which can occur as a result of an injury. The term ‘compartment’ refers to a bundle of muscles and nerves and in my case, the insertion of the railing caused a sudden and intense build-up of blood pressure in my upper leg. The pressure was so high that the blood was not able to flow properly down below my knee, causing muscle damage in my lower leg.
I Needed Seven Different Operations on My Leg
It was very complex because they had to repair the vein and remove much of the damaged muscle. I had a great physiotherapist and worked hard for a year to build up the muscle strength, which obviously started from a very weak position.
By this point, my leg was working fairly well, but I was walking with a substantial limp due to foot drop. The muscle was too damaged to do this effectively, so I had to pull up my foot with each step using my whole left leg. It was slow, hard work and I couldn’t run at all.
My Hospital Consultant Recommended Mr Davies
I saw Mr. Mark Davis in May 2012. The best solution for my foot drop was likely to be a tendon transfer – transplanting a tendon from elsewhere to fulfill the role of the damaged muscle.
I had my operation in June 2012. The operation itself was ‘water off a duck’s back’ for me, having already been through so much surgery. I felt fine when I came round, I had a good meal and returned home after two nights in hospital. I wore a full cast for about six weeks and then an Aircast Boot for a further six weeks.
I started physiotherapy after two months and by September, I was able to go for a cycle. I am about to go snowboarding so am delighted to say I’m now able to do all the activities I enjoyed before the accident.
It is amazing to think how a quick decision had such an impact on my life. I’m just very pleased to have got through it and to be able to put it behind me.
