fractured tibial plateau - general info needed

chubsta

had a lovely dog walk on thursday which ended with a 23kg lurcher hitting me at full speed on the side of my left leg, ambulance to hospital where x rays show i have a diagonal fracture of my tibial plateau. they have put me in a full leg cast and i have been sent home from hospital (apparently they kick everyone out if possible due to covid) and told i need a plate fitting in the next few days.
currently awake in pain and trying to get a realistic view on what is likely to happen to me over the next few months, so have a few questions if anyone has had a similar injury...

i have been told recovery time is likely to be 4-5 months: is that for a full recovery where things will be back to normal or just until i can start to walk a bit again?
after the op will i have a full cast again: i am confused as i see mentions online that i need one but on the other hand i will need to monitor the wound and keep it clean which i can’t do with a cast on!
i had a couple of physiotherapists visit whilst i was in hospital and they spoke very briefly that i would need physio afterwards: how soon is that likely to start and again, does that mean i wouldn’t have a cast on?


these are pretty worrying times for me, i am the sole breadwinner and obviously want to get back to work asap, i have worked all through covid when many colleagues were paid almost full wages to stay at home so am a little disappointed this is happening to me but there you go, i am trying to be positive and feel if i had a better timescale of what is likely to happen it would alleviate some of the stress. of course everyone’s experience will be different but it would be handy to try to get the gist of what might happen.

thanks for any and all advice, and you will be surely pleased to know our dog didn’t even bat an eyelid, in fact he tried to play with me while i was laying on the ground screaming, not bad for a probably 35mph collision, bless him!

Pollycat

I don't think anyone on here would be able to answer your questions and providing medical advice is against MSE rules.

There is a 'sticky' at the top of this board which states this.

You should be asking your consultant about full recovery times and whether you will have a full cast on and about physiotherapy.

Competsoph

I'm really sorry this has happened to you. Tibial plateaus are nasty!
I am an NHS senior MSK physiotherapist and the only advice I am prepared to offer is to please discuss this with your therapist. Do not use advice from friends or the lovely people on this forum (as Pollycat has rightly stated!). It is not appropriate or helpful to you or your recovery. The physiotherapists are the best clinicians to help you manage your condition and can answer all of these questions and more, along with providing you with reassurance about any worries you may have. 
Good luck with your recovery!