Lili

Broken Ankle, Broken Talus Maryland Dr. Bibbo

37:26 is quite a respectable 5K finish, but it is simply an amazing time for one of our patients. Lili fell off her horse and shattered her talus, the bone that makes up the lower part of the ankle joint, in August 2019. She went to two surgeons who told her the break was too severe for them to treat before finding Dr. Bibbo. She shares that she “was deeply concerned I would never be able to walk normally again, yet alone run, bike, swim and other activities I love.”

She had her first surgery with Dr. Bibbo within a month, but her final bone graft surgery which should have been done in early 2020 was delayed until September due to COVID-19 restrictions. Despite being non-weight bearing for 10 of the last 18 months, Lili recovered quickly after the second surgery—in part due to her hard work in physical therapy.

She shares, “I can safely say that my ‘new normal’ would not be what it is today without the care of Dr. Bibbo and his team. He was very realistic about what my limitations might be due to the severity of my injury, but he encouraged me to adhere to my treatment plan and physical therapy, which I did to the letter. Because of this, I was able to run a 5K with ZERO PAIN in April 2021. I’m starting from scratch again, but I have no doubt I will run another marathon someday.”

She continues, “Dr. Bibbo is the absolute best. He has an incredible bedside manner and true expertise in his field as an ankle reconstructionist. His background in vascular surgery was also particularly important here, as the talus bone has a very limited blood supply and the risk of AVN (avascular necrosis) is extremely high…. Dr. Bibbo was always professional, hilarious, and explained things in a way that was easy to process.”

When asked if she would refer someone with her same condition to the Rubin Institute, Lili responds, “Don’t think twice. Go see Dr. Bibbo. This man literally saved my quality of life. I have learned more about ankles in the last 18 months than I ever thought possible; they are extremely complex and important structures in the body. Prior to breaking my talus, (who even knows what a talus is until they break it?!), I had never broken a bone before and quickly realized how serious of an injury it was. Make sure you pick a surgeon who is competent to handle complex cases.”