Sports risks after jaw surgery

[sean89]

It's not just about the jaw, it's about the hip graft as well which requires rest.

[treevernal]

About 9 months after upper/lower bimax and chin I was hit in the face with a soccerball several times during a game or practice and was fine.  A few months earlier may have been a different story!

[Tiny]

I think some bones heal even stronger than the original, as they often become slightly thicker

I know guys who broke their mandible through MMA and were back in the ring 2 months later.

Personally I will give it 3 months and then I will go right back to MMA.  For the nose I was advised 6 months but that's because rhinoplasty takes ages to heal and the cartilage and swelling makes it more complicated

[FaceDay]

About 9 months after upper/lower bimax and chin I was hit in the face with a soccerball several times during a game or practice and was fine.  A few months earlier may have been a different story!

Now we're getting somewhere. Come on people, let's hear your stories of being hit in the face after surgery.

[Optimistic]

I think some bones heal even stronger than the original, as they often become slightly thicker

I know guys who broke their mandible through MMA and were back in the ring 2 months later.

Personally I will give it 3 months and then I will go right back to MMA.  For the nose I was advised 6 months but that's because rhinoplasty takes ages to heal and the cartilage and swelling makes it more complicated

At what point do you think the bone is done moulding around and into the osteotomy and grafts? Where it's 100% as good as it's going to get.

Not just talking about strength of course.

[Mark32]

this isn't so much about the strength of the join but about the shape that remains afterwards. if the maxilla is advanced in someone who has a recessive upper jaw, would the front of the maxilla be left protruding somewhat beneath the bone around the nose? I don't know if that makes any sense but is the very anterior most part of the maxilla left slightly less supported from above?

er, I guess I won't be writing any scientific papers anytime soon.

also, in a bsso where the mandible is advanced are there sections of the jaw that are left thinner afterwards? don't they sort of do a cut that splits the bone and then slide the two surfaces past each other? but wouldn't that leave to places on both sides that are only half their previous thickness? or is it totally different from this?

[Tiny]

At what point do you think the bone is done moulding around and into the osteotomy and grafts? Where it's 100% as good as it's going to get.

Not just talking about strength of course.

Dunno, I'm not a biologist, I'm a chemist 

2 months? 3 months?

[LoveofScotch]

Disillusioned,

A routine, post-op CT should show a pretty accurate representation of bone density and healing. Obviously, there's a standard timeline where bones are supposed to be fully healed, but everyone is just so damn different. Even if the CT looks perfect, and your surgeon gives you an OK, I would err on the side of caution, and most importantly listen to your own body. If your CT is great, but it still hurts when you press on your face to wash it in the morning (at night, both, whatever), then I would wait!

Have you ever broken a bone before? This is probably a poor example, but I broke a bone many years ago that healed "alarmingly quickly" (WTF?) according to my doctor. He said I was "100% good to go" at the three week mark (three weeks!). Yes, it looked perfect on my scans, but it also still hurt (maybe the word hurt is a little dramatic, but it definitely didn't feel right). Even though it was technically completely healed, I wouldn't have risked being struck where the fracture took place just yet.

Listen to your surgeon, look at the scans yourself, still be cautious. That's just my two cents.

[Mark32]

is there a differing length in recovery time depending on the surgery? eg, would a bsso take longer to 'heal' than a le fort 1?