What Are The Long Term Effects To Having A Plate Inserted To Repair A Broken Wrist
Patients often ask, "Will the plate have to be taken out?" during our discussions about fixing bad wrist fractures or fractures in other parts of the hand and arm. Some patients ask this after a successful surgery when the bone is healed.
The purpose of a plate and screws (or whatsoever metallic hardware) in fracture treatment
A plate is a flat piece of metal fabricated of titanium or stainless steel that has holes in information technology. The plate fits on the surface of a fractured os and screws are placed through the holes in the plate to hold the plate to the os.
All the plate does is hold the fractured os pieces together while they heal. After the bone heals, the plate and screws serve no part at all. All the strength of a healed os comes from the bone itself. In fact, if the bone never heals, a strong plate can easily be cleaved in half if the patient uses the hand in a devil-may-care mode!
Reasons to take out a plate and screws
Surgeons leave plates and screws in most of the time, but there are some situations that may make the surgeon or patient more than willing to take out the hardware:
- irritated tendons (can happen from a screw or the plate edge rubbing on a tendon)
- prominent screw or hardware likewise close to a joint (removing the hardware may brand the joint function ameliorate or be less painful)
- a cleaved plate or screw (this rarely happens normally – broken plates or screws usually ways something is wrong with the style the basic healed)
- a loose spiral (occasionally a screw will dorsum out, or un-screw and irritate tendons or a nervus)
- connected hurting (sometimes pain subsequently fracture healing can be blamed on the hardware – this is rare in my exercise, but is a possibility)
- metal allergy (this is exceedingly rare)
- "But go this matter out of me!" (in that location's nada wrong with this reason – most people who can't stand up to take a plate attached to their bone wouldn't permit the surgeon operate in the first place!)
The surgery
Plate removal surgery is done through the same incision as the original surgery. Here are some criteria I use for taking out hardware:
- the fracture must be healed
- at least three and preferably 6 months have passed since the original surgery
The risk of surgery is slightly higher in some ways because of the scar tissue nowadays over the plate – it can make autopsy slightly more hard.
Recovery time is usually quicker than the original surgery, but wrist surgeons usually protect patients with a splint or limited activities for half-dozen weeks to lessen the gamble of re-fracturing through the spiral holes. The screw holes fill in with bone over a period of several months.
For more assistance
I receive many requests from people with questions virtually removing their plate, screws, or other hardware. I tin can give you more information nigh your state of affairs using Google Helpouts – click on the button below to find out more information:
Source: http://noelhenley.com/432/should-i-have-my-plate-and-screws-removed/
Posted by: mcintirepardow.blogspot.com
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