Broken Leg - Plate and pins removal. What to expect after?!

ElvisandTilly

ElvisandTilly

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I broke my distal tibia 18 months ish ago and I had plate and pins at the time.

I have constant pain from the plate and the bone has healed so I am going in for the plate and pins removing.

Has anyone had plates and pins removed? What was your recovery like and the main and most important question!.... How long before back riding again!?

I have been told I will have a pot on for 2 weeks after but not sure if I will be weight bearing whilst the pot is on.

Any advice or tips for a speedy recovery appreciated! X
 
Six weeks I was fine and good to go( until the next op) it might have been a bit quicker but certainly by six weeks.
 
I broke my tib and fib and have 2 plates and 13 screws still in there - its been giving me a bit of grief lately so will be interested to hear how you get on with your removal. Best of luck!
 
It took four years to mend my leg which was a bit of a disaster .
Immediately post op not too painful nothing like as bad as after the accident because much much less trauma out of hospital the next afternoon done 8 am the day before with crutches to support nothing except dressing on leg so different to you.
 
Glad your all sorted now. I am hoping they decide not to pot for the 2 weeks but they will know what's best when they do op tomorrow. Will be counting down the days to get back riding!
 
You're lucky, i have an intramedial nail, plaites and screws, none of which are ever allowed to come out :(. My friend had her arm screwed (different limb i know), she was quotes six weeks but rebroke it climbing a tree :rolleyes:
 
Thanks Blackhorse :) I do feel quite lucky to have the option of removal but they still can't guarantee it will stop the pain. Just got to keep hopeful that it does improve. I have everything crossed!
 
I had my elbow pinned and played and removal of said pins an plates after a year following weekly X-rays to determine the best time to get it out without having to 're-break' the bone too much. I was only a kid at the time but I recall being back on a pony after about 4 weeks and it was a surprisingly quick recovery. Don't think I even had a cast on for more than a couple of weeks, all v. positive in my experience!

Hope it all goes well for you too :)
 
Black_horse how come yours can't come out? I had the same (spiral fracture to tib and fib, 6 breaks in total) in 2010, had the nail and 4 screws, they took it out 12 months later. It never caused me a problem whilst in but wanted out just in case ever managed to get squashed etc, they did say to break leg with that in makes life very tricky!
OP, I had it out in day surgery, went home bandaged up on crutches, ditched one crutch the next day, both within 3 days and competed at the area dressage qualifier (still bandaged up) a week later - we won :)
 
because my leg shoud have been amputated, it wasnt, i have significant muscular and nerv damage and a very rare and dibilitate nerve disorder, two unhealed fractures still and a decrease in circulation/use. They had a lot of issues fixing my leg, if they go in again not only do they risk causeing my nerve disorder to flare up, but the disorder might mean teh circulation to the area decreases even more, giving me DVT again and i would lose the leg. Thats the simple version.
 
I've had plates and screws removed from both ankles/legs because they were rubbing (same injury, different operations to remove!). Both times were relatively straightforward, I was in as a day patient and left with heavy bandages but no pot. I was up and around properly in 4-5 weeks and it was relatively painless- certainly more painless than the arthroscopies that followed!

The only problem I had was that one of the screws had snapped so there is still half a screw floating around in my ankle! :confused:

ETA: Good luck!
 
fladaif, how did that feel? One of my screws is loose (insert pun here ;) ) and its rubbing, its relaly uncomfortable, makes my toes curl but i wouldnt say it was painful necesarily.
 
Good luck!

I'm actually quite envious! I have pins in my leg following me descending a mountain in a rather unusual fashion 2 years ago. I get so much pain caused by the plate, but no matter how much I ask, there is always another reason given for the pain. I'm convinced its the pins. Really want them out. Think they've been in too long now for easy removal though.
 
Thank you all! It has gone well and all metalwork has come out and the best news is I have just a dressing on rather than a pot and can weight ear as tolerated from now. Just to elevate for 48 hours to get the swelling down as it is quite swollen.

I feel much better than I did when it all went in but was sick again from the anaesthetic but that's how I respond to it and tramadol so it's the norm! Lol!

I certainly hope that it works for stopping my daily pain once all this settles down. Will keep you posted who are thinking of going ahead and having plates removed. :)
 
I had mine taken out at the beginning of Nov and i could start riding...only walking by Jan. Do check with the doc though. Good Luck. Im waiting to get back on after a hip replacement. Had my plates out in the Nov and by June i had broken my hip hmmm horses! Xxxx
 
welsh1704 said:
I had mine taken out at the beginning of Nov and i could start riding...only walking by Jan. Do check with the doc though. Good Luck. Im waiting to get back on after a hip replacement. Had my plates out in the Nov and by June i had broken my hip hmmm horses! Xxxx
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Was riding five weeks and three days after my hip replacement it's marvellous.
 
Glad you are recovering well. I still have my plate and 6 screws, they took the symodial screw out in day surgery and I was told just to get on with it, so I did :)
Have you found the forum "mybrokenleg"? Its US based and everyone is there to share experiences. Well worth a browse.
 
I broke my left tibial plateau and had a bone graft as well as a plate and screws. Like you the screws started to give me problems, I could feel them poking into my skin. I think I had the plate and screws removed after 18 months and I remember coming round from the op with an ice pack on my knee and being given bending excercises straight away. I was in and out within a day.

It was a couple of weeks before I had almost full mobility back again. Be diligent with your excercises :-)
 
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I had a plate and nine screws removed from my fibula (same issue with rubbing and pain when riding). Done in day surgery, I needed crutches for 3 days and was walking normally and back to work in a week. Was riding and back in the gym after two weeks. I was told to avoid contact sports for six weeks as the bone would be a a higher risk of braking.
 
All still going well with recovery. I am so glad I had all the metalwork out, already can feel more movement in my ankle despite the swelling.

I can feel the stitches stinging and where a bit tender and swollen but other than that all feels ok!

Naturally - I found Mybrokenleg.com when I originally broke my leg 20 months ago. It was the best site for help and kept me going when I didn't know what to expect!
 
I broke both tib and fib in 08 had 16 screws and 2 separate plates. Best thing I ever did getting then taken out. Recovery was about 8 weeks. It will never be the same though always have pain :( x
 
ecrozier said:
Black_horse how come yours can't come out? I had the same (spiral fracture to tib and fib, 6 breaks in total) in 2010, had the nail and 4 screws, they took it out 12 months later. It never caused me a problem whilst in but wanted out just in case ever managed to get squashed etc, they did say to break leg with that in makes life very tricky!
OP, I had it out in day surgery, went home bandaged up on crutches, ditched one crutch the next day, both within 3 days and competed at the area dressage qualifier (still bandaged up) a week later - we won :)
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Ecrozier, that's really helpful to me, thanks. I broke my tib and fib last November and had and IM nail and 4 screws inserted. I see the surgeon next January to discuss removal in Feb/March. In his notes to my doctor he mentions to 'avoid falling off again' in the mean time :eek:.
 
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