Broken Right Wrist -- BTDT advice?

[Crankin]

DH broke his right wrist and had a hairline fracture on the left after falling off a ladder. He had pins and screws in the right one for 4 weeks, with a cast and just a sling for the other. The pins came out and he did OT for 6 weeks. This was in August; he started back to riding at the end of September and it was quite painful. But, he's never had any issues since.

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I'm thankful to hear he wasn't out too long. Ugh, ladders. They scare me!

[Kiwi Stoker]

That's strange. I thought current wisdom was to leave screws and plates in unless there's a reason like pain or restriction of movement or religious issues (no foreign bodies to be buried at death). My screws and plate in my shoulder stayed in and my sisters knee screws as well. Second surgery carries risks.

I was told to not to fall on my shoulder again as I could punch the plate and screws through the bone. My vote would be to see if you can avoid metal fittings if you can. Much longer to heal after surgery...

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I was told to not to fall on my shoulder again as I could punch the plate and screws through the bone.

I think that is the concern...the risk of a more serious secondary injury with screws and plates in place.

[e3rdpower]

I think that is the concern...the risk of a more serious secondary injury with screws and plates in place.

This is true, but it depends quite a bit on the exact angulation of the fracture and what the surgeon feels necessary to properly stabilize it. You don't want to go without hardware and end up with a non union fracture either. More than likely, even if the surgeon gives you a choice he/she will have an option that they feel is more optimal. If that doesn't sound right, then you can always get a second opinion also.

I still have pins in both my tibias, and have chosen up until this point to keep them in instead of having another surgery for removal. They are very close to the surface though, and it does make me a bit nervous, so I completely understand your concerns.

[Artista]

Up until my ankle fracture last year, I had never been hospitalized, had never had surgery, and was very distrustful of conventional medicine. I was horrified by the idea of having a foreign material surgically implanted in my body. The horror stories on the internet about hardware contributing to a catastrophic break in the future didn't help. All this contributed to an agonizing decision to have my ankle surgically repaired.

Over a year later, I feel that I made the right decision to have surgery on my ankle. It sped my healing and gave me the best chance of regaining as much ankle function as possible. I am still very distrustful of conventional medicine but I think that orthopedics is one area in which conventional medicine excels.

With that being said, I have decided to have my hardware removed now that my ankle is fully healed. This was also a difficult decision but I feel that the relatively small risks posed by this second surgery are outweighed by the additional function that I'll gain after the hardware is removed.

This post is not intended to influence your decision one way or the other. I simply wanted to point out that many of us have had a good experience with surgical repair of broken bones, (even someone who still doesn't trust most conventional medicine). Don't let the internet horror stories unduly influence your decision. Even if you opt for hardware, you won't necessarily be stuck with it forever.

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Phew...looks like I likely won't require surgery! Have to go back in a week for casting when swelling is down.