How’s that working? I broke my hip last May and have a rod and screws in place. The surgeon says that now that the bone is healed, he could remove them, but that’s surgery again and I’d be laid up for six weeks. He said that many people leave it in and have no problems.
I’d rather not have another surgery, but I’m wondering about the “no problems.” Muscles and tissue and blood vessels and bone are sharing space with a metal rod. Are they comfortable? Are they rubbing up against each other or are they pretty much stuck together unless I strain something?
It looks like the illustration of internal fixation* at this site.
I was wondering what experiences others have had with metal plates, rods, and screws, whether you left them in or had them removed, if weather affects them, and if the sore, stiff feeling ever goes away entirely.
I have had a thin steel plate in my head for 47 years. It hasn’t caused any problems, except that I can’t have an MRI of my head. I can’t say I really notice that it is there except that I get twinges from that area of my scalp when the barometric pressure falls.
I sure do. I have plates and screws and whatnot in my ankle from a rather bad break about three years ago.
I don’t feel a lot of pain on a day-to-day basis, but it is there. And I’m definitely stiff - I don’t have a lot of range of motion in that ankle, and going downstairs is a bit of a challenge, and the only time I really limp. Part of the pain may be that they never could get that small outer bone to line up properly, even with the hardware. And it is significantly stiffer in damp, cold weather.
I can feel one of the screws too, and I worry about it backing out. That happened to my sister’s sister-in-law, and she had to go back in for surgery to have it all taken out.
But sadly, I haven’t set off an airport scanner yet. I was looking forward to that.
I have a screw holding my shoulder together and a staple holding my anterior cruciate ligament in place. Both have been there since 1981. No one has ever offered to remove either of them. They don’t hurt, itch, receive AM radio transmissions or allow me to forecast the weather. IME, leaving them in place is far better than going back under the knife. Your Metal May Vary.
I have several screws and plates in my head from maxillofacial surgery. It’s been a year and there’s been no problems so far. My surgeon said he’s only taken out the screws for one patient out of all the surgeries he’s done, and only at their insistence. My jaws are frequently sore, but I attribute that to clenching them all the time rather than a couple of screws.
So long as you trust your surgeon did a good job, you shouldn’t worry.
I fractured my ankle about 26 years ago, they put pins and plates in my ankle and I guess the took our the splintered bones, they called a “reduction”. I’ve had some minor aches and pains since and ad it bothers me occasionaly, sort of a minor ache. But no problem.
I have a screw in my foot after having a bunion removed: it was used to hold the tip of the bone on while it healed. While getting that screw out wouldn’t be that big of a deal, because of the location (not much to go through to get at it), since it isn’t causing any problems there isn’t any reason to take it out.
If I feel around the area carefully, I can still feel the edge of the screw: it is nowhere near as distinct as it was when it was first put in however.
Never had it set off any metal detectors, but then there’s probably more metal in my bra than there is in my foot.
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I have a permanent metal retainer cemented onto the back of my bottom teeth. I got it after my braces were removed. I’m stuck with it forever because my orthodontist isn’t normal and didn’t want to give me a removable retainer for my bottom teeth like all my friends.
Started out with seven screws in my right leg. The tips of two screws went through the head of my tibia/fibula and when moving, if the screw tip was bumped, it felt like an ice pick. After a year, three screws were removed, and other than aching when low-pressure areas are around, and when it’s damp and foggy, I’m OK.
Thanks, everyone. Except for danceswithcats’s experience, it sounds like this might not be too bad.
People at two hospitals told me that my surgeon was one of the two best orthopedic surgeons in the area, so I’m hopeful that he did this right, and that it’ll last.
I hadn’t thought about a screw working its way out. Ewww. X-rays show new bone growth – maybe the new growth will help keep the screws in.
I didn’t realize there were so many Dopers with metal. It makes me feel better.
I have iron in my blood, and various other trace metals…copper, selenium, aluminum, antimony, chromium, etc.
OK. Har har. I have the tip of a knife busted off in my knee, if that counts. They never took it out, because apparently, it’d cause more damage to cut in and get it than it will ever cause just sticking in there. shrug
I’ve had several surgeries to repair my right middle-ear and eardrum. I had to have the last one because they used a titanium piece to replace the stapes (or stirrup). Apparently my body rejected the metal piece and was trying to extrude it through the eardrum (or actually was extruding it…I don’t know, as I can’t see inside my own ear). It was replaced with a ceramic piece that seems to be working pretty well. We’ll see.
My right arm from the shoulder down half way to my elbow is stainless steel. Wreck, shattered, made mince meat of all the muscles, The metal does not hurt, but I’m never pain free. You just get used to low grade pain and most of the time ignor it. Some days I do get cranky…
I had one of those! But I got it taken out several years later. As I recall, it was painless. You’re not stuck with it for eternity if it’s just cemented on.
I have a $46,000 titanium hip implant. It’s been 3 months since surgery, and occasionally I get the feeling that I am sitting on a big chunk of metal or that my leg isn’t moving like it used to. The pain is mostly from the cutting of muscle and hopefully will lessen with time. It took a lot longer than the “6 weeks” everyone talks about to feel normal again. I go back to work soon, can’t say I haven’t been bored most of the time but I’m a little worried about the physicality of my job and my low stamina. Is it true that if you have a metal prosthesis, then you shouldn’t have any type of ultrasound in the area because the metal inside will heat up like a microwave? Just curious
I have a plate and six screws that repaired a spiral fracture of the distal end of my left fibula (the smaller lower leg bone). Five secure the plate, and one goes through the bone itself (boy, do those x-rays look strange) . I can’t sit cross-legged because one of the screw heads is on the part of the bone that sticks out near the ankle and it “gets” me when I try. I can wear hiking boots with no problems, and have flown numerous times in the ten years I’ve had it without any trouble at the metal detectors. YMMV.
