So I had my metal out.....and this is how it went.

[wildchild 0]

Well, after doing a decent spiral fracture (tib/fib) last year February, I had the nail and screws out on Thursday....

And, after expecting the worst, it wasn't that bad after all! Doc reckons 4 weeks off jumping, and I'm already walking nearly normally. Obviously there's swelling if I overdo it, but I was expecting a few weeks back on crutches.

Yay!

____________________________
"If there is doubt, there is no doubt." - Tonto

[flygirl1 0]

That's good to hear

Fly like a girl

[madhatter 0]

I've had pins & plates in my wrist & shoulder (horseriding's WAY more painful than skydiving ) & had everything taken out in one go. There was no pain whatsoever!

Go for it - that built-in weather forecasting pain is virtually guaranteed to go away

A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
D.S # 125

[flygirl1 0]

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(horseriding's WAY more painful than skydiving )

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I agree I've had more injuries from my horses than I've got skydiving and thats saying a lot he he

I'm glad you didn't have to go through much pain. It would be nice to have to check weather.com to know if it is going to rain

Fly like a girl

[NobodysHero01 0]

I'm curious to hear more about this. I broke my tib & fib last summer on my second solo jump (bad flare). I'd love to get back into skydiving and try to go for my A again, but I'm concerned about doing some major damage to my leg. I have a rod and some screws in there now. My surgeon has recommended I leave the hardware in. His opinion is the risk of bending a rod is very low and doesn't warrant surgery. My opinion is that despite what the stats are for the average person, average people don't intentionally jump out of planes and that makes my situation a little different than the textbook recommendation. He said he has lots of patients who got hurt from risky behavior (sports, dirt biking, etc...) and many of them choose to continue that behavior with the hardware in. I'm not sure what to do. Whatever choice I ultimately make, I'll discuss it further with my doctor and possibly get a second opinion, but I'd still like to hear what made you (and any one else with hardware) decide to have it removed (or decide to keep it). I don't really have much pain, so that isn't an issue. Breaking a leg last year wasn't that big of a deal... I was back on my feet in a couple of months and I'm no worse now than I was before. But my concern is if I break that leg again, I might not be so lucky and end up with some major/permanent damage.

-- Mike
"Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion"

[stitch 0]

Orthopedists never remove Tibia rods that I know of. Those are always permanent. Only the plate and screws from Fibulas.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[tigra 0]

Nope- I know people who have had the rods removed from their tibias. Depends on the doctor and the circumstances. Hardware removal is a tough sell for some orthos, others will suggest and strongly recommend it.

To the OP, if the hardware is bothering you and your doctor is reluctant to remove it, I would ask why and depending on his answer, consider a 2nd opinion. There are risks with any surgery which you need to weigh against any potential benefit. Some people leave their hardware in forever, go on with ther lives, skydiving, etc. and it never bothers them.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Orthopedists never remove Tibia rods that I know of. Those are always permanent. Only the plate and screws from Fibulas.

The last specialist I talked to said the rod was like a battering ram and said I didn't want to be jumping with it inside my leg. As soon as the holes close up I'm getting that thing out.

[brianfry713 0]

I had a fibula plate and 6 screws removed about 3.5 months after they were installed. I did two butt slide landings skydiving a few weeks before the hardware came out, and I was back B.A.S.E. jumping 2 weeks after the removal surgery. My ankle is not quite the same as it was before but doesn't really slow me down now. I can tell that I broke it but I can still run, ski, climb 1700 foot ladders, and swoop.

My ortho said that because I had a large plate and a long screw through the tibia it'd be a good idea to get it removed.

flygirl1 has a tibia rod and hasn't decided if it's coming out or not yet. As I recall the doc said to wait a year and then decide.

BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI
USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative

[wildchild 0]

Well, I had the rod inside the tibia (can't remember the fancy name!) with 2 screws: one in the front of the ankle, and one in the side, just below the knee. Original break was Feb last year, so it had been in for 18 months. I had the ankle screw removed in October, just before I started jumping again, because it was hampering the movement in my ankle by aggravating the tendon and causing pain. It was a minor procedure, with immediate relief (went from significant limp to no limp in 2 days).

I had a lot of talks with the doc about removing the rest of the hardware, and his opinion was that if you're at risk of breaking it again, it can complicate the break should this happen. General rule of thumb for him was for over 30's, the risk of breaking was lower and didn't warrant removal, but under 30's he generally would recommend. Mitigating circumstances for over 30's being 'continuing with a lifestyle that may be conducive to future injuries'.

The operation itself was nowhere near as bad as I expected - booked in early morning, went into theatre about 8.30 am and was signed out of hospital before lunchtime - and I managed to walk out on my own without crutches or anything. It's now a week later, and there's a decent amount of bruising, but hardly any swelling and I've been reasonably mobile - although the doc booked me off work for the week just in case (surgery did involve opening up the knee after all). So tomorrow I have the staples out, and it's back to work on Monday.

Oh, and the most important part: I'm only booked off jumping for 4 weeks

____________________________
"If there is doubt, there is no doubt." - Tonto

[NobodysHero01 0]

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his opinion was that if you're at risk of breaking it again, it can complicate the break should this happen. General rule of thumb for him was for over 30's, the risk of breaking was lower and didn't warrant removal, but under 30's he generally would recommend. Mitigating circumstances for over 30's being 'continuing with a lifestyle that may be conducive to future injuries'.

Thanks for the info! I think I need to have a talk with my doctor. The more opinions I get from people, the more I think I want everything removed.

-- Mike
"Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion"

[wildchild 0]

Good stuff...at the end of the day you're the only one who can make the decision.

Also, pm ianmdrennan (mod on here) who has exactly the same metal, and whose doc had a different opinion.

Good luck either way!

____________________________
"If there is doubt, there is no doubt." - Tonto

[ianmdrennan 2]

Well, it's been an interesting experience for me, especially when comparing to Tamsyn
Anyway, he was against me having the rod removed UNLESS I was experiencing discomfort from it. The rods are designed to break, and he felt that unnecessary surgery wasn't a good thing. He also mentioned that I was MUCH more likely to break the other leg in an accident too. I assume from favoring the weaker leg.

In short, there's no easy answer. I'm quite happy to keep the rod at this time.

Blues,
Ian

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