Remove hardware in ankle or not?

[jrainw]

Broke my ankle Oct 9th last year. Tibial plafond fracture and compound dislocation of the fibula. My question now is do I have them remove the six screws and plate they put in to hold things in the right place? Two of the screw heads protrude enough to rub my shoe(right on the ball of my ankle) and drive me kinda nuts. Will bone build up and make it not so bad later or will it get worse?

 

[bluewraith]

I think this would be a discussion best taken to your doctor. They may be able to do something a bit different inside there to keep the support, but shorten the length of screw.

Or.. buy bigger shoes?

 

[IndyGunworks]

switch to lag bolts, the screws will probably work loose.

 

[jrainw]

Maybe a carriage bolt would have a smoother head but putting a nut on the inside would be difficult. Doc said I could have them removed but keeps trying to convince me to leave them in.

 

[Scutter01]

Duct tape.

 

[Miketodd]

Hacksaw, just cut off the ends that are protruding...

 

[beeeman]

About 1/3 of ankle fractures have the hw removed. Recommended to not remove them for 1 year. Bone usually doesn't grow over screw heads unless you are still growing. You can simply remove the 1 or 2 screws that you feel rubbing and leave the rest of the hw in, much simpler.

 

[patience0830]

Maybe a carriage bolt would have a smoother head but putting a nut on the inside would be difficult. Doc said I could have them removed but keeps trying to convince me to leave them in.

I like you pretty well, Joe. I'd hate to lose you to one of those antibiotic resistant bacteria they've discovered lately. People catch them predominantly at hospitals.

I can't believe the low level of craftsman who wouldn't countersink the scew to be flush with the work surface.

You shoulda hired a better carpenter.

 

[beeeman]

Btw, a tibial plafond fracture is NOT an ankle fracture, whole different animal with much worse outcomesuunfortunately. Same hw principles though.

 

[CathyInBlue]

Depends. What kind of thread lock did they use when they put the screws in? Red or blue?

 

[hoosierdoc]

If you have the hardware removed, sell them eBay, those are like $2,000 screws I bet!

 

[jrainw]

Might just have another beer and pull the offending screw myself, are they generally phillips, torx, allens or flat? Don't want to have to run for the correct bit after I can see it.
(I don't know how the purple text works, I'm at least half joking)

 

[jrainw]

Screws were $400 each

 

[beeeman]

And the "ball" of the ankle you speak of is likely your medial malleolus. Those distal tibial locking plates are fairly thick, you are probably feeling the plate as well as the screws.

 

[beeeman]

Hex driver screws usually, some are star driver.

 

[Krainw]

Negative on the self removal of the screws. I'm going to have to veto that one. I'll gladly go get you another beer from the kitchen though!

 

[gunrunner0]

I had pretty much the same surgery done about 9 yrs ago. I have 2 plates and about a dozen screws in my ankle. I had the option to remove all or some of the hardware. After consulting with the doc, I ended up having 2 screws on the ball removed for the same reason, I think. Any issues I've had since, I attribute to the orginal break and surgery. As I recall, it was really not bad at all getting them removed, they didn't put me under, and I dont remember much inconvenience afterwords (especially compared to the 2 months on crutches after the original break). Also, I got to keep the screws, it's been a long time since I looked at them, but I think they're a triangle head.

IMHO, talk to your doc and ask what he/she would do, then make an educated decision.

 

[jrainw]

Thanks Gunrunner0, thats the kind of advice I was looking for.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Alternatively you could gain 200lbs. I doubt the screw heads or plates could be felt then.

 

[woody24]

This is what I have in my back right now. The doctor said that once the disk fuses together, I can have the hardware taken out. But usually only if it bothers me. And said that if it bothers anyone, its usually thin women, and I probably wouldn't have a problem with it. A year later, and I don't seem to be having any problems with it. So I've leaving it in just so I can make posts like this to show people how cool I am.