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Pain three years after plate and screws for broken ankle
I broke both ankles (stepped in a depression in my yard) in 2021. Right leg fibula was broken, left leg both tibia and fibula were broken. Ortho did surgery on left ankle and put in about seven screws and a plate on the side. I can walk just fine, but have intermittent pain in ankle. Just wondering if it could be arthritis or if something is wrong. Would love to hear others' experiences with metal in their bones.
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Thank you for your advice, christine5. It is a good suggestion. Hopefully, the revision surgery was not as problematic as the original surgery and you recovered quickly. 🙂
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2 ReactionsThank you for your kind words. Yes, it did go better.
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1 Reaction@gently I broke both ankles my leg and my heels crushed I had to screws removed that's like 40 years and I have no pain in my ankles. I broke my hip into places and had plates put in they're still there and it hurts
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2 Reactions@janieben if not bad at all I've had it done and I have no pain in my ankles and legs and I broke my hip and the metal still there and it hurts
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1 Reaction@smackdod that must have been a terrible accident. Automobile? Was the hip at the same time. Are you considering having the plates removed.
Hey, welcome to Connect.
@gently first time had a scaffold turnover about 30 ft broke my ankles my legs and heels then years later I fell out of a tree deer hunting broke my hip into place is collapsed lung bad deal
I was heading to a gardenia bush in my yard 10 years ago, fell, and broke my ankle in 3 places. Surgery resulted in 13 screws and a metal plate. My ankle has been fine up until recently, when it is occasionally achy. Probably is arthritis, but the pain is managable, and I can’t imagine taking the risk and undergoing the healing inconvenience of having the hardware removed. Has anyone found it worthwhile?
bettes, you might at least have it imaged to understand if the screws have migrated where they could cause damage to your ankle. The hardware may be integrated with the bone and stable. So they could just remove the screws. The surgery is quick and recovery much faster than the surgery. I haven't had the surgery, but the chiropractor I see had just the screws removed. He was walking around just fine after the weekend.