Anybody had their surgical jewelry removed?

[Cowgirl]

I am six months post ORIF surgery for bimallolar fracture (tib/fib) incurred at regionals when a bunch of kids in costumes (for a fund raising event) came to the show facility in the area where I was hand walking my horse and spooked the crap out of her and me (I know, right?). Had surgery October 1, 2015, started PT mid November. I was non weight bearing until Dec. 1, when I could begin weight bearing in CAM boot. Was working from home and went back to office schedule on January 1. (Horse, btw, was also injured, had surgery Dec. 1 to remove a chip fracture fragment, and is still in rehab but expected to make a full recovery). PT went very well–I am very motivated–but hit two snags: the first when the PT wanted me to balance on one foot and I couldn’t (chiropractic adjustment fixed that) and the second, when he wanted me to start hopping and I experienced pain and swelling. I stopped PT in late March as a result, joined a gym and started spinning on a recumbent bike. I am up to 35 minutes a day at level 4.

Felt like I still had too much discomfort and limping for this stage in the game. I can feel the surgical implants and especially can feel them if I wear anything tight around my ankle. I had a followup appointment with my surgeon and she agreed to remove the implants (A plate and six screws on the outside of my ankle; two long screws on the inside of my ankle) as well as remodel my scar (I had an open fracture on the inside and have a big scar that pulls and stings). She wants me to wait until July, but I think I have convinced them to do it now (waiting for the scheduler to get the orders and schedule the surgery) since bones are healed.

They tell me that the removal surgery is an easy day surgery; I will be awake with sedation and nerve blocks and weight bearing that day. Really? They also tell me that it will take 4-6 weeks to recover and get me back to where I am now, but that I have the possibility after removal, to have less pain, less discomfort with boots on (my ankle is still swollen over the implants), more mobility, and potentially can recover my full range of motion. Anyone have any experience with this? Experience?

Small side rant: my horse is at a rehab facility and is getting all manners of therapy IN ADDITION TO the PT. In PT, I did not receive: game ready, micro current, laser, theraplate, PEMF, etc., just exercises and the occasional ankle and foot massage. This is probably the difference between a real sports recovery place and regular old PT to return to function. Does anyone know how you find a PT place that offers therapies in addition to PT? I did use (and enjoy) some of the things they use on my horse.

[kkmrad94]

I had my talus bone break and had to have two plates and eight screws in my ankle which I had to keep for a full year. I have to say after being a couple years post plate removal it made a huge difference (for me). I would have a pinching pain while I was walking and if I jarred my foot the pain was intense.

I went through a lot of physical therapy and it made all the difference. I would not have regained half the mobility if I didn’t go. I highly recommend if you’re not happy with your physical therapist to find a different one! I did not have my PT all in one go so a few times I started with out a therapist I didn’t click with so well and did not progress as well as a result.

Do all the exercises! I cannot stress this enough. Even though they’re a pain the more progress you make outside of PT the more helpful they can be during your short sessions. I broke my ankle in the fall of 2013 and can say even though it isn’t 100% I can ride with no pain and the only issue I have is that the ankle I broke is weaker and has a little less mobility. (Post surgery I started out with 0 movement to give you an idea of progress)

You could also talk to your current therapist about the types of things your horse gets and see if there are options for the people version in your area. If you have any questions feel free to PM me :). I’m only speaking from personal experience (not a professional).

[Simkie]

I had a plate and five screws taken out of my hand after about a year. The plate would get SO cold in winter and it would hurt so bad if I smacked my hand on anything. I was totally out for the removal surgery and I think splinted for 6 weeks for the holes to fill in. Absolutely no problems with it since and I have never regretting having the hardware removed

[HPFarmette]

Yes, I had a plate and screws removed from my wrist. I was getting bruises from the plate when I used a keyboard. Glad I did it.

[Where_sMyWhite]

Also, for your scars (since you will be having more scar tissue if you have more surgery) look for a good MFR (myofascial release) practitioner.

That can also help address scar tissue issues. I have more scar tissue than I care to think about and MFR has helped in terms of loosing up the area and addressing some of the “pulling” that can result from scarring.

[Calvincrowe]

I could not get full range of motion in my shoulder after surgery to repair/realign my shattered humerus. I had a screw and pins removed in one surgery–full anesthesia, outpatient surgery, home that day, very little pain. Then I had ROM surgery–light sedation and nerve block, asleep but not anesthesia. This one hurt afterward (they essentially wrench your frozen shoulder around under anesthesia to break it free of scarring), but was manageable with meds and ice.

I still have one screw in place and it does cause me issues as a tendon catches on it and hurts like a mother. Dr. and I have determined that removing it will actually cause more issues (no riding for 8 weeks as the big hole left behind heals–it’s a big screw!–and it will probably remodel the same way and leave the same issue behind).

[red_mares]

[QUOTE=Cowgirl;8629654]

Small side rant: my horse is at a rehab facility and is getting all manners of therapy IN ADDITION TO the PT. In PT, I did not receive: game ready, micro current, laser, theraplate, PEMF, etc., just exercises and the occasional ankle and foot massage. This is probably the difference between a real sports recovery place and regular old PT to return to function. Does anyone know how you find a PT place that offers therapies in addition to PT? I did use (and enjoy) some of the things they use on my horse. :D[/QUOTE]

I’ve gotten all of that at PT. Where I go it isn’t sports focused; besides ortho they do vestibular and cardiac rehab. It’s a 3 group practice, not part of huge hospital system. I assumed every place had this stuff. Other than our friend Google, I’d just call around and ask.

[eclipse]

I had a plate and 6 screws removed from my elbow about 8 mths after I broke it as I actually bent the plate as the screws were starting to unscrew themselves! It is still to this day my key ring LOL

As for the scar, my surgeon cut along the existing scar and now it’s barely noticeable (almost 10 yrs later)

[Cowgirl]

Surgery is scheduled for May 4. I am still nervous about the twilight sedation with nerve blocks instead of deep sleep and wakeup to magical fixed leg.

Thanks for the encouragement to find a new PT. I have a couple of weeks to find someone better.

Anyone who has had ankle jewelry removed: Did you have to use the CAM boot again afterwards, or did you get a post-op shoe instead? I am thinking I would want the ankle support again…I am really cursing that I sold my knee walker already!

[kkmrad94]

I had to use a temporary two piece cast until the surgery sites healed up a little bit but then the CAM boot for a week or two. When I was in PT they took me out of the CAM boot to do the exercises but I appreciated the extra support afterwords!

My boot had a range that it would go and they slowly gave me more and more freedom with each doctor’s visit.

I would definitely talk to your doctor but he/she should be able to tell you the plan to recovery. Hope everything goes smoothly for you!

[Cowgirl]

I had the hardware removed this morning: a plate and five screws on one side and two long screws on the other side. I have 14 stitches. The anesthesiologist recommended general anesthesia instead of twilight sedation when he saw how much hardware had to be removed. Procedure took a little over an hour.

My pain is managed right now; the majority seems to be from the incisions. I am already weight bearing (shuffling around) and doing plantar flexion exercises. The good news is that I can bear weight on my entire foot instead of just on the outside (the reason for the removal, as that was caused by the long screws and creating problems on the other side). Stitches come out May 17 and they will do a radiograph then too to help me know when I can start riding. My horse had her followup today and is not only SOUND and recovered, but moving like she did as a young horse.

They let me keep the hardware as a trophy, I guess. Bleh.

So far this is a positive experience, but no idea how long the recovery will be (they are saying 4-6 weeks) or how much more improvement I will get. But definitely, full foot weight bearing and getting rid of the stiff ankle from ice cold hardware in the winter is worth it.

There is not a lot of internet information out there on this. I was very anxious about it (particularly the twilight part) but it really was ok.

BTW. after the first surgery, I learned to buy stuff from Amazon in advance. The post-surgery shoe was $14 (my medical device copay on my insurance plan is $100).

[Cowgirl]

I had my sutures out today and have been released from all restrictions (and my horse has been released to go under saddle!). In two weeks, I am better than I was before the hardware removal. I still need to work on strengthening the leg, but it feels great. If you are wondering whether to remove surgical hardware…do it!

[EasternMkt]

A little late to the game, but I totaled an ankle and had an bimalleolar ORIF that required me to be completely NWB for 3 months and then PWB for another 6 weeks in order to grow back 2 cm of bone. After 18 months, I was still having some pain and talked my surgeon into a hardware removal. Best decision I ever made. 5 years later, I rarely have any pain, have full range of motion and decent balance (I tore up a lot of soft tissue and nerves in the process). I felt better about a month after surgery than I had the month before.

[skydy]

[QUOTE=Cowgirl;8667713]
I had my sutures out today and have been released from all restrictions (and my horse has been released to go under saddle!). In two weeks, I am better than I was before the hardware removal. I still need to work on strengthening the leg, but it feels great. If you are wondering whether to remove surgical hardware…do it![/QUOTE]

Glad to hear all is well with you and your mare.

I have to say, the reason for your horse’s spook was world class in the bizarre stakes.

[Cowgirl]

[QUOTE=skydy;8668879]
Glad to hear all is well with you and your mare.

I have to say, the reason for your horse’s spook was world class in the bizarre stakes.[/QUOTE]

Thank you! The most bizarre part is that after they caused and witnessed my injuries and
were banished from the fairgrounds, the kids came back a bit later and staked one of those twenty foot tall collapsing advertising balloons (that has arms and looks like a person) to the spot very near where I was trampled. This, of course, caused the show officials to take a drive up to the high school to get the thing removed.

If my horse had seen that, I would have been killed for sure.

[skydy]

[QUOTE=Cowgirl;8672225]
Thank you! The most bizarre part is that after they caused and witnessed my injuries and
were banished from the fairgrounds, the kids came back a bit later and staked one of those twenty foot tall collapsing advertising balloons (that has arms and looks like a person) to the spot very near where I was trampled. This, of course, caused the show officials to take a drive up to the high school to get the thing removed.

If my horse had seen that, I would have been killed for sure.[/QUOTE]

I can’t believe it!

Those people balloon things scare the hell out of ME. How on earth was anyone allowed to put up such a ridiculous advertising balloon at a HORSE show?

I am stunned that after the incident in which you were injured that the advertisers were maybe…unaware of what had happened?

How much were they paying those kids?

If that business was even semi-local they (and the parents of the kids, unless trucked in from a city) should know better.

I lived in that town a long time ago and no one, except the odd citizen who was drunk, was THAT stupid where large mammals are concerned.

Having just written that,I now recall seeing newspaper articles in the past few years about tourists being injured while attempting to pet elk… Christ on a raft…

I hope show management is now on guard where idiot advertisers are concerned.

[Cowgirl]

Skydy, this was a High School fundraising even that they have annually. It was to raise money for the soccor and footballs teams and those kids were wearing mattress costumes, twirling signs, and marching two by two. My horse saw them before I did and ran over me. The kids were not supervised.

I do also question the wisdom of holding horse shows in Estes Park at those fairgrounds: the medical center there is only a Level IV trauma center. I saw no helicopter, so I am guessing that flight for life has to come from Denver to pick you up. There was one good nurse who could run a PIC line, but the medical assistant could not even take my temperature. There was an intern (no doctor on the grounds) who was incapable of reading my xray. One of my fractures was open and a big bloody wound and they didn’t even clean it. The xrays were sent to some doctor off site to read and they told me (with an open fracture) that I would not need surgery. They sent me home with a vial of vicodin and a walking boot too large (for the swelling) for my foot and didn’t bother to splint it. They are VERY lucky that I did not get an infection. I was able to get in to see a doctor in Denver two days later who was appalled at the care and set me up for immediate surgery. I am SOOOOO thankful my horse didn’t step on my head or my organs as I’m pretty sure I would have died from the incompetence of that facility. I really REALLY now believe that USEF should have a rule where a horse show cannot be scheduled unless it is within an hour of a Level 1 or 2 trauma center. This was eye opening for me; I never thought of this before and relied on the show organizers to make sure that all contingencies were planned for…

[skydy]

The fact that there is a lack of medical facilities there actually never occurred to me either, though I know it to be true. It is quite a small town.
Who knew that what they do have would be basically incompetent. Unfortunately I am no longer surprised by incompetence, even at generally well thought of medical facilities.

I did see a photo of the mattress kids. That should never have been allowed to happen. I’m glad you’re healing up.

[IFG]

Just saw this. tibial plateau fracture Jan 2015. Looking to remove hardware Jan 2017. I am scared of the anesthesia, but I have moments of crippling pain when my MCL travels over the hardware if I am in just the wrong position. Nice to hear the happy updates.

[Cowgirl]

IGF, you will be glad you did it. I got almost immediate relief (except for the incisions) with the surgical implants removed. I did use a cold laser to assist my healing and it increased the healing such that on day 13, when the sutures were to be removed, the skin grew over them and it was a painful process. I do recommend the cold laser, but maybe wait until after the stitches come out. I have been riding a few weeks now (primarily at walk) and my ankle flexibility keeps improving. I did have a backwards slide after doing too much (cleaned out my horse trailer by myself last weekend, stripped out shavings, washed walls, washed all my buckets, going up and down a hill to the water supply) and am using the cold laser again and ice/elevation. (However, I do find that if I push it far, then rest, I tend to make bigger strides in the healing.) I just don’t know why anyone would keep the hardware in if they had a choice. The anesthesia–well this anesthesiologist was better than the first one and I woke up better, although I was pretty tired for about 10 days. All in all, a much MUCH easier surgery than the one to put in the metal… And for me, at least, I was glad they put me out and I didn’t do the twilight: one minute they are hooking you up to something, the next minute, sleepy sleepy, the next minute wakey wakey and all magically done! I was hobbling around that afternoon just like my doctor said.