Those with hardware and the cold

[Bluey]

I have a plate and 7 screws in my forearm and has not hurt because of the weather.

I feel it when doing something that requires the arm to twist with heavy weights, because that bone with the plate is not as flexible as it was.
Out in cold weather, the arm is covered.

My friend’s thumb was sheared completely off when it was caught in the dally while roping and they were able to reattach it to full function.
Seems that the ER surgeons here are very familiar with those surgeries, rather common in roping country.

He complains that in cold weather it hurts, only time it does.

[ClassyRide]

[QUOTE=atr;8990359]
No hardware, but a major injury scar with a ton of nerve damage that is quite the weather station, too. Winter hurts.[/QUOTE]

Same thing here, but my scar is from a major (and rather unorthodox) surgery. It pretty much saved my life, but left me with nerve damage. The scar runs the entire length of my left calf. …I feel for you, ATR.

[pharmgirl]

I only had my hardware 11 months (had to get it out pretty quickly because soft tissue was catching on a plate in my elbow and not letting me straighten my arm- also would hurt like h@ll when it happened!), so I don’t remember the cold thing too much.

I had a 6 inch screw, 2 plates, a bunch of pins, and some wire removed from my elbow and my experience was similar to Cowgirl’s. Super easy- they did twilight anesthesia and a nerve block, and I was home in a few hours (even stopped at Chipotle on the way home for lunch- a little weird with a dead weight arm, though! lol) I wasn’t allowed to ride for close to 6 weeks, though, but I was basically normal within a couple of weeks. Definitely much easier having it taken out vs. it going in! Very glad I did it!

[Bluey]

My surgeon said he generally didn’t like leaving hardware in his patients because in later years, as the body keeps changing, some of it may bother them and it was harder to take out then.
He then said that, “at my age”, that was not a concern, so he buried it well where it would not bother me. OK.

[walktrot]

I have 9 screws and 2 plates just above my elbow on my right arm. I slipped on black ice and landed on it, wound up with 3 fracture lines. The doctor told me it was not necessary to take it out unless it bothers me, partly because the operation to take the hardware out is pretty much the same one as when they installed it and would mean I would spend a couple of nights in the hospital. And then there is waiting for the holes to fill in so you can ride. So it stays right where it is. I do have a couple of screws in my ankle that give me a shot every once in a while, but not enough to take those out either.

[Cowgirl]

[QUOTE=walktrot;9012777]
The doctor told me it was not necessary to take it out unless it bothers me, partly because the operation to take the hardware out is pretty much the same one as when they installed it and would mean I would spend a couple of nights in the hospital. And then there is waiting for the holes to fill in so you can ride. [/QUOTE]

This was completely NOT my experience. I had two long screws on one side of my ankle and a plate and six screws on the other side, so there were two incisions to put in and remove. My initial surgery was done in the hospital and was quite long. I was on dilaudid for 10 days after. The pain from drilling into the bone was pretty unbearable and I was non-weight bearing for six weeks. The removal surgery was done in a surgery center, same two incisions. I didn’t feel any bone pain after this surgery, just burning from the incisions, which was controlled with ice and tylenol and only last a few days. And I did feel enormous relief from the metal removed as it was bothering me. I was weight bearing that afternoon. Bone fills in very fast and I was riding within 2 weeks of the second surgery. I had not ridden at all for *-1/2 months since my injury. It was a completly different experience, as my surgeon assured me it would be.

[Cowgirl]

[QUOTE=walktrot;9012777]
The doctor told me it was not necessary to take it out unless it bothers me, partly because the operation to take the hardware out is pretty much the same one as when they installed it and would mean I would spend a couple of nights in the hospital. And then there is waiting for the holes to fill in so you can ride. [/QUOTE]

This was completely NOT my experience. I had two long screws on one side of my ankle and a plate and six screws on the other side, so there were two incisions to put in and remove. My initial surgery was done in the hospital and was quite long. I was on dilaudid for 10 days after. The pain from drilling into the bone was pretty unbearable and I was non-weight bearing for six weeks. The removal surgery was done in a day surgery center, same two incisions. I didn’t feel any bone pain after this surgery, just burning from the incisions, which was controlled with ice and tylenol and only last a few days. And I did feel enormous relief from the metal removed as it was bothering me. I was weight bearing that afternoon. Bone fills in very fast and I was riding within 2 weeks of the second surgery. I had not ridden at all for 8-1/2 months since my injury. It was a completly different experience, as my surgeon assured me it would be.

[Cowgirl]

Sorry folks, the edit function is not working.

[katenreno]

I have plates and 6 screws in each forearm. They do bother me when I do any kind of heavy lifting, especially with twisting, because as someone else mentioned, the plates aren’t flexible like the bone is. But man, this cold, damp weather we’ve been having in SoCal has been torture. I’m really reluctant to have them removed though, because I’m worried about the time it will take for the holes to fill in. My right arm had to have a non-union repair with a bone graft from my hip, while the left was a delayed union that narrowly avoided the same fate. For whatever reason I heal very slowly. I don’t think my surgeon will remove them at the same time, which means two anesthesias and two long recoveries. I’m not sure this discomfort is worth it. I really do want the hardware out though…

[Magicboy]

That sounds so complicated! I’m leaving mine in my arm for now but my plates and screws were for a simple break, no grafts

[infiniti]

"My orthodontist surgeon told me that he had essentially dissected my arm when the titanium screws and plate went in…it takes a long time for nerves, tendons and muscles that have been moved about to recover. "

Magicboy I hope you meant orthopedic surgeon? I wouldn’t want a mouth surgeon fixing my arm :no:

[Magicboy]

Of course… I hate auto correct!