removing screws in ankle 5 years after reconstruction?

Question

Hello. I was in a car accident about 5 years ago and had to have a complete reconstruction on my right ankle with a plate and 3 screws. Now it seems that at least one of the screws is making its way back out of the bone and is extremely painful. I have been sent for a consult for ortho surgery to have one or more of them removed, and I have no idea what to expect. Has anyone had surgery like this before? What kind of recovery time are we talking about? Is it as painful as the original operation? Thanks for any advice ^_^

Answer 1

I am having the same questions you do - was hit by a car a year ago and it hasnt healed yet, but my surgeon told me when it heals a bit more will have to take out at least 2 screws (have rod and 5 screws in leg) because they cause me a lot of pain and one is coming out more and more (although nobody believes that) - you can feel it very clearly when touching.
I was told it doesnt hurt much at all (not like when they put them in) and its done under general anestesia. I guess a few days on pain killers and a cane...i dont think it should take more than 2 weeks to recover.

Answer 2

hi, i had a metal plate and 7 screws removed from my left ankle 3 days ago. i broke the ankle just over a year ago playing rugby. i had to have the plate removed due to it being to close to the surface of the skin, and sticking out to far, causing pain, bruising and swelling from internal damage and friction. i walked straight out of the hospital after the surgery, which only lasted about 30 mins, i was told i was an hour and half from the point i went into surgery, to the point i returned to the ward after being in recovery. to be honest, i havent had any real pain with it at all, its comfortable to walk on. i've had a few twinges in the ankle, but thats to be expected with a fresh wound. on the downside, i seem to have a pressure point on my leg where if its touched i get like an electric shock feelin through leg and foot. also the top of my foot and toes are all pretty numb, but i had this same feeling with the first operation when the metal work was inserted. I have been given crutches to use if they are needed, but i havent really had the need. I have been signed off work for 2 weeks, which i personally feel is longer than i need, but have been told that i cant do anything physical and weight bearing for at least 3 months due to the holes in the bone. i have an appointment with the hospital on friday, which i assume is to have the stitches removed.

id advise you to have the operation as soon as possible, its nowhere near as painful as the first op, and theres no cast to worry about, just bandages! if your in pain like you say you are it really is worth having it done. they may advise you that they might have problem removing all metal work, as this is what i was told by the surgeon before the op, but everything was successfully removed for me.

hope i've been of some help, and that everything goes well for you!

Answer 3

Hi Magnolia, I broke my ankle and had screws on one side, a plate and screws on the other.

18 months after the cast came off I had the screws and plate removed. I was told, and expected that I would wake up and walk right out without any pain outside of the incision.

Then when I woke up the surgeon said to me to be sure to have my crutches available...I thought that was odd when she had told me that it would be painless.

It was much more painful than I expected for a few days. The day after I need crutches, felt like I had a broken ankle again. After 2 days I just said , to hell with this, I'm not letting myself think about it and I pushed through...it was fine after that.

When I spoke to the specialist about this she said that she was sorry it didn't go as planned and she had some difficulty that caused the excessive pain.

The incision takes 2 weeks to heal before you get the stitches out and by then it feels pretty much normal even with complications like I had.

Answer 4

It's easy. Stop worrying. Short recovery time. It takes a while for the bone to fill back in, but use commom sense. If you can get it all out, do it all at once so it's over with. Sometimes you get achy in the cold weather but sometimes not. WebMD has awesome links. My Ex had it done. The recovery was way better than the pain from the loose screw. I waited in the recovery room for minutes. The Specialist came back out so soon I thought there was a problem or ? & it was over! Missed being able to tease him about having a screw loose though. He teased me too! Good luck!

Answer 5

At this point, the screws are not needed to hold the ankle together, I would imagine. The same thing happened to my elderly aunt, with her hip. In her case, they did a local, a small incision, removed the screw, gave her a couple of stiches and a band-aid, and she went home.
In your case, if they have decided to remove it, they have come to the same conclusion, they will remove the screw, and the screw hole in the bone will gradually fill.
Myself, I have a plate and screws in my neck. (Broken 3 places in a car accident 12 years ago) If a screw worked loose, they would just remove it, as the plate and screws were only to stabilize the spot while the vertebrae fused.
I wager your recovery time will be days at most, your time totally off your feet will be the day of the procedure.
Relax, things will be fine, my friend.

Answer 6

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 7

Pins In Ankle

Answer 8

I had Bunion surgery in 2003 and had screws put in. Doc told me they probably sould stay in but if they started to bother me then we would remove them. After the initial 18 months of healing and discomfort, I now have very LITTLE trouble with my foot and the surgery area. The screws have not bothered me at all! Time will tell. I was VERY worried about the screws and all, staying in for the rest of my life. I worried about the airport metal detectors too! But that was all silly worrying because I have had no problems with the screws. Best of luck to you sweetie! also - try Arnica homeopathic for pain swelling and bruising and quicker healing. Available at the health food store.

For the best answers, search on this site https://smarturl.im/aDCWF

Answer 9

try going to this website. One gal on there, had her ankle hardware removed afew weeks ago. She should be able to to answer any questions for you

mybrokenleg.com