A very active person healing from a broken tibia and & fibula break.

[magicva5]

I am a 25 and a ski instructor in Lake Tahoe. I have recently broken my fib & tib in a skiing accident where i slammed into a log.... I now have a rod inside my tibia with a screw just below my knee and three screws above my ankle....As of right now the healing process seems to be going perfect and right on schedule. My question is after i am 100% healed is it a good idea to get all the hardware taken out. Keep in mind i am very active person in all season but when it comes to skiing i hit 90 foot park jumps and drop cliffs in the backcountry that could be 40 feet or more....i have pics of the x-rays of the initial break and after the surgery with all the hardware if wanting to look at to get a better understanding of my situation.  

[Chaeenee]

I had a motorcycle accident Aug 17 2011 and surgery the next morning on my tib/fib. I had a rod put in above my knee to my ankle with pins holding it to the bone. Since then i developed Cellulitis in my foot (A severe and painful infection) I'm having a difficult time with PT considering the swelling. I can get my foot flat on the floor like they are asking of me. My weight limit is 20lbs. I am a very active and in my mid 20s. The antibiotics are working but I'm worried that the infection will slow down my overall healing process. Any pointers?

[PedroH]

Hi there! I had basically same injury & did opt to have hardware out.-I didn't have it taken out until 21 months after- My husband also had IM nail removed from his femur after 18 months.-Seems to be active people should have hardware removed as it is more likely to have another injury "being active" and hardware on top of an injury could be a nightmare! You do have quite some time before you will be doing this so focus on PT and your ROM.It will make your recovery that much quicker when you do have the hardware removed.Best of luck to you!

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Yes, you can get your hardware removed but do not worry about it now.

You should have proper healing and you have to remember that it will take a time of 6 months for full recovery and for complete weight bearing. After you start your physiotherapy and when you return to full functionality you can consider hardware removal.

Take care!