Forearm (Radius) Metal Plate Questions?

I just had the procedure performed a few months ago after mangling my fore arm and wrist.

1.) Any major surgery hurts afterward.

2.) Yes. The old fractures are vulnerable.

3.) Yes, the bone grows around it. if you're not completely developed, your muscles and bones continue to grow.

4.) Leave it in.

5.) With enough force, yes.

6.) Your arm can break in areas where the metal plate isn't.

1. The metal plates placed are meant to stay, they are not removed. Metal plates are placed to stabilize fractures that would not heal well if left alone. 2. Why would you want to remove the plate? 3. Your bones grow from the growth plates at each end of the bone. Unless that growth plate was damaged during the injury, your arm should continue to grow at a normal rate, the same as your uninjured arm. 4. Yes, it is a permanent plate, and it is not necessary to remove it. Only external fixators need to be removed. 5. Yes, any bone can be broken, and there is still bone at each end of the plate. And lastly 6. bone is easier to break than metal, but the bone at either end of the plate will break with enough force applied.

Yes, the plates can usually be removed. See your gp and get a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon. He will assess the state of the bone before he starts. You will have to be careful for a few weeks after the op because there will be holes in the bone where the screws were and the bone under the plate will be have been altered by the presence of the plate. Everything usually settles down in a couple of months though. If there are any bigger problems then he will discuss the options with you before he starts. Good luck