Any experience with bone fracture fixators?

[Freddyfruitba...]

So, back in August I broke my collarbone during an unscheduled dismount; however it didn't heal properly and in mid-September I had to go under the knife to have a couple of inches of rebar screwed on. Fast-forward to today and all's going pretty well with it I think.

Now, at the time of the op I asked the surgeon if I'd need to have the fixator removed at some point in the future, and he said no, normally not. Fine by me, but I just wonder what would happen if I had a similar off again in the future - would the presence of the metal make an injury worse? Or another fracture more likely? Or even, less likely; I dunno?

I'm sure I'm not the only person here with a partly reinforced skeleton, so I wonder if anybody has any knowledge or experience about this?
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KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[stinkwheel]

Depends what you've had done and what happens in the crash.

If it's an intramedullary pin up the middle of the bone and it gets bent, it's a total pain in the arsre to do anything with. Any implant will tend to cause stess risers within the bone structure so it's more likely to break at the end of the implant in case of subsequent trauma.

But more likely to break at all? I'm not sure, again, depends what the implant is and how well the implant has taken I suppose. If you do crash and re-break it, breaking it was always on the cards anyway because you'd still have to subject the bone to a huge stress.

As they said, unless they are causing issues, it's best to leave implants in place, the bone re-models to take the implant into account. Removing it will weaken the bone again until it has a chance to remodel to cope without the metalwork .(minimum 6 weeks)
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[doggone]

I had one in my shin bone it was much better when removed after a year or so, as the slightest knock was sometimes very painful.

[Bikeless]

[stinkwheel]

I've often wondered why they don't use external fixators more for collarbones (none of the species I treat have much of a collarbone so it's a bit of an odd one to me). It's pretty near the surface so would lend itself to that kind of repair. It would get in the way a lot when it's in place but compared to plates and screws, it's less traumatic and I'd expect it to have less ongoing issues. They come off after the bone is healed.

I suppose the main problem is they leave clavicles so long hoping they'll repair themselves that screws and bone graft are necessary to get compression at the fracture site. I wonder if they've done a study on what happens if you dive in with an ex-fix when it first happens. I bet you'd get good results.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Freddyfruitba...]

[MCN]

I bet i broke a clavical when I jumped off a bike a few years ago. My shoulder went spaz and I couldn't lift the bike up. Agony for weeks after.
Ramming my shoulder into the road as i rolled down it probably is the right sort of move to break that little baby.
I had no hospital treatment. I drank 2000mg of aspirin and then drank 6 pints of lager. Was fine then but next morning I awoke with a bang.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Old Git Racing]

I broke my clavicle, like you it never joined so had the op and bone graft, went well and all ready to go the following season. First meeting I clipped someones back wheel, went down and broke it again, felt the snap. It was definitely more painful than the last one. Off to hospital on the diamorphine (good stuff, still hurts but you dont give a shit). X-rays showed it had snapped along the last screw, come out and gone over the plate.
They offered me a choice, another op or try to manipulate it back into position and hope for the best. Due to work getting fed up of me banging myself up I chose the manipulation. along with the collarbone I'd also done the shoulder blade in 2 places and 3 or 4 ribs. Was it painful? If they ever give me the choice again it will be the op! One guy pulled my arm and the other pushed the bone under the plate with his thumb , then immobilised my arm in a special sling.
Upshot was its healed ok but gives me som jip If I swing on it or lay on that side.

OGR.
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2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[Shaft]

Can't help with your original question, but I think it's a good thing you had some kind of stabilisation.

I broke my clavicle in a bike accident in 1983 and was basically told there was no treatment, either directly after the crash or at any point in the future.

Mine snapped almost in the middle, but no attempt was made to stabilise or immobilise it, beyond a sling that loosely strapped my hand to the opposite shoulder. As a result, the join was constantly dislocating and, eventually, it fused with the distal end behind and towards the proximal portion, something like this

https://i.imgur.com/z14nk8x.png

I've had 35 years of restricted movement, an inability to lay on my right side and all sorts of postural issues, leading to sometimes crippling back problems.

When I think about it now, even with the technology available then, it would've been so easy to screw a plate across it and save me all of the trouble I've had (and continue to have) with it, but then you had to be Barry Sheene to get that kind of treatment.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Shaft]

[andyscooter]

I have the iams fixation in my left leg

meant I could walk on the leg from day one and was back on two wheels within a month

can feel the screws inside when its cold through my skin
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[chickenstrip]

[G]

I've got a rod pretty much the length of my right Fibula.

Initially, incidentally, it held the break a bit too well, meaning it didn't heal until they removed some screws to loosen it up a bit.

The consultant surgeon said "oh, if you did break it again, I wouldn't have a problem operating on it" - which didn't entirely leave with confidence in a case where I may be operated on by someone less skilled etc.

(So also no cast for me ... and able to ride a bike before it even started healing.)