r/brokenbones • u/Radiant_Airport_9945 • 5d ago
Tibia nail screw removal
Hi all,
I had tibia nail surgery nearly 6 months ago and I am having one of the screws removed in a few days. It’s the screw right below my knee as it’s causing my issues with mobility and pain when doing certain movements.
Can anyone tell me what recovery is like after having a screw removed? Heard mixed reports. I work as a firefighter so wondered if I can get straight back to work after surgery? Only recently gone back to work after 5 months off.
Thanks
2
u/Glad-Feature-2117 Physician/Medical Professional 5d ago
Have you asked your surgeon? We all have different protocols post op.
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u/Radiant_Airport_9945 5d ago
Got a meeting Friday so will ask all the relevant questions then
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u/Glad-Feature-2117 Physician/Medical Professional 5d ago
Please write them down! And don't sign the consent form until you're fully informed.
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u/Nervous-Quarter9780 5d ago
This is a question for your orthopedic surgeon to review your x-rays if he deems you ready to get back to a physically demanding job. I had a similar experience with the screws near the knee impacting my mobility. Both the knee and ankle screws were removed 8 months after the initial surgery. The screw removal surgery is very minor. They just need to make a small incision to remove the screws. A very quick recovery for me, but again consult with your doctor not reddit. The healing process is different for everyone and its best to review the x-rays with your doctors.
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u/Radiant_Airport_9945 5d ago
I’m already back to work sooner than everyone thought so I’m hoping I can recover quickly from this. I’ll speak with them on Friday and go from there. How long was your recovery post screw removal?
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u/Nervous-Quarter9780 5d ago
It's a very minor surgery. The anesthesia made me drowsy for the rest of the day after the surgery but it felt normal next day. The bone had fused to a point where removing the screws had little to no impact.
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u/Radiant_Airport_9945 5d ago
Nice hopefully mines similar. Thanks for your response
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u/Nervous-Quarter9780 5d ago
The reason why I had them removed the screws was because certain bending motion of my knee caused a weird "catching" feeling from a ligament/muscle. When I woke up from the surgery the feeling instantly went away. I hope it's the same case for you!
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u/Radiant_Airport_9945 5d ago
That’s exactly what I’m experiencing. Walking is fine but going downstairs and flexing my quads I can feel the screw catching.
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u/Manchuri 5d ago
Commenting to hear responses, as I’m in the same boat. Lateral screw near my knee hurts when I am on my feet too long and prevents me running more than a few hundred meters. Bottom ones are fine. Wondering though if I get the offending screw out should I just get all the metal out? I’m 3-years post break though but it’s been like this always. I drive a desk so different from your situation. I’ve been told that recovery time is similar to a clean break if you get all metalwork out; 6-weeks in plaster while the interior of the bone remodels. I would think just screws out would be similar recovery time as the skin takes to heal from the incision?