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Removing Ankle/Fib Plates and Screws

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SteveStepp
Posts: 9529 - Karma: 20,647
This past July I broke my leg on a trampoline at Windells. I mean I really snapped that fucker. I got a plate and 8 screws put on the outside and lower part of my right leg; directly where my Full Tilt™ High Performance "First Chair"™ ski boots cover.
Its been 6 months since surgery and I still can't ski without extreme pain... I've been going to PT and it helps a little, but there has been any significant improvement for at least 2 months.

Has anyone else had this problem? I saw the doc again and he keeps saying my leg is healing fine. Im callin bullshit though because his legs aren't broken and mine are.
However, he also suggested getting the plate removed. Anyone get their hardware removed?

Ive been reading some stuff on TGR's forums and most people say they feel much better after the plate removal... I came to you guys though because everyone on TGR is a fuckin dick head lol

Any input would be appreciated!
Jan 12 2011 7:58PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
1. Get plate removed
2. Fuse Full Tilts to your feet
3. ???
4. Profit

But really, no help here.
Jan 12 2011 8:01PM
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COskier
Posts: 1066 - Karma: 131
Unfortunately I can't help you with that one.

I'm curious though, can you be more specific about how you broke it (not medically but what you were doing/how it happened), stories like this scare the crap out of me and I recently wrecked myself on a trampoline too.
Jan 12 2011 8:02PM
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D1X
Posts: 402 - Karma: 16
Might as well get that shit out.. If it doesn't seem to be getting much better it seems like one of very few options you have.
Jan 12 2011 8:03PM
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mrmarks
Posts: 393 - Karma: 143
steve, you're truly on crack seeking medical advice on NS.  seriously, do some research on orthopedists -- particularly those that work in action sports -- n get a consult.
Jan 12 2011 8:04PM
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DCepTiKoN402
Posts: 617 - Karma: 28
Could be that full tilts dont fit your feet and in turn aggravate your ankle. Cheap solution try different boots FTs arent the greatest.

.02
Jan 12 2011 8:04PM
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dub10
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
I had a plate with 6 screws removed from my collar bone and it is soooo much better. The docs said it did not have to come out neccessarily but some people find it better out. I am one of those people, i had the plate out now im a G'n on that balla level again n shit ya mean?

Get that shit out. PS. you dont know shit so probably dont undermine your doctors knowledge
Jan 12 2011 8:06PM
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SteveStepp
Posts: 9529 - Karma: 20,647
I was doin doubles on a backyard tramp. I came down thinking i had more air than i actually did... I landed with my right toe pointing inward. Kinda hard to explain but i didnt fly off the tramp or anything
Jan 12 2011 8:08PM
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Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
Last September I broke my tib/fib at the ankle and got a plate and 6 screws on the outside of of my ankle. I skied on it January to April in extreme pain right where the plate is. I got my hardware removed this September. My doctor told me my bad ankle will always be about 1 inch bigger in diameter than my left. So I got new boots with moldable liners and I got my shell punched out a bit in the spot where my plate was. My pain has gone way down skiing this year but it still hurts right on the spot where my plate was. It may never be 100% but whats skiing without a little pain right? But definitely get your hardware removed when you can. My ankle killed doing literally anything other than walking with my plate in.
Good luck with the rest of your rehab!
Jan 12 2011 8:10PM
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Ski.Ballet
Posts: 2860 - Karma: 200
Definitely get it out if the doc says it's ok! I broke my leg in the same spot while wakeboarding a few years ago. I had a 5 inch plate and 8 screws put in and everything healed fine. However, when I skiied, it was excruciating, so I got the metal out the following spring and haven't had any real pain in that spot since. The area is still more tender than the rest of my leg, but in no way does it feel less stable or strong.
Jan 12 2011 8:10PM
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SteveStepp
Posts: 9529 - Karma: 20,647
I know, i just had to burn him a little cuz im pissed that i cant ski
Jan 12 2011 8:12PM
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ace_
Posts: 3189 - Karma: 39
lol
Jan 12 2011 8:14PM
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B.Lyfe
Posts: 624 - Karma: 116
i have the same thing. i had a spiral fracture. I still have my stuff in. It took me awhile to find boots that fit right with it. full-tilt were too tight. I ski a soft salomon boot. The only things that dont super bother it. to equal out the pressure use a mouse pad or a extra-skin pad from a shinpad for bmx biking.
Jan 12 2011 8:16PM
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SteveStepp
Posts: 9529 - Karma: 20,647
Thats good news
How long after surgery did you get it out?
How long was your recovery after it was removed?
Jan 12 2011 8:17PM
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Ski.Ballet
Posts: 2860 - Karma: 200
I got the metal out 9 or 10 months after surgery, but I was skiing again 4 months after the injury.
Jan 12 2011 8:19PM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9215 - Karma: 5,398
i'm not sure how this works but after removing plates and things, won't you be in for quite the recovery time? plus, removing screws from bone means there's going to be holes there. I'm thinking try different boots first and then see about the metal. it's a hell of a lot cheaper to get new boots than surgery. I would think a plate or screw is pushing on a nerve when you ski.
Jan 12 2011 8:20PM
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attitash46
Posts: 296 - Karma: 694
ha i shattered my tibia and snapped my fibula last febuary and ended up with a plate and 9 screws
i just got some new Nordica Ace of SPades and the only real problem i have is maddd shinbang on that leg so i wrap it with an ace bandage and that pretty much fixes it.
my shin is wicked bumpy though from the screws cuz im skinny and im was wondering about getting the screws removed too
i know its another huge sergery and at least a month on crutches
Jan 12 2011 8:20PM
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StReEtPIRATES
Posts: 1378 - Karma: 138
Either you're kidding, or you're ignorant as fuck.  He has a metal plate thats being pushed into his bone by his boots, of course it will hurt.  No boot will fix that.
Jan 12 2011 8:20PM
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Ski.Ballet
Posts: 2860 - Karma: 200
Oh forgot to add, I was fine a couple months after getting the metal out.
Jan 12 2011 8:21PM
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DCepTiKoN402
Posts: 617 - Karma: 28
Im going to go with ignorant as fuck


Jan 12 2011 8:25PM
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StReEtPIRATES
Posts: 1378 - Karma: 138
Good call.
Jan 12 2011 8:27PM
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heFF
Posts: 5786 - Karma: 4,456
:'(
Jan 12 2011 8:30PM
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Coalescent
Posts: 4871 - Karma: 2,063
Get it out steve! I have no idea, but if you can get metal out of your body, at least you won't be sounding off any of the noisy machines at airplane landings and takeoffs.
Jan 12 2011 8:38PM
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COskier
Posts: 1066 - Karma: 131
Well shit. I was really hoping for something like "I got a weird bounce and landed off the trampoline" to improve my own confidence knowing that I pretty much use in ground only. Random shit like your description scares me.
Jan 12 2011 8:39PM
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mattyb.
Posts: 6042 - Karma: 2,197
Although I'm not sure how much help I'm going to be since I can't ski at all these season. I just had surgery yesterday to get hardware removed. Click for larger image
They had to be taken out because of an infection I got, so they took(looking at the right picture) the long plate on the left, one of the chain looing plates in the middle and maybe 4 screws. I haven't been unwrapped yet, but I know my incision goes from a bit above my knee to my ankle. Honestly for having all that done yesterday, I'm feeling pretty good right now. I was dreading it being done because I thought I'd feel like shit. I think with just a smaller incision and a few screws, you may be out for a few weeks but it might help in the long run, espically if you want to be going hard at Hood again this summer.
Jan 12 2011 8:55PM
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Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
I was limping the day I got my plate removed, walking normal after 2 weeks, running in a month, and I skiing by November.
Jan 12 2011 8:59PM
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juliana.
Posts: 751 - Karma: 12
:'( they need to make a power balance bracelet that heals ankles too lol
Jan 12 2011 9:04PM
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DBAKE
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 340
damm steve shit sounds rough, Heal up!
Jan 12 2011 9:17PM
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dstriebs
Posts: 396 - Karma: 77
i broke my leg just like yours and was in i ton of pain in ski boots for about a year and then it seemed to just go away. I never got the plate and screws removed because they dont bother me anymore, but I think i remember the doctor saying that the recovery from the removal would just be as long as it takes for the incision to heal. I think your bones would be a little weaker for a while even though they fill the holes, but im not positive on that. I would say if you are in that much pain, just get that shit removed so you can ski comfortably.
Jan 12 2011 9:19PM
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db21
Posts: 597 - Karma: 61
i had a plate put in my leg almost a year ago for a broken tib. i got it in in early january and they took it out in august. i could feel it in my leg but it never bothered me on the tramp or anything. but the doctors mostly took it out because im nit done growing. also they said if i ever broke my leg again it would almost 100% break at one end of the plate and that would cause complications. in the end they decided that it would be best to take it out
Jan 12 2011 10:28PM
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Jahrassicpark
Posts: 2075 - Karma: 38
I broke my growth plate almost two years ago and a year later got the three of the four screws out (one was too fused to the bone to remove). Anyways it took about 6 month to fully recover for me. The first two and a half month were hell cause I couldn't do anything. The main thing is swelling takes so damn long to go away, it still gets slightly swollen almost two years later. It sucks man but just chill for a while and go to a physio centre. Main point is be good to it and shit takes for ever to heal.
Jan 12 2011 10:42PM
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Bo_bot9
Posts: 1437 - Karma: 275
vibes go out to everyone who cannot ski due to injury... shit sucks. keep it positive.
Jan 12 2011 10:44PM
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cwillygood
Posts: 6831 - Karma: 1,829
dude your a boss.....howd u do that on the tramp anyway
Jan 12 2011 10:47PM
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nick_v
Posts: 203 - Karma: 10
sweet jesus.... good luck on your recovery man
Jan 12 2011 10:49PM
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NoBigDeal
Posts: 2790 - Karma: 629
I know the feeling, the day of my knee surgery I was so bummed. After surgery though (once you can talk correctly again) you feel better and almost relieved. It only gets better from where you are.
Jan 12 2011 10:50PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14489 - Karma: 10,640
This picture makes me cringe.
Jan 12 2011 10:53PM
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Andi_G
Posts: 3083 - Karma: 15,098
Get a knife an yank that shit out But seriously that suck you have it in in the first place
Jan 12 2011 11:48PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
Orange name gnarley x-ray picture thread, who's gonna start it?
Jan 13 2011 1:16AM
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mattyb.
Posts: 6042 - Karma: 2,197
Ha ya for sure, this was my 16th procedure getting put under in 9 months due to my accident. Crazyness.
Jan 13 2011 1:24AM
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NGA
Posts: 1458 - Karma: 186
are you sure it only takes 6 months till you can ski?

Its been 2 years and i still am recovering..

my advice is go get opinions from as many different doctors as you possibly can, everyone will give you their thoughts and then decide, because if you remove it and it becomes worse? I don't know, i never had screws and plates put in but I had about 8 doctors tell me i was healing fine, and finally one that said i wasn't.
Jan 13 2011 2:30AM
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Abc567def
Posts: 8756 - Karma: 801
One of the guys at my snow school broke both of his legs having plates in both. he suffered exreme pain when skiing so decided to get them removed. It took him about 3 weeks walking with a cane, 5 weeks to be running normally and then was skiing That coming winter (he got it removed in august). The pain has dramatically gone down but I think that so much of it is a mental thing, knowing that it is going to hurt and thinking that your leg wasn't in the same shape that it was.

Little off topic I tore my ATFL in my ankle just over a year ago now and I still havn't fully recovered from it and experience pain when skiing hard. I was going to PT for 8 or so hours a week for 5 months and I'm thinking of giving it another shot although it really didn't seem to be doing much just like you said...
Jan 13 2011 3:32AM
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snomaster
Posts: 3344 - Karma: 5,748
holy fuck what did you do to get that much metal in your leg?

And expect AT least 6 weeks recovery to be skiing Utah pow (not the way you normally do) after getting screws taken out of your leg, though I'm not a doctor. It's prolly 3 months to be able to handle hard impacts. All those holes/voids need to fill in with bone again.

However, def get that shit out. My friend who didn't get his hardware out also had a simple solution to ski boot pain. He took up snowboarding for good.

When they took the femur rod out of me I was walking in 2-3 days. But you know you have weak spots.
Jan 13 2011 9:15AM
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Algebra
Posts: 5215 - Karma: 1,677
+++++vibes brochacho
Jan 13 2011 9:18AM
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brogilvie
Posts: 2607 - Karma: 123
HEY STEVE! DONT GET YOUR SCREWS PLATES REMOVED YET!
If you take hardware out you will have voids in your bones and there will be no skiing this season.

In May I did the same thing. Exact same thing...
I broke Medial Malleolous and fibula on a trampoline.

9 months later Im competing on the world tour and at my second stop in Red mountain at the Canadian Freeskiing open. Shits solid as a rock now. There is pain. There is plenty of pain.

Keep up the physio and join a gym and work on that fucking ankle hard man. Work on it... Punch out your boots get a boot fitter to really punch them out.

Wait atleast 18 months or so before you consider taking out the plates.

Shits hard, its the worst injury Ive had, but its been fine so far this year.

Keep er greasy mon!
Click for larger image
Jan 13 2011 10:11AM
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THUGwife
Posts: 1909 - Karma: 301
oh my god guys.
Jan 13 2011 10:30AM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
I've known a lot of people that say getting the screws out is the best idea.

Remember then you will have holes in your bones that need to heal up before you can ski, which is going to be at least 6-8 weeks.

Steph still has screws in her leg, it's not fun for her. She still has all sorts of ski boot issues.
Jan 13 2011 10:34AM
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Reed.
Posts: 4489 - Karma: 272
I did this a few years ago on my ankle hitting some urban:

Click for larger image

Broke it in October, had surgery, and was skiing (with the hardware) by January. I didnt have much pain at all, except for getting range of motion back.

My surgery incision never really healed correctly, but it didnt hurt, so I kept skiing... turns out I had a pretty serious infection going on. Ended up having another surgery to remove the hardware in the spring and even had a PIC line in my arm to deliver serious antibiotics for 6 weeks via IV.

My advice, give it a little more time and see how it feels. Removing the hardware make take another 2-3 months to heal before you can ski, and trust me, you DONT want an infection like I got. My IV antibiotics were something like $500/day.


Jan 13 2011 10:57AM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
Holy shit so many gnarly injuries in this thread, like honestly the bro who has pretty much bionic legs, I have no idea how you can even ski again with that much metal in there, let alone walk.


Also steve you need to see a few doctors, and a few more opinions on getting the plates and screws out. Just because some people felt better after getting them out, doesn't mean you will, id talk to a few other doctors before going under again.
Jan 13 2011 11:36AM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
o and not trying to be a asshole to the first guy, just really gnarly injury. + vibes
Jan 13 2011 11:38AM
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Sheets-mmm
Posts: 392 - Karma: 42

last year i broke my ankle in two places and needed a plate and 8 screws as well, juust on the outer left ankle. and ive been skiing for the first time on it on real snow for a month of two...ive came into some trouble too

i dont have the cash for a solid pair of boots so that been half my pain right there. but when its chilly out the metal starts to hurt for some reason and the pressure of the boot hasnt been helping..ive had so many brakes and sprains my ankles are like grape fruits..i guess its just something i have to deal with...ive talked about getting it removed..but im in my senior year of highschool and i couldnt give up football my last year and get it removed..it may be something i do in the future, but ive had the same problem and havent really found an answer for the pain

Jan 13 2011 12:56PM
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SteveStepp
Posts: 9529 - Karma: 20,647
Oh yea i know, Im actually seeing a doc tomorrow for a evaluation of whether or not my plates should even come out. I was just trying to gather some stories of people with similar problems so I could go over some options with him
Jan 13 2011 1:21PM
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