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Is Intramedullary Nailing An Effective Treatment For Displaced Tibial Plateau Fracture?
Question: Hello,
I am currently waiting for IM nail surgery to be performed on my fractured tibia. The wait has been too long and new bone has started to form. The Doctor just told me they will have to shave off this extra growth by cutting in through the skin around the fracture. The fracture is radial, and located about half way between the ankle and knee. The doctors here in the South XXXXXXX public system don't give us enough time to ask questions. What are the risks involved in this additional surgery required to shave the bone, how large an incision will be required, is the scar likely to be permanent, will there be additional pain after surgery because of the bone that was shaved, will that shaved bone regrow, or will I be left with an overall smaller bone?
I am currently waiting for IM nail surgery to be performed on my fractured tibia. The wait has been too long and new bone has started to form. The Doctor just told me they will have to shave off this extra growth by cutting in through the skin around the fracture. The fracture is radial, and located about half way between the ankle and knee. The doctors here in the South XXXXXXX public system don't give us enough time to ask questions. What are the risks involved in this additional surgery required to shave the bone, how large an incision will be required, is the scar likely to be permanent, will there be additional pain after surgery because of the bone that was shaved, will that shaved bone regrow, or will I be left with an overall smaller bone?
Brief Answer:
Tibial nailing with open reduction
Detailed Answer:
hi I am Dr Gopal Goel Orthopedic Surgeon. You have been waiting for surgery on your fracture tibia and it has started uniting. Your concerns are additional incision ,bone length, scar and union.
In my opinion if the fracture is old and started uniting then it will have to be opened and reduced after shaving off extra bone. This does involve additional incision with a scar which reduces over time. The scar is not painful . As far as the union part is concerned, it is a natural process and nobody can guarantee union but union does occur in most cases.There is unlikely to be any shortening and nailing is done to preserve length.
Hope for all the best and please don't hesitate to ask any further questions.
Tibial nailing with open reduction
Detailed Answer:
hi I am Dr Gopal Goel Orthopedic Surgeon. You have been waiting for surgery on your fracture tibia and it has started uniting. Your concerns are additional incision ,bone length, scar and union.
In my opinion if the fracture is old and started uniting then it will have to be opened and reduced after shaving off extra bone. This does involve additional incision with a scar which reduces over time. The scar is not painful . As far as the union part is concerned, it is a natural process and nobody can guarantee union but union does occur in most cases.There is unlikely to be any shortening and nailing is done to preserve length.
Hope for all the best and please don't hesitate to ask any further questions.
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar
Answered by
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