How does fracture fixation surgery work?

The surgical team exposes or reaches the fracture, restores the bone's position, and chooses fixation according to the break, soft-tissue condition, and stability needed. Plate and screws can secure fragments along the bone, while an intramedullary nail sits inside the central canal of a long bone. Some injuries are stabilised first with external fixation, a frame connected to pins outside the skin.

C-Arm Fluoroscopy may provide live X-ray views during positioning. Fixation aims to restore alignment and allow safe movement when appropriate; it does not make the bone instantly healed. An ankle fracture or tibial plateau fracture may require a plan tailored to joint involvement, swelling, and the condition of the skin.

Before surgery, discuss medicines, allergies, smoking, medical conditions, fasting, and the plan for anaesthesia. Afterward, protect the incision and any pins, take medicines exactly as directed, and follow weight-bearing and wound instructions. Elevate the limb when advised and perform only the permitted movements. Follow-up imaging and rehabilitation help track alignment, strength, joint motion, and walking progress.

Contact the surgical team urgently for worsening pain with a tight dressing or cast, new numbness or weakness, a cold or discoloured foot or hand, increasing wound redness, pus, fever, sudden breathlessness, or calf pain and swelling. A fall, new deformity, or damaged implant area also needs prompt assessment.

Ask why fixation is recommended for your fracture, which implant is planned, how long weight-bearing will be restricted, and how the incision or pin sites should be checked. Discuss alternatives such as fracture casting or external fixation, expected rehabilitation milestones, and the signs that require urgent review.