Table of contents:
- Does the pen in the bone have to be removed after some time?
- What are the signs that require you to take your pen off?
- What are the side effects of taking off the pen?
Generally, when a person has a serious enough leg fracture, the doctor inserts a pen into the bone to help reattach the broken bone and hold the bone in its proper position. Its function is to make the bones grow faster and reconnect. But will this pen be in the bone forever? When can the pen removal procedure be performed? Check out the full explanation in this article.
Does the pen in the bone have to be removed after some time?
In most cases, it is not necessary to remove the pen inside the bone. There are some exceptions, however, where your doctor may suggest performing a pen-loosing procedure. For example, some doctors recommend removing syndesmotic screws (for severe ankle sprains) when someone is about to perform the procedure weight bearing - put a heavy burden on the part that has the fracture.
Generally, the pins in the bones can remain in the body without causing any problems, and many doctors say that removing the pins should not be considered a "routine" part of any fracture or related treatment, unless there is a complaint from the patient.
What are the signs that require you to take your pen off?
In some patients, inserting a pen into the bone can cause irritation of the surrounding tissue. This can cause bursitis, tendonitis, or local irritation. In this case, removing the pen can relieve the irritation.
There are several other signs if the pen is in your bone problematic and requires you to perform a pen removal procedure, such as:
- The onset of pain such as pain in the insertion area is the most common problem.
- There is infection, nerve damage due to scarring, and incomplete bone healing (non-union). If the doctor's diagnosis finds an infection, the surgeon will treat the infection with a procedure called debridement. However, nerves can be injured during the healing process due to scar tissue.
- A loose pen in the bone can also occur if the bone has not healed yet, so the doctor will need to do further stabilization or correction to ensure that action can be taken.
In general, however, various attempts will be made to protect the pins so they can stay in place properly after the operation so that the healing of a fracture or other condition can be faster and cause no problems.
What are the side effects of taking off the pen?
For every surgical procedure there is a risk. That is why, releasing the pen in the bone has the potential for surgical complications. Especially if the removal of the pen is carried out on a pen that has long been placed in the patient's bone. If this is done, it will lead to weakening of the bone function where the pen was removed.
The most common risk after taking pen-off is infection. The reason is, the insertion of a pen in the bone can be a source of persistent infection in the body. This is because your body is unable to fight infection in the pen because your immune defenses and antibiotic treatments are not working properly.
Well, if this happens, it's possible that the release of the pen inside the bone could lead to persistent infection and cause other potential problems. In this situation, the pen inside the bone must be removed to cure the infection.
In addition, you can also experience nerve damage, fracture again, and risk of anesthesia. Discuss these possibilities with your surgeon before surgery to know how to avoid them.
Care should be taken, if the pen removal procedure could be both inconvenient and inconvenient for you. The reason is, in some cases loose pen in the bone can be an effect for persistent problems after undergoing orthopedic surgery. It is important that you carry out in-depth consultations with the relevant doctor when deciding to do the pen loose procedure.
