Surgical screws splitting other bones?

Posted , 1 user is following.

Hi, I'm 7 weeks post op with 10 screws and a plate in my tibia. I have 2 long screws connecting the tibia and fibula. I've been non weight bearing this entire time and have been taking it as easy as I can and not trying to do anything to compromise the healing. However, I do get these violent full body twitches when I fall asleep about 2-3 times a week; like the feeling of falling but it jerks my whole body including my broken leg. My question is, could this have been enough to cause my fibula to split at the bottom where the 2 long screws are? I haven't had any major increase swelling or bruising and the pain level has been pretty much on par with the last 7 weeks but when I feel the skin/bone in that area It feels like there's a small split at the bottom of the fibula going up past where the 2 screws are. Does anyone have experience with anything like this and is it even possible to split a bone without even realizing it when it happens? Thanks in advance!

image

0 likes, 1 reply

1 Reply

  • Posted

    Going to answer my own question in the off chance that someone else might have this concern. It's not common and it turned out not to be the case. The screws are more likely to break before the bone does. I posted the initial thread in the middle of the night but went to the docs the next day to get it checked out. What i was feeling was a build-up of scar tissue. This was my first broken bone/major injury as well as my first surgery so I didn't know what to expect or how common different complications are. Everyone in this thread was super helpful tho. Major takeaways: Don't stress yourself out and just check with your doctor if you're legitimately concerned about something... forums don't help.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.