Objectives: To assess the incidence of hardware related pain after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) after ankle fractures through functional outcomes scores in patients with or without hardware related pain. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Regional trauma center. Patients: One hundred and seventy six patients undergoing ORIF of an ankle fracture with a minimal follow up of 18 months were sent questionnaires. In total, 80 responding patients were available for analysis. Main Outcome Measurements: Visual Analog Pain Score, Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS). Results: In seventeen patients (21%), the hardware was removed because of pain. In another seventeen patients (21%), the hardware was not removed, but pain was reported. Patients with hardware related pain had significantly worse functional outcome scores than patients without hardware related pain. After elective hardware removal, pain reduction was achieved in 71 % of the patients. Mean Visual Analog Score was 7.0 before and 3.9 after elective hardware removal for pain. Conclusions: Hardware related pain is a significant issue after ORIF of ankle fractures. Patients with hardware related pain have significantly worse functional outcome scores. Although pain reduction is achieved in 71% of the patients after elective hardware removal, a substantial number of patients have persistent complaints. Patients should be well informed about the expectations and risks of elective hardware removal.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.