trimalleolar fracture / ORIF

[Mitzymoggie47]

Hi, had surgery in Aug 2025 - 8 screws and a plate on the right hand side of my ankle. 3 screws are now going to be removed due to them being so close to the skin and protruding. Anyone else gone through this surgery and a) how was the pain straight after the op and b) how many days did you need to elevate the ankle, thanks :)

Hi OP, I had the same break on my right ankle and the initial surgery. Although my metal work has been fine since so I don't actually have any personal advice about having it removed, but I did do a tonne of research on possibly getting the surgery done in future to remove all the metal work.

The general consensus from others was that it's dependent on where you are in your recovery (are you fully and confidently weight bearing with a correct gate yet?) if so then you should be walking out of the hospital the same day you have the surgery if all goes to plan. Having metal work removed shouldn't be anywhere near as severe as the initial op and recovery!

And another bonus is that it could possibly help improve your ankles flexibility if the screws are pushing on any nerves or tendons. Hope this puts you at ease and I hope it all goes well!!

HiLiLToad, thanks for your response. Never thought about the fact the screws maybe pushing on nerves/tendons so it may ease some of the stinging type sensations I get.

Not quite the same but I have a plate, staple and several screws in my tibia. I can’t feel the screw heads but they don’t bother me so they’re staying put. Want to see my xray?

My understanding is metalwork removal is generally a walk in the park compared to initial surgery.