I have a metal plate on each of my ulna from surgeries done 12 (right side) and 10 (left side) years ago. I have been a gymnast all my life (30 now) and continued competing and training after having the plates put in. The plates have caused a fair bit of discomfort over the years, but I expected that considering what I put them through with gymnastics. Pure tension or slow-rate compression loading do not hurt at all, though bending moments, torsion, and high-rate compression loading result in stress risers from the plate and screws, which results in pain right over the plate areas. I no longer compete, but I still train a few times a week in addition to lifting on other days.
I know that hardware removal can often eliminate a lot of pain I am experiencing, and I have recently been considering this. I have seen the doctor who put the plates in, and he believes removing the plates and screws would be beneficial. It sounds like recovery would be about 4-6 weeks in a cast, no activity for 3-6 months to let the screw holes fill in with new bone, and then slowly working back into activities over the next few months.
I was hoping to hear about others’ experiences with having hardware removed (upper or lower extremity) and returning to an active (ie, lifting) lifestyle. I am especially interested in experiences from people here considering the forces put on the body from weight lifting are much greater than what the general public experiences. In particular:
- Did you get the hardware removed because it was painful during lifting or other activities?
- How long was the recovery process? What was the recovery process like?
- How long after hardware removal did you feel like you were back to 100% (or as close to it as you could get)?
- Can the area in which the hardware once was sustain significant forces from you current activities? Are you currently limited in anyway?
- Are you currently concerned about refracture?
Any other information would be appreciated. Thanks for the help.