Riding with TEINs in femur

[cpa12b]

Doc,

How do you advise your pediatric patients regarding participating in MX with elastic nails in place as the result of a fractured femur? Do you recommend that the nails be removed or can the stay forever?

Do the nails create a greater risk in the instance of reinjury while the nails are still in place?

Thanks for any input!!

[drmark]

I don't trust medical implants in kids any longer than necessary. I take out those femoral pins as soon as the bone is satisfactorily healed. Usually thats or or about six months.

Do you know the natural course of a metal pin inside a bone for say, 75 years? What they will be saying about this 25 years from now?

If you know, please tell me what the Dow is going to do tomrrow, so I can call my broker!

[cpa12b]

Thanks for the input.

The DOW will be down tomorrow, happy investing.

[drmark]

At 3:45 pm Central time, Wednesday, April 25, 2007, the DOW is up 1%.

Now if you can't predict what the stock market will do on any given day, how can some supid doctor predict was a metal implant will do in a kid after 70 years?

[Tatonka]

LOL - Back when I first started as an investment advisor I had a crystal ball....then this happened! :crash: :cry:

[cpa12b]

At 3:45 pm Central time, Wednesday, April 25, 2007, the DOW is up 1%.

Now if you can't predict what the stock market will do on any given day, how can some supid doctor predict was a metal implant will do in a kid after 70 years?

At least I had a 50/50 chance.

The question I meant to ask was not really the long long term effects, but is it safe to ride this summer, assumming he can get strong enough, and schedule a down time to pull the pins? Sorry for the confusion.

And Tatonka, in my position I often see information before it is released to the public and I am still only 50/50 at guessing how the market will react. Leave the investing to the experts, I'll stick with my lame 401k mutual funds. At least I can blame somebody else when things go sour.

[drmark]

I would let him ride when the bone was healed and his strength is back. I would take out the metal at a convenient time.

[Tatonka]

Is it metal, elastic or a combination of both? Initially you asked about elastic nails.

After breaking my hip in 2000 my Dr.'s said I could leave the metal in if I took it easy - fortunately it healed up well. Having that rod, plate & screws in there never felt right and having it all removed was one of the best things I ever did. I trust the bone much more without the hardware not to mention the "comfort" factor.