Internal fixation
Also called: rods and screws, internal hardware
What it means
Internal fixation is surgery that uses metal rods, plates, screws, or wires placed inside the body to hold a broken bone together while it heals.
Many fragility fractures from osteoporosis, like hip or wrist breaks, are treated this way, so understanding it helps you know what to expect during recovery.
Internal fixation is a surgical technique used to stabilize a broken bone by attaching metal implants directly to it, such as rods, plates, screws, pins, or wires. The surgeon realigns the broken pieces and secures them with this hardware, holding the fracture steady so the body can heal properly. It's commonly used for fractures of the hip, femur, wrist, humerus, and other bones that won't heal well, or safely, without extra support.
The hardware usually stays in place permanently unless it causes problems like irritation or infection, in which case a doctor may discuss hardware removal. Internal fixation differs from external fixation, where the stabilizing frame stays outside the body, and from intramedullary nailing, which is one specific type of internal fixation using a rod placed inside the bone's marrow cavity.
After surgery, recovery involves following weight-bearing status instructions carefully, attending rehabilitation after fracture, and watching for signs of complications like nonunion, malunion, or pin site infection. Because people with fragility fractures often have underlying osteoporosis, doctors may also evaluate bone health separately and discuss fracture risk after fracture. Any decisions about surgery, hardware removal, or medication should be made with your treating surgeon or doctor.
Metal rods, plates, screws, or wires often hold fragility fractures together while they heal.
Where this leads
WordCurious about the specific surgery that places this hardware. ORIF explains how surgeons reposition and secure broken bone pieces.
Related words
ORIF stands for "open reduction internal fixation." It's a surgery where a surgeon repositions broken bone pieces…
An intramedullary nail, or IM nail, is a metal rod a surgeon places down the hollow center of a long bone, like the…
External fixation uses pins placed into the bone and connected to an outside frame to hold a fracture steady while…
Hip pinning is a surgery where metal screws or pins are placed through the skin and into the hip bone to hold a…
Hardware removal is surgery to take out metal plates, screws, rods, or pins that were used to fix a broken bone.
Fracture healing is the body's natural, staged process of repairing a broken bone, moving from initial bleeding and…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
