ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica 2013 December;64(6):583-8

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Effect of intramedullar nail removal on pain reduction in patients with tibial fracture

Bagherifard A. ¹, Yeganeh A. ², Jabalameli M. ¹, Rezaizadeh A. ³, Aminsharifi A. ⁴ ✉

¹ Department of Orthopedics Shafa Orthopedic Center Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran; ² Department of Orthopedics Rasoul Akram Hospital Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran; ³ Department of Orthopedics, Firouzgar Hospital Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran; ⁴ Rasoul Akram Hospital Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran

Aim: The effect of nail removal in tibial fractures treated by intra-medullar nailing (IMN) is not clear. In this study, patient pain reduction was assessed by measuring pain due to, implant with visual analog scale (VAS) before and after the removal.
Methods: In this observational cross-sectional study, previously diagnosed patients with tibial shaft fracture and IMN insertion were included. The pain severity was measured by VAS before and two months after nail removal. All statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software.
Results: Thirty-four patients were included in our study; 32 males (94.1%) and 2 females (5.9%). Mean (SD) time of nail removal was 36.51±8.67 months. Mean pain level before removal was 5.62±1.9 which decreased to 1.91±1.3 after removal (decrease by 66.01%; P<0.001). No significant relationship was found in pain reduction of patients with and without surgical complications (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Nail removal is associated with a high level of pain relief. The patient should be informed about the success rate of this method and its complications.