Close
Open
Share on Facebook
Twitter
Email
 
Notice: Users may be experiencing issues with displaying some pages on stanfordhealthcare.org. We are working closely with our technical teams to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
 

Find the latest information on COVID-19, monkeypox, and the flu vaccine

Menu
Search
Menu
Search
  • Doctors, Clinics & Locations, Conditions & Treatments
  • Patients & Visitors
  • MyHealth
  • Billing
  • Insurance
  • Medical Records
  • Support Groups
  • Financial Assistance
  • COVID-19 Resource Center
  • Locations and Parking
  • Visitor Policy
  • Hospital Check-in
  • Video Visits
  • International Patients
  • Contact Us
View All Information for Patients & Visitors »
We are available to assist you 24/7.
650-498-3333
GuestServices@stanfordhealthcare.org


View the changes to our visitor policy »

 

View information for Guest Services »

New to MyHealth?

Manage Your Care From Anywhere.

Access your health information from any device with MyHealth.  You can message your clinic, view lab results, schedule an appointment, and pay your bill.

ALREADY HAVE AN ACCESS CODE?

Activate Account

DON'T HAVE AN ACCESS CODE?

Create a New Account

NEED MORE DETAILS?

Learn More about MyHealth »
Learn More about Video Visits »

MyHealth for Mobile

Get the iPhone MyHealth app »
Get the Android MyHealth app »

WELCOME BACK

Forgot Username or Password?
Need Help?

Clear

Fracture Fixation

  • About
  • About
Overview
Overview

Fracture Fixation

When a bone is broken (or fractured) and the pieces are sufficiently out of alignment or potentially unstable, then they need to moved back into position and stabilized. This is sometimes referred to by patients as having the bones "re-set". The correct term to describe this for orthopaedic surgeons is to perform a "reduction". This can occur by "closed" means (without using a surgical incision) or as an "open" surgery (a formal surgical procedure that requires an incision).

When treated "closed", these can often be placed into splints and casts to temporarily immobilize the injury and allow the body to heal it. If the fracture pattern, location or severity does not allow for this to occur, then the "open" surgery is performed to align the bones and provide a mechanism to stabilize them to allow for the appropriate healing.

There are various methods to perform fracture "fixation" and certainly various types of implants that can be considered. These implants are being improved upon very frequently with new technological advancements and with a better understanding of how fractures heal best. The surgical procedures themselves are now becoming more and more minimally invasive as to decrease the overall "trauma" to the area of injury and to protect the local skin and muscles to a much greater extent.

One common term for operative fracture stabilization is called "open reduction internal fixation (ORIF)".  This means that a formal incision is used (Open), the bones are re-aligned (Reduction), and an implant is used (Internal Fixation) to maintain that alignment so the body can naturally heal the fracture. These implants are commonly made of various metals such as titanium and stainless steal. The vast majority of these are designed to stay in the body forever and only are taken out if they are in certain areas that can cause pain in the future. 

The implants may include metal plates and metal screws, long hollow rods or nails that fit inside the central portion of the bone, wires and various other scary sounding tools! However, these items allow for the internal stabilization (like an internal cast) while surgically re-aligning the bones. This is important because the bone need to be correctly aligned to not only heal, but to heal without leaving the patient with a significant functional problem once they heal.

The specifics of the surgery and the implants to choose from should be discussed in detail with your orthopaedic surgeon as this will vary depending on the type of injury and the specific location of the fracture within the bone.

Previous Section Next Section

Fracture Fixation
Fracture fixation stabilizes extremely misaligned broken bones by “re-setting,” or “reduction,” by using splints, casts, and implants, for example.
fracture fixation fracture treatment treatment for fractures

  • Find a Doctor
  • Find Conditions & Treatments
  • Find a Stanford clinic
  • For Patients & Visitors
  • Billing
  • Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
  • Insurance
  • Hospital Check-in
  • Contact Us
  • Video Visits
  • Send a Greeting Card
  • Get a Second Opinion
  • COVID-19 Resource Center
  • Behavioral Standards
  • Make a Gift
  • About Us
  • Quality & Safety
  • Annual Report
  • 300 Pasteur Drive Renewal Program
  • Stanford Health Care – Now
  • For Healthcare Professionals
  • Referring Physicians
  • Nursing
  • Allied Healthcare Professionals
First Responders
  • Newsroom
  • Careers
  • Volunteering
  • Vendors
  • Stanford Medicine Partners
  • Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley
  • Stanford Medicine
  • Stanford Medicine Children's Health
  • Stanford University
  • Legal
  • Privacy
  • Code of Conduct
  • |   Notice of Nondiscrimination      ©2022 Stanford Health Care. All Rights Reserved
Home
Close
Doctors
Clinics & Locations
Conditions & Treatments
Clinical Trials
MyHealth Login

Patients & Visitors
Billing
Insurance
Financial Assistance
Medical Records
Contact Us
Video Visits
Get a Second Opinion
COVID-19 Resource Center
Healthcare Professionals
Referring Physicians
Nursing
Allied Healthcare
About Us
Quality & Safety
Careers
Newsroom
Make a Donation
Stanford Health Care – Now
Close