I broke the 5th metacarpal on my my right hand mid september of 2011. i broke the 5th metacarpal on my my right hand mid september of 2011. i had an intramedullary pin placed in it and it healed up just fine. i was very sick with diverticulitis in janua

It : It all depends upon what type of device or implant is used. Some implants such as pins can be placed so that the surgeon plans to remove them. In this case if you delay removal then , yes., there can be a concern. Other implants commonly are put in and meant to stay in. That being said, you ve waited this long, so a few weeks shouldnt matter as long as you are not having symptoms due to the implant. If the implant is interfering with your joint, if it is infected, if it is rubbing on tissue, if it is irritating skin then yes get checked right away best person to ask, your surgeon.

Were : Were the pins left sticking out of the skin? Or were they buried? Pins that are buried are less likely to get infected and act more like plates or screws that are meant to stay in. Pins left outside the skin will eventually become infected. Usually we can get away with 6 weeks easily, but by 12 weeks we see a fair number of infections. After several months, they are nearly all infected. What position is your knuckle? Often the pins will keep the knuckle bent and prevent getting your fingers straight. In that case, you will need to have the pins removed to get motion again. Because the ligaments are stretched when the knuckle is bent, you should be able to work out the stiffness. However, if the knuckle has been straight the whole time, getting the hand to bend again can be quite difficult, since the ligaments shrink and the joint gets very tight. There is a device that is inserted toward the wrist and buried under the skin. It does not block motion and might be ok to leave in. Talk to your surgeon about the consequences of having the pin in this long, then you can schedule removal, if needed.