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Fractures fixed to heal straight — and move early

Trained at a high-volume trauma centre and seasoned by years of emergency cover at a tertiary hospital, with surgery and admissions at Sohana Hospital, Mohali. From a simple wrist fracture to multi-system polytrauma, the aim is the same: stable fixation, early movement, full function.

Emergency? Call now Procedures

Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Tarun Baghla, MBBS, MS (Orthopaedics)

Consultant Orthopaedic & Joint Replacement Surgeon, Sohana Hospital, Mohali · Formerly Attending Consultant, Fortis Hospital Mohali · PMC Registration No. [ADD REG NO]
Last reviewed 20 August 2026 · About the author

If this is an active emergency — an open wound with visible bone, a deformed limb, a cold or numb limb, a suspected spine injury, or an unconscious patient — call an ambulance and go to the nearest emergency department first. Do not attempt to straighten a limb or remove an embedded object. Call +91-98152-04016 on the way so the case can be received and planned before you arrive.

Principles

What good fracture surgery is actually trying to achieve

A broken bone will usually unite on its own. The reason we operate is rarely the bone alone — it is everything around it. Joints stiffen, muscles waste, and a limb held immobile for eight weeks may never work properly again even after the fracture heals perfectly.

Anatomical reduction — restoring length, alignment and rotation, so the limb works the way it was built to
Stable fixation — a construct strong enough to allow movement before the bone has united
Soft-tissue respect — minimally invasive approaches that preserve the blood supply the bone needs to heal
Early mobilisation — moving joints within days, not months
Infection prevention — urgent debridement and antibiotics in open fractures

In elderly patients with a hip fracture, this urgency is a matter of survival: operating and standing a patient up within 24–48 hours substantially reduces the risk of pneumonia, bedsores and clots.

Scope

Trauma procedures performed

Covering the full spectrum from isolated limb fractures to complex, multi-injury cases.

Intramedullary nailing

A rod passed down the centre of the femur, tibia or humerus through small incisions. Strong, biologically friendly, and usually allows weight-bearing within days.

Locking plate fixation

For fractures near or into a joint, where precise reconstruction of the joint surface matters — distal femur, tibial plateau, ankle, wrist, elbow and shoulder.

Hip fracture surgery

Dynamic hip screw, proximal femoral nailing, cannulated screws in the young, or bipolar and total hip replacement where the femoral head cannot be saved.

External fixation

Damage-control surgery for open, contaminated or badly swollen fractures — the limb is stabilised quickly, with definitive fixation once the soft tissues recover.

Non-union & malunion surgery

Fractures that failed to heal or healed crooked — revision fixation with bone grafting, deformity correction and, where required, biological stimulation.

Sports & soft-tissue injury

Ligament sprains, meniscus injuries, dislocations, tendon ruptures and the rehabilitation that follows — with regenerative options where surgery can be avoided.

What to expect

Common fractures and their timelines

Approximate figures for an uncomplicated injury in a healthy adult. Smoking, diabetes and poor nutrition slow every one of these down.

Injury	Usual treatment	Weight-bearing	Union	Back to work
Wrist (distal radius)	Cast, or plate fixation if displaced	N/A	6 weeks	2–8 weeks by job type
Collar bone (clavicle)	Sling, or plating if shortened / displaced	N/A	6–8 weeks	2–6 weeks
Shaft of femur	Intramedullary nail	Partial from day 2–3	10–16 weeks	8–12 weeks
Tibia (shin)	Nail or plate; external fixator if open	Guided, from 2–6 weeks	12–20 weeks	10–16 weeks
Ankle	Cast if stable; plate and screws if displaced	From ~6 weeks	8–12 weeks	6–12 weeks
Hip — elderly	Nail, screws, or hip replacement	Day 1 wherever possible	10–14 weeks	Function-based

Smoking roughly doubles the time a fracture takes to unite and significantly raises the risk of it never uniting at all. Stopping for even the healing period makes a measurable difference.

The pathway

What happens after an injury

Trauma care is a sequence, and each step protects the one after it.

Book a follow-up review

Assessment & imaging

Life-threatening injuries first, then a focused limb examination — circulation, sensation, skin — followed by X-rays and CT where the joint surface is involved.

Stabilisation

Splinting, pain relief, wound care and antibiotics with tetanus cover for open injuries.

Definitive surgery

Timed to the injury: hip fractures within 24–48 hours; badly swollen fractures deliberately delayed until the skin can tolerate an incision.

Early rehabilitation

Joint movement begins within days. Weight-bearing follows a written schedule specific to your fixation.

Union & return to function

Serial X-rays at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months, progressing to sport or heavy work only once the bone has genuinely united.

FAQ

Fracture questions

Usually not. Modern implants are inert and can stay for life. Removal is considered when the implant is prominent and irritating, in children with growing bone, or if it becomes infected — and only after the fracture has fully united, generally beyond 12–18 months.

Surgery depends on whether the fracture is displaced, whether it enters a joint, whether it is stable enough to hold position in a cast, and how quickly you need the limb working. The same bone can need very different treatment in two people.

Fractures that run into the joint surface carry a real risk of post-traumatic arthritis years later, which is exactly why anatomical reduction matters so much. If it does develop, it is managed like any other arthritis — injections first, replacement if needed.

Once you can perform an emergency stop without pain and are off strong painkillers — commonly 6–8 weeks after a lower-limb fracture, sooner for upper-limb injuries in an automatic car. It is worth checking your insurer's terms.

Adequate protein, calcium and vitamin D genuinely matter, especially in older patients with low vitamin D levels. Beyond correcting a deficiency, no supplement has been shown to accelerate healing — stopping smoking does far more than any tablet.

Yes, and it is welcome. Bring all X-rays taken from the day of injury onwards, plus your operation notes and implant details. Concerns about alignment, delayed union or ongoing pain are reviewed frankly.

Injured, or worried about a fracture that isn't healing?

Bring every X-ray from the day of injury onward. A proper review of the sequence usually explains more than any single new scan.

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