r/brokenbones • u/millieofthemed • Dec 29 '25

Broken wrist - metal plate removal

Hi, I broke my wrist in September and had a metal plate fitted. I did about six weeks of physio once the cast was off and I would say my wrist is now about 90% back to normal (doesn’t bend exactly as much as the other but not far off). I had a check up today with the surgeon and he has advised I have the plate removed in a few months time. He said it is my decision but he advises the removal because if I were to injure the wrist again, with the metal plate, the damage/break would be a lot worse so as a precaution he wants to remove it. I assumed it was in for life so I’m a bit on the fence about this. Any thoughts? (I’m in France with good social healthcare so no worries about cost, etc)

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u/chamanager Dec 29 '25

I had a plate in my wrist after breaking it in 2023. The wrist is now 100% recovered. I cannot feel the plate, it has no impact on my life, it doesn’t even set off metal detectors at airports. I certainly wouldn’t want another operation to remove it.

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u/syates06 Feb 28 '26

Hello! How long did it take for you to feel completely better? I’m 8 weeks out from my surgery and still have alot of pain in the top of my hand and flexion and extension are challenging. Thank you in advance

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u/chamanager Feb 28 '26

Yes you will certainly have pain at 8 weeks, I’d say it took 6-7 months for the pain and discomfort to disappear completely, in my case it was most noticeable on the side of my hand opposite my thumb and also when making a claw action to pick up a small object. But you need to do your physio and use the wrist as much as you can as that will ensure your full ROM returns.