I broke two bones in my hand a few years ago. I had surgery and they put screws and plates in top to fix it. I'm not really sure what they're made of but I think it's steel. Is random swelling in that hand normal?
Plate and screws are usually implant grade stainless steel or titanium alloy.There are absorbable implants but very few surgeons use those.Most commonly stainless steel. Implants made by reputed companies are less likely to break or corrode.Although such implants can be safely left in the body there may be issues which make us advice implants removal. We only advice implant removal once we are convinced about fracture healing. Below are specific reasons for implant removal.Young active patient can get a fracture above the implant or even worse break the bone and bend the implant. I advice implant removal at 18 to 24 months.Implant can be felt under the skin and it hurts on impact. Again I take it out once it's job is done.Implant irritates tendon or nerve.Any infection around the implant site.Metal allergy. More commonly seen with steel although I have seen with titanium too.Your complaints of intermittent hand swelling may not be directly related to implant and may persist after implant removal.Good luck
I did a hundred squats and now I can't even walk straight because my muscles hurt too much. What could pass the pain?
Quite honestly, you're in a beautiful world of pain that should be cherished like you’d cherish a child. Your body is trying to adapt to the stress you put it under and quite frankly, the feeling of not being able to walk straight after a leg day means you did something right in that workout.But to answer your question, if the pain is genuinely worrying you then quite honestly the best thing you can do is to eat a shit ton of food that puts you into a substantial caloric surplus, preferably with lots of protein and lots of carbohydrates, which are essential for protein synthesis i.e recovery. And then get lots of sleep, i.e 8 - 10 hours. This is your best way of recovering. If you want to go really extreme then doing hot-cold-warm cycles preferably with ice baths has been proven to aid recovery. Then if you want to go really really extreme then anabolic steroids could help.A previous answer said “if the pain hasn’t gone after 3 days then consult a physician”… If this was the case I would be consulting a physician about 26 times a year as pretty much every time I hit my heavy squat workouts (about every 2 weeks) I get severe leg ache that lasts on average around 5 days. It’s nothing to worry about you’ll be back to normal in a few days, your legs will have repaired, your body adapted and next time you do your 100 squats it will be fractionally easier.Enjoy the muscle soreness OP! :)
What happens if you don't get a Tetanus shot after getting cut with rusty metal?
Maybe nothing.But you could get tetanus, and once you get it, even if they manage to save you, you may still wish you had died. Dying of tetanus may be the most painful way to die on the planet.Here is a painting done in 1809 of a person dying of tetanus. Painting done by his doctor. The position is called opistothonus.Why does he look like this? Your muscles ‘fire’ to contract, i.e., shorten. Then a chemical in your muscles is released to relax your muscles. What the tetanus toxin does is to prevent that chemical from being released, so your muscles fire, contract, and NEVER LET GO.Back muscles are stronger than stomach muscles, so you arch your back.If you are in really good shape, too bad, because you leg muscles can contract so strongly that they will BREAK. YOUR. THIGH. BONES, the strongest bones in your body.Imagine a ‘Charley Horse’ in every muscle in your body, 24 hours a day, for days on end.And there is almost nothing that can be done to spare you. Eventually, your diaphragm contacts, and never lets go, so you quit breathing.Getting to this blissful stage often takes 3 days. 3 days of the worst pain imaginable.(BTW, we know the chemical that’s released, and could give it to you, but then, you would stop breathing, which presents it’s own set of problems)Personally, I think the vaccine shot is the way to go, but hey, to you anti-vaxxers out there, it’s your call. Just don’t do this to your kids, please.BTW, the bacteria that causes tetanus, Clostridium tetani, is a common soil living bacteria. It’s in the ground everywhere. It’s NOT rust that causes tetanus, but a rusty nail indicates it’s been in contact with the soil for a period of time, and thus likely has C. tetani on it.C. Tetani is an anaerobic bacteria, meaning that Oxygen is poisonous to it. If you get a scratch, tetanus is very, very unlikely, because of the Oxygen. But a puncture, like from a nail, creates an oxygen-free atmosphere in the wound, just perfect for C. Tetani to grow and thrive.Tetanus can be ‘treated’ today, but 2/3 of patients still die, and those that survive typically spend 6–8 weeks in the hospital, mostly on a ventilator, with about 3–4 weeks in a induced coma, followed by 4–6 months in rehab. Personally, I think getting the vaccine is easier.BTW, there is a variation of this disease called infantile tetanus. New borns can get it from, for example, non-sterile scissors used to cut their umbilical cord. I will spare you the pictures.
I just pricked my finger with rusty pin, can I get tetanus? I have had tetanus vaccine so if I go to a Doctor for this, will I be fine?
The fine members of the medical community have answered this for you but here it is in laymen terms.Tetanus (Lockjaw) is caused by bacteria. The bacteria is found in contaminated soil. Not contaminated soil as in a toxic waste dump but contaminated soil as in feces contaminated. Scary thing, it is also found in dust. If you get Tetanus around 20% die so a booster shot is a much better gamble.Three Things are necessary for you to get Tetanus:Presence of the bacteria. No bacteria, no risk.An opening in the skin like a puncture from a nail or needle or a scratch that breaks the skin. The key is breaking your skin.Never vaccinated or not vaccinated within the last 10 years. Not all vaccination last forever. You need a booster about every 10 years. Especially if you work in the soil like gardening.
Is it normal to still have pain 7 weeks after a total knee replacement?
Is it normal to still have pain 7 weeks after a total knee replacement?Absolutely normal at 7 weeks, probably still ‘normal’ at 3 months, and certainly not unusual at 6 months. Not unheard of even longer.Talk to your surgeon about your pain (location etc.) and severity, and what medicines you SHOULD be taking.SOME surgeons have become very stingy with pain killers with all the (government) fuss over opioid addiction, so you may not get more or a more powerful prescription with letting him know.On the side of safety do NOT tak any more than the surgeon prescribes, ever.If you aren’t taking your full dose “by the clock” (which means exactly as the prescription allows) then up your intake a little to see if the pain subsides.Surprising how many people complain about pain but aren’t taking the meds.In addition, if you aren’t ELEVATING PROPERLY & ICING a LOT, then do that every time the pain intrudes AND when you think it MIGHT (like after therapy.)Again, surprising how many people quit ELEVATION and ICING way too early.As long as you don’t risk “frostbite” you really can ICE MORE.PROPER ELEVATION REQUIRES having the ANKLES ABOVE knees, and Knees ABOVE hips.It’s usually the ANKLES ABOVE knees part that people screw up — ELEVATION works on GRAVITY, so if the ankles are even close to the same level as knees it’s probably not set correctly.Even professionals forget to explain this (If they really know.)PROPER ELEVATION requires CAREFUL and REPEATED attention to your “pillow stack” in almost all cases.(It’s a actually small engineering task requiring regular maintenance or at least consideration every few minutes.)IF it hurts, you should be ICING and ELEVATING, plus taking the meds the surgeon prescribed.Do NOT “wait for the pain” as it is much easier to STOP PAIN than to make it go away once it is present.I had about the best double knee replacement EVER (better than almost all single replacements) but still had OCCASIONAL minor pain out to a year or 2 in one spot.My wife is at 2 months post-op for a bilateral total knee replacement and still has noticeable (interferes with her activities) pain — and needs to be reminded to ICE AND ELEVATE PROPERLY.