It's quite possible I'll be wearing the frames for a whole year, based on Dr Parihar's response to my last set of x-rays. He's not in agreement with my local orthopedist about removing the frames and putting me in walking braces in mid-April.
i have seen the X-rays.
they show progress. since the nuts have been loosened only on this visit, i would expect to see the improvement due to that only on the next set of X-rays.
removal of frames:
i usually remove the frames only when i can see corticalisation of at least 3 out of 4 sides of the bone - (medial cortex and lateral cortex are seen on the AP X-ray, and anterior and posterior cortex on the lateral X-ray)
in patients who have a nonunion etc, the leg can be protected in a brace after fixator removal. in patients who have a long regenerate (as in your case 6 cms), i believe that the risk of refracture or bending of the regenerate is too high to trust a brace, unless the 3 cortex sign as mentioned above is present.
as i may have told you at the initial consult.
- a month too late is better than a day too early.
- the consolidation phase is when the most patient patient becomes impatient, and i think i can ascribe the lesser number of complications that we have to the fact that i am able to resist patient pressure to take off the frame, before i am convinced that it is ready for removal, based on my clinical and X-ray findings, rather than on patients feelings or discomfort.
feel free to share this with your local orthopedist.