Fracture & Bone

Do you have to remove the metal plate in your body? When is it removed?

Hee Seung Nam, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon · October 29, 2026 · Hardware removal seen through 1,040 operations

There is a question that people who have had fracture surgery ask most often in the clinic: "Doctor, when does this metal come out? Do I have to remove it?"

The answer is "it depends on the person and the site." Saying only that would leave you at a loss, so this time I looked directly at my own surgical records. Of the 1,040 operations I performed at three hospitals from March 2023 to October 2026, the operations the surgical record classified as hardware removal numbered 119 (about 11%). That is about one in ten, a fairly common operation in orthopedics. Of these, I excluded 16 that were not operations to remove metal from the body, such as removing foreign bodies, calcium or loose bodies in a joint, and looked closely at the remaining 103 below.

Where was metal removed most often?

The most common sites were the wrist and hand (25) and the ankle and foot (24). Both are where bones most often break in a fall, and the plate sits right under the skin, so it is easy to feel and to cause discomfort.

Next came the clavicle (10), the kneecap (9) and the plate from high tibial osteotomy, HTO (9). An HTO plate is not for a fracture; it holds the bone after it has been cut to straighten a bowlegged knee. It is often removed once the bone has healed, because it tends to catch under the skin on the inner side of the knee and would have to come out anyway if a knee replacement is done later.

By contrast, there were only 2 removals from the femur. I explain why below.

Do you have to remove it?

If it causes no trouble, most of the time it does not need to come out. Orthopedic metal used today rarely causes problems even after a long time in the body. Removing metal is a real operation too, so anesthesia, a wound and, rarely, risks such as infection, nerve injury and refracture come with it.

But in these cases I recommend removal or actively consider it.

• When the metal can be felt or hurts: where there is little flesh, such as the outer ankle bone, collarbone, kneecap and tip of the elbow, the metal easily rubs against shoes or bag straps.
• When infection develops: once bacteria settle on the metal surface, removing the metal is often needed to cure it.
• When screws loosen or the metal breaks
• When the metal interferes with joint movement or tendons
• When another operation is planned: an osteotomy plate is the typical example.
• When a young, active person wants it: we decide after talking it through thoroughly.

On the other hand, there are also cases where it is better not to remove it. A large rod placed for a fracture around the hip is a major operation to take out, and there is a risk of breaking again through the old site, so especially in older patients it is usually left in. That is why there are only two femur removals in my records. In places where a nerve runs right next to the metal, such as the humerus, I also weigh benefits and risks more carefully.

When is it removed?

There is one principle: after the bone has healed completely and firmly. Only once the bone has rebuilt itself to the point where the fracture line cannot be seen on X-ray can it take over the work the metal was doing.

I selected 28 patients whose records include both the fracture surgery and the hardware removal for the same person, and calculated the time between the two operations.

• The median was about 6.7 months.
• Half of the patients had the metal removed between about 6 and 11 months.
• 25 of the 28 patients (89%) fall between 3 and 18 months.

By site, there were small differences: the shoulder and upper arm (hook plates, etc.) about 5 months, the clavicle 6 months, the ankle and foot about 7 months, the wrist about 9 months and the elbow about a year. But split by site there are only 3 to 8 patients each, so please treat these as rough tendencies. Also, this calculation can use only records from March 2023 onward, so it does not include people whose fracture surgery was before that or who have not yet had the metal removed. For that reason the true intervals may be longer than shown.

Only 1 of the 28 had the metal removed within 3 months. Removal this early happens when discomfort is severe or for a special reason such as reoperation. It does not mean "the sooner the better."

What is the removal operation like?

It is much lighter than the first operation. Based on my records, it looks like this. (Operating time and hospital stay are from 31 operations in 2026 for which records remain; anesthesia and age are from the 72 with records.)

• Operating time: median 25 minutes, half between 20 and 40 minutes
• Anesthesia: mostly regional anesthesia that numbs only the lower body or the arm; general anesthesia in 1 of 72
• Hospital stay: median 3 days (counted from admission date to discharge date); some went home after a single day
• Patient age: median 60 years, with 75% in their 50s to 70s

Cautions after removal

Right after metal is removed, small holes remain in the bone where each screw was. Until those holes fill back in with bone, that area is relatively weak. For that reason I usually tell people to avoid falls and activities with heavy impact for about 6 weeks to 3 months. How long the holes take to fill depends on the site and age, so talk with your doctor about when to return to sports.

Rarely, bone comes away with the metal. I once struggled when bone loss turned out to be greater than expected while removing a screw from a small wrist bone (the scaphoid). That is why the principle "if it does not bother you, do not remove it" matters.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have an MRI with metal in my body?

Most orthopedic metal (titanium, medical stainless steel) is MRI-safe. The image around the metal may be slightly blurred. Be sure to tell the staff before the scan that you have metal in your body.

Will it set off airport security?

Depending on the size and type of the metal, it may or may not. Even if it does, explaining that it is from surgery usually ends with an extra check.

Won't it rust or harm the body if I just leave it?

Medical metal is made so that it does not rust in the body. If it causes no trouble, most people can keep it for life with no problem.

In closing

• If it causes no trouble, it mostly does not need to come out.
• If it is removed, it is after the bone has fully healed, usually between 6 months and a year in my patients.
• For a few weeks to a few months after removal, do not put stress on the bone.

Even the same metal has a different right answer depending on site, age and lifestyle. It is best to decide while looking at the X-ray together with the doctor who operated on you. If you have questions, please write to doctornhs@naver.com.

The statistics in this article were compiled, with personal information removed, from 1,040 operations I performed from March 2023 to October 2026. Of the 119 that the surgical record classified as hardware removal, I analyzed 103 after excluding 16, such as removal of foreign bodies, calcium or loose bodies in a joint. The interval calculation is based on the 28 patients for whom both the fixation and the removal were confirmed for the same person. Because these are one doctor's records, please treat them as reference material rather than a general standard. This article is general information, and treatment must be decided through an examination.