Benefits of Surgical Fixation

• Anatomical Restoration: Surgery allows for realignment of bone fragments, particularly when dealing with complex fractures involving the joint surface.
• Early Mobilisation: Internal fixation provides stability that often permits earlier range of motion exercises and weight-bearing, reducing complications associated with prolonged immobilisation.
• Improved Functional Outcomes: Proper alignment and fixation of knee fractures generally lead to better long-term knee function and reduced risk of post-traumatic arthritis.
• Reduced Healing Time: Surgical stabilisation creates a favourable environment for bone healing by maintaining fragment position and allowing compression across fracture lines.

Post-Surgical Care and Recovery

• Hospital Stay: Patients typically remain in hospital for 1-3 days after surgery, during which pain management, wound care, and initial mobilisation are addressed. The length of stay varies based on the complexity of the fracture, overall health, and progress with initial physical therapy.
• Pain Management: A multimodal approach to pain control typically includes oral medications and, occasionally, patient-controlled analgesia in the early post-operative period. Pain management strategies are adjusted as recovery progresses to balance comfort with avoiding long-term medication dependence.
• Rehabilitation: Physical therapy begins shortly after surgery with gentle exercises and gradually progresses to more challenging activities. The rehabilitation protocol follows a structured timeline that balances protection of the surgical repair with restoring motion, weight-bearing status, strength, and function.
• Follow-up: Regular check-ups with the orthopaedic surgeon allow monitoring of fracture healing, hardware position, and functional progress. These visits include radiographic studies and clinical examinations to guide adjustments to the rehabilitation programme as needed.