Orthopedic fixation supplies are the plates, screws, wires, pins and nails used to hold bone in position while it heals. If you buy or manage supplies for an orthopedic practice or facility, it helps to understand what each product is generally used for. Here is a plain-language overview of the products in our Orthopedic Implants & Fixation Supplies range.
Plates and screws
Bone plates
Metal plates that are fixed to the bone with screws to hold fragments in the right position while the bone heals.
Cortical screws
Screws with fine threads designed for the dense outer layer of bone, often used together with plates.
Cancellous screws
Screws with coarser, wider threads designed for the softer, spongy bone found near the ends of bones.
Locking screws
Screws with a threaded head that locks into the hole of a matching plate, creating a stable, fixed connection between screw and plate.
Cannulated screws
Hollow screws that are placed over a thin guide wire, which helps with accurate positioning.
Wires and pins
K-wires (Kirschner wires)
Thin, smooth wires often used for temporary or provisional fixation, especially in smaller bones.
Steinmann pins
Thicker pins used where more strength is needed, for example to hold bone fragments or as part of traction.
Cerclage wires
Flexible wires that are looped around the bone to hold fragments together.
Nails, frames and soft-tissue fixation
Intramedullary nails
Long rods placed inside the hollow center of a long bone, such as the thigh bone or shin bone, to stabilize a fracture from the inside.
External fixation pins
Pins that pass through the skin into the bone and connect to a frame outside the body, holding the bone in position from the outside.
Bone staples
U-shaped metal staples used in some procedures to hold bone pieces together.
Suture anchors
Small anchors that are fixed into bone and carry suture, allowing soft tissue such as a tendon or ligament to be attached to the bone.
Choosing the right products
Which implant or fixation product is used for a patient is a clinical decision made by the surgeon, based on the injury or procedure. What a supplier can do is make the practical side easy: confirm available sizes and lengths, materials, packaging and sterile status, and answer questions about quantities and delivery.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Product selection and use must always follow the surgeon's judgment and the manufacturer's instructions.
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