Welcome to the Patients section of this website.
This website is designed to give you (and your family or carers) information before you have medical treatment from Manchester’s Specialist Limb Reconstruction Unit, based at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
There are many hospitals in and around Manchester which offer an excellent service for routine fractures and limb problems. This service at Manchester Royal Infirmary deals specifically with more complex problems.
Sometimes, complex fractures of bones are not suitable for conventional types of treatment available in other hospitals. A treatment for a fracture may have failed, and the bone has not healed properly or has been left with deformity. There may be a deformity from childhood in a limb which is causing problems as an adult. An arm or leg may be short due to a fracture or condition from childhood. There may be infection in a bone from an injury, an operation or just by chance.
These are unusual conditions that many hospitals find difficult to treat. We concentrate on these difficult problems by using methods not normally available in other hospitals. Often, this involves building a scaffold around the limb – a circular frame. This is one of several powerful methods of treatment possible.
We want you and your carers to be aware of what problems we can treat, what these treatments involve, and what problems or risks are associated with the treatments offered. This will give you a chance to prepare for what lies ahead. If you are aware of the likely progress and problems associated with treatment, you will be more mentally prepared and know how to spot potential problems early on, so that they can be dealt with early.
By definition, we treat complicated problems that cannot be treated elsewhere locally. This means that treatments can be very involved, take a long time to work, and be associated with risks. Most patients we treat have tried other treatments without success. Our team aims to improve your quality of life, and we will do everything in our power to make your treatment as smooth and manageable as possible.
Please click on the links to explore the information. The Patients section of this website is designed for anyone to understand without any medical jargon. If there is anything that is confusing you, please use the Contact Us form to let us know, and we will try to help. Our previous patients have kindly collated tips and tricks that they felt helped them get through their treatment. We hope that you find this helpful.
If you have a problem similar to those described on this website, you could ask your GP or hospital Consultant to refer you to our service.
Conditions We Treat
What can I do with a frame On?
Pin site care for patients
Frame Exercises To do at home
when the frame comes off