eli5: Why is it okay to drill into bones to set pins, but fractures are bad?
In: Biology
It’s the same as the difference between surgery and getting stabbed. Neither is good, but in one case it’s done in a controlled way where the dangers and downsides are outweighed by the benefits.
In the case of the pins in your ankle, your ankle would be better off without pins, but without the pins it wouldn’t have been able to heal correctly from whatever accident befell it.
As someone who has broken a ton of bones and still has pins in their ankle, I’ve always wondered this.
Drilling doesn’t compromise structural integrity.
A nail in a tree is fine, but a splintered trunk will bring that tree down soon.
Your bones support your weight.
Imagine a two flag poles.
One flag pole has a hole drilled in it and a small pin, and works fine.
The other flag pole is fractured into two parts.
Which do you think supports weight better?
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