ORIF is performed by our orthopaedic surgeon. The surgery is used to fix fractures in the arms and legs, including bones in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) is a surgery to fix severely broken bones. It’s only used for serious fractures that can’t be treated with a cast or splint. These injuries are usually fractures that are displaced, unstable, or those that involve the joint. “Open reduction” means a surgeon makes an incision to re-align the bone. “Internal fixation” means the bones are held together with hardware like metal pins, plates, rods, or screws. After the bone heals, this hardware isn’t removed. Generally, ORIF is an urgent surgery. Your doctor might recommend ORIF if your bone: breaks in multiple places moves out of position sticks out through the skin ORIF may also help if the bone was previously re-aligned without an incision — known as closed reduction — but didn’t heal properly. The surgery should help reduce pain and restore mobility by helping the bone heal in the right position. Despite the increasing success rate of ORIF, recovery depends on your: age health condition post-surgery rehabilitation severity and location of the fracture Depending on your fracture and risk for complications, your procedure might be done immediately or scheduled in advance.