Plate preparation
1. Non-locking plates
Non-locking plates must be anatomically contoured to the lateral surface of the bone.
If a dynamic compression, limited contact dynamic compression plate or a specialty plate is used, it needs to be contoured accurately to the lateral surface of the bone.
2. Locking plates
Locking plates do not require perfect contact on the bone surface, however, they may need some contouring as they should not be more than 2 mm away from the surface of the bone.
3. Compression plates
Compression plates must be over bent to produce a 1-2 mm gap between the plate and the bone at the fracture sites. Over bending of the plate at the fracture lines ensures even compression across the fracture lines when the screws are tightened.
