Cancellous and Cortical Screws - What You Should Know?

Orthopedic screws are commonly used implants for the surgical treatment of fractures and other musculoskeletal conditions. These implants are required for fixing orthopedic plates and other trauma implants onto the fractured bone. Screws can also be used for direct bone-to-bone fixation or bone-to-soft tissue fixation. There are different types of orthopedic screws that are used depending on the individual’s condition. In this post, we will have a quick look at the difference between two types of screws, i.e., cortical and cancellous. 

What Are Cancellous Screws?

A cancellous screw is a type of mechanical screw that is designed to be used in cancellous bone environments. Also known as spongy bone, cancellous bone is a soft and light bone that is there at the end of long bones like the tibia. It is a softer and weaker bone that is less dense and has a high surface area. 

Cancellous screws are designed to have a coarse thread pitch and a smaller number of threads. This makes them suitable to be used under metaphyseal bone environments. 

These screws are made with a fully threaded and partially threaded shaft and can be availed in locking and non-locking structural configurations. 

What Are Cortical Screws?

Cortical screws as the name suggests are commonly used for treating fractures in the cortical bone. Almost 80% of bones in our body are cortical bones and when compared to cancellous, they are hard with a thick outer surface. These bones provide strength to the long bones of our body. 

Cortical screws are made to fix fractures in these bones. They have fine pitch and a large number of threads. Bone trauma is what these screws are used for the most. They can affix implant plates or be used directly for bone-to-bone fixation. 

Cortical screws are available as fully-threaded and partially-threaded screws and are made with locking and non-locking heads. 

What are Locking and Non-Locking Screws?

Locking and non-locking screws are defined based on their function when applied during fracture fixation. 

Locking screws are used along with locking plates and are made having a threaded head profile. This means they have threads in their head that locks against corresponding threads in the locking plates. These screws are ideal for fixed-angle fracture fixation.  

If we talk about non-locking screws, then unlike locking ones they have a plain head without any threads. These screws are made to be used along with non-locking plates. 

What Materials Are Used for the Manufacturing of Orthopedic Screws?

Orthopedic screws are available in both metal and non-metal structural configurations. The raw materials used to manufacture orthopedic screws are medical-grade stainless steel and titanium. Besides these, bioabsorbable screws are also there in the market that are made of polyglycolic acid, poly-L-lactic acid, and polylactic acid. 

If you are looking for an international standard quality range of orthopedic screws, contact Siora Surgicals Pvt. Ltd., a renowned orthopedic device manufacturer in India. The company is also looking to become a trustworthy supplier of Orthopedic Implants Latvia.