If someone can commit to be there a year than full externals might not be bad but those of us who want to go home after distraction will have a hard time explaining to family and friends with those frames on our legs. Without the frames we can at least invent that we had a accident.
You can just claim you broke your tibias badly in a fall, these frames are used for bad breaks as well.
The main issue is psychologically if you can handle a year in frames, sleep is badly disrupted and its still painful regardless of new techniques. The frames also make stretching difficult as the pins tether your muscles. Washing is also very difficult in frames and muscle atrophy is worse.
If you can avoid getting this operation full stop and accept things the way they are that's better still. There's a reason very very few people actually go ahead and do this operation it's one of the toughest things you will ever do
