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Galeazzi fractures are best treated with open reduction of the radius and the distal radio-ulnar joint. It has been called the "fracture of necessity," because it necessitates open surgical treatment in the adult. Nonsurgical treatment results in persistent or recurrent dislocations of the distal ulna. However, in skeletally immature patients such as children, the fracture is typically treated with closed reduction.
Medication can be prescribed to ease the pain. Antibiotics and tetanus vaccination may be used if the bone breaks through the skin. Often, they are treated without surgery. In severe cases, surgery may be done.
Available evidence suggests that treatment depends on the part of the femur that is fractured. Traction may be useful for femoral shaft fractures because it counteracts the force of the muscle pulling the two separated parts together, and thus may decrease bleeding and pain. Traction should not be used in femoral neck fractures or when there is any other trauma to the leg or pelvis. It is typically only a temporary measure used before surgery. It only considered definitive treatment for patients with significant comorbidities that contraindicate surgical management.
Most olecranon fractures are displaced and are best treated surgically:
Single intramedullary screws can be used to treat simple transverse or oblique fractures. Plates can be used for all proximal ulna fracture types including Monteggia fractures, and comminuted fractures.
The first line treatment should be reduction of movements for 6 to 12 weeks. Wooden-soled shoes or a cast should be given for this purpose. In rare cases in which stress fracture occurs with a cavus foot, plantar fascia release may be appropriate.
Post-traumatic wrist osteoarthritis can be treated conservatively or with a surgical intervention. In many patients, a conservative (non-surgical) approach is sufficient. Because osteoarthritis is progressive and symptoms may get worse, surgical treatment is advised in any stage.
External fixators can be used to prevent further damage to the leg until the patient is stable enough for surgery. It is most commonly used as a temporary measure. However, for some select cases it may be used as an alternative to intramedullary nailing for definitive treatment.
Initial treatment is typically in a cast, without any weight being placed on it, for at least six weeks. If after this period of time healing has not occurred a further six weeks of casting may be recommended. Up to half, however may not heal after casting.
If intraarticular trapeziometacarpal fractures (such as the Bennett or Rolando fractures) are allowed to heal in a displaced position, significant post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the base of the thumb is virtually assured. Some form of surgical treatment (typically either a CRPP or an ORIF) is nearly always recommended to ensure a satisfactory outcome for these fractures, if there is significant displacement.
The long-term outcome after surgical treatment appears to be similar, whether the CRPP or the ORIF approach is used. Specifically, the overall strength of the affected hand is typically diminished, and post-traumatic osteoarthritis tends to develop in almost all cases. The degree of weakness and the severity of osteoarthritis does however appear to correlate with the quality of reduction of the fracture. Therefore, the goal of treatment of Bennett fracture should be to achieve the most precise reduction possible, whether by the CRPP or the ORIF approach.
In athletes or if the pieces of bone are separated by more than 2 mm surgery may be considered. Otherwise surgery is recommended if healing does not occur after 12 weeks of casting.
Treatment options for distal radius fractures include non-operative management, external fixation, and internal fixation. Indications for each depend on a variety of factors such as patient's age, initial fracture displacement, and metaphyseal and articular alignment, with the ultimate goal to maximize strength, and function in the affected upper extremity. Surgeons use these factors combined with radiologic imaging to predict fracture instability, and functional outcome in order to help decide which approach would be most appropriate. Treatment is often directed to restore normal anatomy to avoid the possibility of malunion, which may cause decreased strength in the hand and wrist. The decision to pursue a specific type of management varies greatly by geography, physician specialty (hand surgeons vs. orthopedic surgeons), and advancements in new technology such as the volar locking plating system.
Treatment of this fracture depends on the severity of the fracture. An undisplaced fracture may be treated with a cast alone. A fracture with mild angulation and displacement may require closed reduction. Significant angulation and deformity may require an open reduction and internal fixation. An open fracture will always require surgical intervention.
Ice is applied to relieve pain and swelling. Any open wounds are cleansed to avoid infection.
For most fractures with less than 70 degrees of angulation, buddy taping and a tensor bandage resulted in similar outcomes to reduction with splinting.
In rare cases surgery may be required to place pins or plates in the bone to hold the pieces in place.
The disease can be treated with external in-situ pinning or open reduction and pinning. Consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon is necessary to repair this problem. Pinning the unaffected side prophylactically is not recommended for most patients, but may be appropriate if a second SCFE is very likely.
Once SCFE is suspected, the patient should be non-weight bearing and remain on strict bed rest. In severe cases, after enough rest the patient may require physical therapy to regain strength and movement back to the leg. A SCFE is an orthopaedic emergency, as further slippage may result in occlusion of the blood supply and avascular necrosis (risk of 25 percent). Almost all cases require surgery, which usually involves the placement of one or two pins into the femoral head to prevent further slippage. The recommended screw placement is in the center of the epiphysis and perpendicular to the physis. Chances of a slippage occurring in the other hip are 20 percent within 18 months of diagnosis of the first slippage and consequently the opposite unaffected femur may also require pinning.
The risk of reducing this fracture includes the disruption of the blood supply to the bone. It has been shown in the past that attempts to correct the slippage by moving the head back into its correct position can cause the bone to die. Therefore the head of the femur is usually pinned 'as is'. A small incision is made in the outer side of the upper thigh and metal pins are placed through the femoral neck and into the head of the femur. A dressing covers the wound.
For stage I, normally, nonsurgical treatment is sufficient. This type of therapy includes the use of splint or cast immobilization, injections of corticosteroid in the pain causing joints and the use of a systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to reduce pain and improve the functional use of the affected joint. However, the amount of pain that can be suppressed by nonsurgical therapy is limited and with the progression of the wrist osteoarthritis surgical treatment is inevitable.
In stage I surgical treatment often consists of neurectomy of the posterior interosseous nerve and is often combined with other procedures. In the case of a SLAC, the scapholunate ligament can be reconstructed in combination with a radial styloidectomy, in which the radial styloid is surgically removed from the distal radius. In the case of a SNAC, the scaphoid can be reconstructed by fixating the scaphoid with a screw or by placing a bone graft(Matti-Russe procedure)to increase the stability of the scaphoid.
Treatment of ankle fractures is dictated by the stability of the ankle joint. Certain fractures patterns are deemed stable, and may be treated similar to ankle sprains. All other types require surgery, most often an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), which is usually performed with permanently implanted metal hardware that holds the bones in place while the natural healing process occurs. A cast or splint will be required to immobilize the ankle following surgery.
In children recovery may be faster with an ankle brace rather than a full cast in those with otherwise stable fractures.
Though these fractures commonly appear quite subtle or even inconsequential on radiographs, they can result in severe long-term dysfunction of the hand if left untreated. In his original description of this type of fracture in 1882, Bennett stressed the need for early diagnosis and treatment in order to prevent loss of function of the thumb CMC joint, which is critical to the overall function of the hand.
- In the most minor cases of Bennett fracture, there may be only small avulsion fractures, relatively little joint instability, and minimal subluxation of the CMC joint (less than 1 mm). In such cases, closed reduction followed by immobilization in a thumb spica cast and serial radiography may be all that is required for effective treatment.
- For Bennett fractures where there is between 1 mm and 3 mm of displacement at the trapeziometacarpal joint, closed reduction and percutaneous pin fixation (CRPP) with Kirschner wires is often sufficient to ensure a satisfactory functional outcome. The wires are not employed to connect the two fracture fragments together, but rather to secure the first or second metacarpal to the trapezium.
- For Bennett fractures where there is more than 3 mm of displacement at the trapeziometacarpal joint, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is typically recommended.
Regardless of which approach is employed (nonsurgical, CRPP, or ORIF), immobilization in a cast or thumb spica splint is required for four to six weeks.
The aim of treatment is to minimize pain and to restore as much normal function as possible. Most humerus fractures do not require surgical intervention. One-part and two-part proximal fractures can be treated with a collar and cuff sling, adequate pain medicine, and follow up therapy. Two-part proximal fractures may require open or closed reduction depending on neurovascular injury, rotator cuff injury, dislocation, likelihood of union, and function. For three- and four-part proximal fractures, standard practice is to have open reduction and internal fixation to realign the separate parts of the proximal humerus. A humeral hemiarthroplasty may be required in proximal cases in which the blood supply to the region is compromised. Fractures of the humerus shaft and distal part of the humerus are most often uncomplicated, closed fractures that require nothing more than pain medicine and wearing a cast or sling for a few weeks. In shaft and distal cases in which complications such as damage to the neurovascular bundle exist, then surgical repair is required.
The treatment of Pilon fractures depends on the extent of the injury. This includes the involvement of other bones such as the fibula and the talus, involvement of soft tissue, and the fracture pattern. Treatment strategies and fixation methods used include internal and external fixation, as well as staged approaches, with the aim of reducing the fracture, reconstructing the involved bones and restoration of articular surface congruence, with minimal insult to soft tissues. Appropriate wound management is important to reduce the high rate of infectious complications and secondary wound healing problems associated with open Pilon fractures. Vacuum-assisted wound closure therapy and using a "staged protocol" (awaiting soft-tissue recovery before extensive reconstructive efforts) may play a positive role.
A Cochrane review of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound to speed healing in newly broken bones found insufficient evidence to justify routine use. Other reviews have found tentative evidence of benefit. It may be an alternative to surgery for established nonunions.
Vitamin D supplements combined with additional calcium marginally reduces the risk of hip fractures and other types of fracture in older adults; however, vitamin D supplementation alone did not reduce the risk of fractures.
Boxers and other combat athletes routinely use hand wraps and boxing gloves to help stabilize the hand, greatly reducing pain and risk of injury during impact. Proper punching form is the most important factor to prevent this type of fracture.
In children, the results of early treatment are always good, typically normal or nearly so. If diagnosis is delayed, reconstructive surgery is needed and complications are much more common and results poorer. In adults, the healing is slower and results usually not as good.
Complications of ORIF surgery for Monteggia fractures can include non-union, malunion, nerve palsy and damage, muscle damage, arthritis, tendonitis, infection, stiffness and loss of range of motion, compartment syndrome, audible popping or snapping, deformity, and chronic pain associated with surgical hardware such as pins, screws, and plates. Several surgeries may be needed to correct this type of fracture as it is almost always a very complex fracture that requires a skilled orthopedic surgeon, usually a 'specialist', familiar with this type of injury.
The arm must be supported by use of a splint or sling to keep the joint stable and decrease the risk of further damage. Usually, a figure-of-eight splint that wraps the shoulders to keep them forced back is used and the arm is placed in a clavicle strap for comfort.
Current practice is generally to provide a sling, and pain relief, and to allow the bone to heal itself, monitoring progress with X-rays every week or few weeks. Surgery is employed in 5–10% of cases. However, a recent study supports primary plate fixation of completely displaced midshaft clavicular fractures in active adult patients.
If the fracture is at the lateral end, the risk of nonunion is greater than if the fracture is of the shaft.
This treatment consists of aligning a bone or bones by a gentle, steady pulling action. The pulling may be transmitted to the bone or bones by a metal pin through a bone or by skin tapes. This is a preliminary treatment used in preparation for other secondary treatments.