Refracture Rate of Both Bone Forearm Fractures: A Retrospective Comparison of Casting Alone Versus Casting and Extended Functional Bracing

Background: One of the most common pediatric fractures is a midshaft both bone forearm fracture. The preferred nonoperative treatment is cast immobilization for 6 to 8 weeks; however, 4% to 8% refracture within 6 months. There are no comparative studies evaluating the efficacy of bracing after cast immobilization. We hypothesized that children treated with prolonged functional bracing would have a lower rate of refracture than casting alone or short-term bracing. Methods: This is a retrospective review of children younger than 15 years of age treated nonoperatively following radius and ulnar shaft fractures treated at 3 tertiary pediatric hospitals. We excluded distal radius/ulna fractures, isolated fractures of the radius/ulna, and fractures near the elbow. Logistic regression analysis on casting plus functional bracing was run to determine if age, translation, or the number of days in brace were associated with refracture. The incidence of refracture was compared between groups. Results: A total of 1549 patients were screened and 426 were included in the study [111 casting only (CO), 259 casting plus functional brace
Source: Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Trauma Source Type: research