Tibia Fracture
Conditions
Brief summary
Two standards of care exist with regards to posterior splinting post-operatively. The proponents of splinting feel the additional immobilization decreases the stress on the soft tissue, subsequently preventing or limiting pain while improving early range of motion (ROM). The opposing belief is that the splinting is without therapeutic benefit and that early mobilization is beneficial. With regards to both practices, the surgeon's practice is anecdotally based on past experience. The purpose of this study is to compare the results obtained with and without posterior splinting after intramedullary (IM) nailing for tibia fractures in order to provide evidence based reasoning to guide future practice.
Interventions
PROCEDUREPost-Op Splinting
Splint will applied post-operatively and will remain on for two weeks
PROCEDURENo Splinting
Patient will be discharged post-operatively without a splint on their lower leg.
Sponsors
Denver Health and Hospital Authority
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Isolated tibia fracture that is open grade II or less and all closed tibia fractures that are amenable to treatment with an IM nail
Exclusion criteria
* Pregnant Women * Prisoners
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Differences across time and between groups for pain and range of motion | 3 months |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed