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Distal Radius Fractures: What Is the Problem?

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Distal Radius Fractures

Abstract

Why do we struggle with distal radius fractures as Abraham Colles stated 200 years ago: “… the limb will again enjoy perfect freedom in all its motions, and be completely free of pain”?

Why have half of all the publications on the topic “distal radius fracture”, listed in PubMed, been published in the last ten years?

Why is there so much controversy that the Cochrane Institute (2008) cannot find any evidence for anything we do in the management of distal radius fractures?

Why could the American Association for Orthopaedic Surgeons (2009) only find one area of “moderate” evidence, namely, regarding operative treatment: “We suggest operative fixation for fractures with post-reduction radial shortening >3 mm, dorsal tilt >10°, or intra-articular displacement or step-off >2 mm as opposed to cast fixation”?

Why can’t we manage this common fracture better in the twenty-first century?

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References

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Correspondence to Tommy Lindau MD, PhD .

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Lindau, T., Ekholm, C. (2014). Distal Radius Fractures: What Is the Problem?. In: Hove, L., Lindau, T., Hølmer, P. (eds) Distal Radius Fractures. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54604-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54604-4_1

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