A comparative study on treatment outcomes of bandage and casting in non-displaced extra-articular fracture of distal radius: A clinical trial study

Abstract

Background: There are some therapeutic choices in non-displaced extra-articular fracture of distal radius that confront with some controversy in their selection. We tried to study these two methods in this article. Methods: This was a prospective randomized clinical trial conducted on the patients (n=62) with NDEA fracture of distal radius, during 2015. The patients were randomly assigned to casting (n-32) or bandage (n=30) group to receive the respective fracture healing procedure. The patients were followed-up at the first, second, third, and sixth weeks after the treatment. The Disabilities of the DASH and the VAS questionnaire were completed. All patients underwent an X-ray radiographic assessment to evaluate any potential complication. Results: At the end of the study, in the bandage and casting group 30 and 32 patients finished the study. The statistical analyses showed that the bandage group showed significantly higher mean DASH score than the casting group at the first week, but for the second week the difference decreased so that for the third week, the casting group showed significantly higher value than the bandage group. Finally, at the sixth week the two groups showed no significant difference in the DASH value. The two groups showed no significant differences in the VAS scores for all follow up assessments. The returning time to work was shorter in the bandage group and the treatment cost was also lower in this group. Conclusion: Bandage is more appropriate treatment option for the NDEA fractures of distal radius.