Abstract
Summary A study has been made of 488 patients with fracture of the humeral shaft treated during the period 1951–70. Of this number 456 were treated as out-patients, but 32 patients had multiple injuries in addition and required admission to hospital. In this latter group there was a significantly higher incidence of involvement of the radial nerve, delayed union and non-union. Conventional methods of immobilization were found to be unsatisfactory if the patient had to remain recumbent and in many of these cases there was loss of the initially good reduction. Early internal fixation was not often practicable because of the patient's general condition and the nature of the other injuries. Furthermore, those patients who had delayed elective internal fixation also showed a high incidence of delayed union and non-union. A simple method of controlled skin traction is described, which was found to be satisfactory, and it is suggested that it is a simple and safe alternative to internal fixation.
Published Version
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