Splinting Versus Not Splinting of the Distal Lower Extremity After Intramedullary Nailing for Tibial Fractures

Denver Health and Hospital Authority20 enrolled

Overview

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.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Tibia Fracture

Interventions

Splint will applied post-operatively and will remain on for two weeks

No SplintingPROCEDURE

Patient will be discharged post-operatively without a splint on their lower leg.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

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

Locations (1)

Denver Health Medical Center

Denver, Colorado, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Differences across time and between groups for pain and range of motion

Time frame: 3 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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