Evidence-Based Management of Pediatric Distal Radius Buckle Fractures

Authors

Daniel A. Cornejo, University of LynchburgFollow

Specialty

Orthopaedics

Advisor

Nancy E. Reid

Abstract

Distal radius buckle fractures, or torus fractures, are common injuries sustained by pediatric populations after a ground-level fall. Traditional treatment of these injuries involved casting with serial x-ray imaging to evaluate for proper healing and maintained alignment. Studies of these injury patterns, however, suggest that these fractures are inherently stable and have a very low incidence of displacement. These studies posit that torus fractures can be treated definitively in a removable brace that can be discontinued by the patient’s caregiver without the need for follow-up examinations or imaging. A review of pertinent literature from the past five years was performed and concluded that, in pediatric patients who sustained acute radial torus fractures, there is no worse functional ability after equal healing time in patients treated with removable bracing and no scheduled follow-up than in patients treated with hard casting and clinical re-evaluation. Implementation of this evidence-based treatment can significantly improve patient care by reducing unneeded follow-ups and imaging while minimizing the cost of treatment and missed school/work days by patients and their caregivers.

Recommended Citation

Cornejo DA. Evidence-Based Management of Pediatric Distal Radius Buckle Fractures. University of Lynchburg DMSc Doctoral Project Assignment Repository. 2022; 4(4).