Indian J Orthop
-
Annually, millions of people across the world are inflicted with bone fracture injuries. Untimely healing is a significant burden in terms of socioeconomic costs, personal costs, and patients' quality of life. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has gained much attention as a potential adjunctive therapy for accelerating fresh fracture healing, but its efficacy remains controversial. ⋯ There is a substantial level of inconsistency in the findings of several RCTs evaluating the efficacy of LIPUS as an adjunct for fracture healing. Although LIPUS has proven to be effective in certain trials for accelerating fracture healing, no definitive statement can be made regarding its universal use for all fracture types and methods of fracture care. Future high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes may help to elucidate the specific indications that warrant or dismiss the need for LIPUS therapy.
-
We evaluated a series of diaphyseal fractures of the tibia using low-cost, Indian-made modified Kuntscher nail (Daga nail) with the provision of distal locking screw for the management of the tibial diaphyseal fractures. ⋯ Unreamed distally locked dynamic tibial nailing (modified Kuntscher nail/Daga nail) can produce excellent clinical results for diaphyseal tibial fractures. It has the advantages of technical simplicity, minimal cost, user-friendly instrumentation, and a short learning curve.
-
Nonunions occur in 5-10% of fractures and are characterized by the failure to heal without further intervention. Low intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy has been developed as an alternative to surgery in the treatment of nonunions. We describe a systematic review on trials of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy for healing of nonunions. ⋯ Mean time to healing was 146.5 days, (range 56-219 days). There is evidence from trials that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound may be an effective treatment for healing of nonunions. More homogeneous and larger controlled series are needed to further investigate its efficacy.