Rehabilitation for distal radial fractures in adults (Cochrane Review)

A substantive amendment to this systematic review was last made on 31 October 2001. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary.

Background: Fracture of the distal radius is a common clinical problem, particularly in older white women with osteoporosis.

Objectives: To examine the evidence for effectiveness of rehabilitation intervention(s) for adults with conservatively or surgically treated distal radial fractures.

Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group specialised register (November 2002), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2003), the Cochrane Rehabilitation and Related Therapies Field database, MEDLINE (1966 to January 2003), EMBASE (1988 to 2003 Week 3), CINAHL (1982 to December 2002), the National Research Register (Issue 4, 2002), AMED, PEDro, conference proceedings and reference lists of articles. No language restrictions were applied.

Selection criteria: Randomised or quasi-randomised clinical trials evaluating rehabilitation as part of the management of fractures of the distal radius sustained by skeletally mature patients. Rehabilitation interventions such as active and passive mobilisation exercises, and training for activities of daily living, could be used on their own or in combination, and be applied in various ways by various clinicians.

Data collection and analysis: All trials meeting the selection criteria were independently assessed by all three reviewers for methodological quality. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. The trials were grouped into categories relating to the main comparisons, and to when the intervention(s) commenced (for example, during or after plaster cast immobilisation). Quantitative data are presented using relative risks or mean differences together with 95 per cent confidence limits.

Main results: Twelve trials, involving 601 mainly female and older patients, were included. Initial treatment was conservative, involving plaster cast immobilisation, in all but 20 patients whose fractures were fixed surgically. Though some trials were well conducted, others were methodologically compromised. No trial provided definitive evidence. Only very limited pooling of results from comparable trials was possible.For interventions started during immobilisation, there was weak evidence of improved hand function in the short term, but not in the longer term, for early occupational therapy (1 trial), and of a lack of differences in outcome between supervised and unsupervised exercises (1 trial).For interventions started post-immobilisation, there was weak evidence of a lack of clinically significant differences in outcome in patients receiving formal rehabilitation therapy (3 trials), passive mobilisation (2 trials) or whirlpool immersion (1 trial) compared with no intervention. There was weak evidence of a short-term benefit of continuous passive motion (post external fixation) (1 trial), intermittent pneumatic compression (1 trial) and ultrasound (1 trial). There was weak evidence of better short-term hand function in patients given physiotherapy than in those given instructions for home exercises by a surgeon (1 trial).

Reviewers' conclusions: The available evidence from randomised trials is insufficient to establish the relative effectiveness of the various interventions used in the rehabilitation of adults with fractures of the distal radius.

Citation: Handoll HHG, Madhok R, Howe TE. Rehabilitation for distal radial fractures in adults (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2003. Oxford: Update Software.

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This is an abstract of a regularly updated, systematic review prepared and maintained by the Cochrane Collaboration. The full text of the review is available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X).

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