BODYCAST - THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CSOT

Managing distal and humeral shaft fractures
By Michael Gill, OTC, OT-SC

Reprinted with permission from Orthopaedics International, Issue 3, March 2006. Originally printed in the Winter 2002 issue of the Journal of the National Association of Orthopaedic Technologists.

Case Study Report
Fractures of the humerus have increased in frequency because of our aging population and the growth of participation in sports. Other contributing factors include osteoporosis and medical illnesses that affect a patient’s risk of falling.

Humeral fractures are among the most common traumatic injuries that a primary clinician will see in the office or emergency department. When treating them, the goal should be to maintain elbow and shoulder function while achieving prompt fracture union.

I will focus on injuries to the shaft and the distal humerus. The discussion begins with a look at functional anatomy and the causes and presentation. Diagnosis, treatment and complications follow.

This abstract is a portion of the article which appears in the Summer 2006 issue of BodyCast.  
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