Lack of Benefit of Physical Therapy on Function Following Supracondylar Humeral Fracture

Lack of Benefit of Physical Therapy on Function Following Supracondylar Humeral Fracture

Source: The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery

The goal of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of physical therapy in restoring function and mobility after a pediatric supracondylar humeral fracture.

The study included sixty-one patients from five to twelve years of age with a supracondylar humeral fracture that was treated with casting or with closed reduction and pinning followed by casting. Patients were randomized to receive either no further treatment (no-PT group) or six sessions of a standardized hospital-based physical therapy program (PT group). The ASK-p (Activities Scale for Kids-performance version) and self-assessments of activity were used to assess function at one, nine, fifteen, and twenty-seven weeks after injury.

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