Objective: To report the results from functional bracing of isolated ulnar shaft fractures.
Design: Retrospective review.
Setting: Two university hospitals.
Patients: Isolated ulnar shaft fractures in 444 patients were stabilized in functional braces that permitted full range of motion of all joints.
Intervention: Prefabricated braces that extended from below the elbow to above the wrist were applied within the first week after the initial injury.
Outcome measures: Union of the fracture, fracture angulation, and final range of motion of the forearm were evaluated.
Results: Two hundred eighty-seven patients were available for follow-up (65 percent). Union took place in 99 percent of the fractures. Shortening of the ulna averaged 1.1 millimeters (range 0 to 10 millimeters). Final radial angulation averaged 5 degrees (range 0 to 18 degrees). Dorsal angulation averaged 5 degrees (range 0 to 20 degrees). Average loss of pronation was greatest in fractures of the proximal third of the ulna, averaging 12 degrees. Fractures in the distal third averaged a loss of 5 degrees of pronation.
Conclusions: Functional bracing is a viable therapeutic alternative in the management of isolated ulnar shaft fractures. It is associated with a 99 percent union rate and good to excellent functional results in more than 96 percent of patients.