Assessing the Radiological and Functional Outcomes of Colles' Cast Versus Functional Position Cast Immobilization in the Conservative Treatment of Distal End of Radius Fractures.

Introduction: The distal end radius fracture represents a prevalent orthopedic condition that affects individuals across various age groups, commonly resulting from falls onto outstretched hands. Ongoing research endeavors have delved into diverse methodologies for addressing this condition, encompassing conservative and operative modalities, yielding variable outcomes. While the literature extensively delineates numerous mobilization approaches, such as the functional position cast and Colle's cast, scant comparative studies evaluate these immobilization forms. Consequently, our study sought to holistically appraise and compare the radiological and functional outcomes associated with Colles' cast and functional position cast immobilization in managing distal end radius fractures.

Method: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary trauma center over two years, from October 2018 to September 2020. Data was collected from medical records with prior approval from the institutional ethics committee. The study included 64 patients, all above the age of 40, who suffered from distal end radius fractures and received conservative management. Patients with bilateral distal end radius fractures, associated ipsilateral limb injury, open or comminuted fractures, or inadequate medical records were excluded. The patients were divided into two groups based on the type of cast immobilization: group I comprised 30 patients managed with Colles' cast immobilization (volar-flexion and ulnar deviation position). In contrast, group II consisted of 34 patients with functional position cast immobilization (immobilization with dorsiflexion). The clinical (including pain, thumb swelling, finger swelling, finger stiffness, shoulder stiffness, and tenderness), radiological (including radial deviation, radial height, and volar tilt), and functional (range of motion (ROM), and disability of arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH)) outcomes were evaluated at 6, 12, and 24 weeks. The data analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and paired t-test were employed to analyze and compare radiological and functional outcomes between the two groups. A p-value of less than 0.05 indicated a statistically significant association.

Results: The radiological parameters, including volar tilt, radial inclination, and radial shortening, were derived from the medical records at various points: pre-reduction, post-reduction, 6-week follow-up, 12-week follow-up, and 24-week follow-up. Upon assessing these parameters, no statistically significant variance was observed between the two groups at specified time points. Comparison of the ROM between the two groups unveiled noteworthy results, indicating superior outcomes in the functional cast group at 6 and 12 weeks as opposed to the Colles' cast group. Grip strength assessment at the 24-week follow-up demonstrated statistically significant differences, with the functional cast group displaying enhanced grip strength.

Conclusion:  Our study revealed comparable radiological parameters between the two cohorts, yet it demonstrated a notable enhancement in both the ROM and functional outcomes in those subjected to functional cast positioning. These findings underscore the potential advantages of functional immobilization in bolstering patient rehabilitation.