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Radius FractureNCT00955734

Early Motion After Volar Fixation for Distal Radius Fractures

A study testing Early motion and Immobilization in people with Radius Fracture, run by Washington University School of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Many surgeons pursue volar plating of the distal radius to allow earlier post-operative wrist motion. Early motion is generally prescribed in the belief that it will result in greater final motion without compromising fixation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Radius Fracture
What is being tested?
Early motion and Immobilization
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
25 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jun 2009to Jun 2015
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adults over 18 years of age having volar internal fixation for distal radius fractures.

Who cannot join

  • Patients will be excluded if immobilization is required for distal radioulnar joint instability (whether operatively pinned or simply immobilized in supination) or an associated carpal injury.
  • Patients with concurrent fracture of the ulna proximal to the base of the ulnar styloid will be excluded.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Washington University School of Medicine

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Early Motion After Volar Fixation for Distal Radius Fractures: A Prospective Trial

Many surgeons pursue volar plating of the distal radius to allow earlier post-operative wrist motion. Early motion is generally prescribed in the belief that it will result in greater final motion without compromising fixation. However, studies have failed to demonstrate clinically significant improvement in final wrist motion (> 1 year follow up) compared to treatments requiring longer immobilization such as external fixation or bridge plating.

Read the detailed description

Many surgeons pursue volar plating of the distal radius to allow earlier post-operative wrist motion. Early motion is generally prescribed in the belief that it will result in greater final motion without compromising fixation. However, studies have failed to demonstrate clinically significant improvement in final wrist motion (>1 year follow up) compared to treatments requiring longer immobilization such as external fixation or bridge plating (McQueen 1996, Handoll 2003, Atroshi 2006, Krishnan 2003, Sommerkamp 1994, Grewal 2005).

Only one study to date has attempted to define the early effects of wrist mobilization following volar plate fixation of the distal radius (Lozano-Calderon 2008). That study prospectively enrolled 60 patients and randomized them to begin wrist motion at 2 weeks (range 7 days - 13 days) or 6 weeks (range 42 to 49 days) postoperatively. This study found no significant difference in subjective or objective outcome measures at 3 or 6 months follow up. However, the investigation had several weaknesses. First, there was no attempt to confirm adherence to the immobilization protocols. Those in the late motion group were not casted but remained in orthoplast splints which could be easily removed. Secondly, this investigation collected data only at 3 and 6 months which prohibited them from commenting on the rate of improvement during the early weeks after mobilization. The authors acknowledged these limitations and further noted that no evaluation of patient cost was performed. Finally, radiographic evaluations in this study did not include analysis of change in alignment from immediate postoperative films.

Thus, the literature to date suggests that early mobilization of the volarly plated distal radius is safe but does not improve final wrist motion. The benefits of mobilization in the early postoperative period though have not been clearly defined. This project proposes to fill this void in the literature and determine if early mobilization is an effective measure to hasten recovery of motion and function.

Conditions
Radius Fracture
Being tested
Early motion, Immobilization
Keywords
wrist, fracture, motion, surgery
Medical subject headings
Radius Fractures, Fractures, Bone

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Early motionOther

    One set of patients will begin wrist motion at 1 week after surgery.

  • ImmobilizationOther

    This set of patients will be casted for 6 weeks after surgery.

Study groups in NCT00955734
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Early motionExperimentalThis group of patients will begin wrist motion 1 week after surgery.
Receives: Other: Early motion
ImmobilizationActive comparatorThis group will be casted for 6 weeks after surgery
Receives: Other: Immobilization

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Wrist Motion

    Measured: 2 weeks - 1 year

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Patient Function

    Measured: 2 weeks - 1 year

  2. Patient Pain

    Measured: 2 weeks - 1 year

  3. Fracture reduction

    Measured: 2 week - 1 year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Aug 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startJun 2009
  3. Primary completionJun 2015
  4. Study completionJun 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
25 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00955734
Sponsor's protocol ID
09-0566
Status last verified
Jun 2015
First submitted
7 Aug 2009
Last updated
29 Jun 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Early motion and Immobilization in people with Radius Fracture, run by Washington University School of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jun 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Wrist Motion (time frame: 2 weeks - 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Jun 2015.

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