Extremity fracture management in acute spinal cord injury

Abstract

Extremity fracture management in acute spinal cord-injured individuals can be summarized by the following principles. Fracture management should be based on the belief that the individual, regardless of neurologic dysfunction, will ambulate in his or her lifetime. Nondisplaced, low-energy fractures may be managed nonoperatively. Upper extremity fracture care should follow general orthopedic principles with a tendency toward surgical fixation. Most lower extremity fractures, including the hip, should undergo open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). © 2005 Thomas Land Publishers, Inc.