The aim of fracture treatment is rapid bone union with the preservation of perfect function, resulting in the patients' early return to normal daily activities with a minimum of complications. Many conservative and operative methods are used for the treatment of tibial fractures. Conservative treatment consists of a toe-to- groin plaster cast. Surgically, the fracture can be stabilised with a plate and screws, an intramedullary rod or an external fixation device. All these methods involve serious complications. Impairment of subtalar, ankle and knee function, with severe atrophy of the calf and quadriceps muscles, for instance, are well- recognised problems following a toe-to-groin plaster cast. Deep infection of a tibial fracture, mainly following internal fixation, can be disastrous. Another treatment is early functional weight-bearing treatment, which was first described by Sarmiento and has the advantages of both the conservative method and operative functional treatment, without major complications. The advantages of conservative functional treatment are low infection rate, short hospitalisation time and the patients' early return to normal daily activities. The number of infected non-unions after operative treatment referred from other hospitals to the orthopaedic department at the University Hospital Leiden, motivated us to introduce functional weight-bearing treatment for tibial fractures. A prospective study was started in 1981 (University Hospital Leiden). It was our aim to investigate - the hospitalisation time. - the results of early weight-bearing m a functional brace and shorten the consolidation time. - a possible correlation between early full weight-bearing and the early, return of the patient to normal activities. This thesis reports the results of tibial fractures which were treated with a custommade functional brace. Patients admitted to the departments of orthopaedic and general surgery at the University Hospital Leiden, to the departments of orthopaedic surgery at the Westeinde Hospital, The Hague and the University Hospital Rotterdam, were studied between 1981 - 1983 and followed-up one year after the initial trauma.

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Erasmus University Rotterdam
B. van Linge , C.J. Snijders (Chris)
hdl.handle.net/1765/50948
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Leeuwen, W. M. (1989, September 6). Functional treatment of tibial fractures with a custom made brace. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/50948