Description
In this presentation, Dr. Daniel Perry, a children's orthopedic surgeon at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, discusses the management of forearm fractures in children, particularly focusing on wrist injuries. He introduces the idea of non-operative treatment, which he suggests is often overlooked in favor of surgical intervention. Dr. Perry highlights the remarkable capacity for children's bones, especially distal radius fractures, to remodel without surgical intervention, citing historical and recent studies to support his argument. He shares a case where a child's wrist fracture was initially deemed problematic but eventually healed beautifully without surgery, prompting Dr. Perry to question the necessity of routine surgical treatment for such fractures. He urges the audience to reconsider their practices based on evidence that suggests many fractures will remodel effectively if left alone. Furthermore, he presents an ongoing randomized controlled trial called the CRAFFT Study, designed to explore non-operative management of distal radius fractures, aiming to provide a robust framework for changing clinical practices in pediatric orthopedic trauma.