Fractures diagnosed in primary care – a five-year retrospective observational study from a Norwegian rural municipality with a ski resort

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize fractures recorded at a Norwegian primary care centre near a ski resort. Design: A retrospective five-year observational study in the period 2010–2014. Setting: A primary care centre equipped with an x-ray machine and located near a ski resort in a small rural municipality of 931 inhabitants in Norway. The X-ray images are digitalized and instantly transferred for assessment of a radiologist and/or an orthopedic surgeon both before and after treatment. Subjects: All patients with radiologically confirmed fractures. Results: A total of 1154 X-ray examinations were done, out of which 480 (41.6%) were fractures verified by a radiologist. The most frequent fractures were in the wrist (30%), collarbone (15%), shin (11%), humerus (9%) and ankle (8%). 316 (66%) of the fractures were in males and of these 225 were in age group 10–19 years. Males dominated among fractures in collarbone (92% males), finger (80% males), and foot (85% males). Women with fractures of the wrist, ankle, humerus and metacarpal bones, had a higher median age than men with similar fractures. Nonsurgical treatment with cast or braces was initially offered in 371 (77%) of the fracture-cases at the primary care level. Conclusion: KEY POINTS: A large seasonal variation was found in number of patients with fractures. More than 60% had fractures in the wrist, collarbone, shin or ankle. More than half of the patients with a fracture were males and below 20 years old. Most fractures were ski-related.