Relationship Between Hand Dominance and Treatment Outcomes for Distal Radius Fractures in the Elderly in the Short-Term

PURPOSE: Many studies have found no notable long-term differences in functional outcomes between operative and conservative treatments for distal radius fractures (DRFs) in elderly patients. However, those studies have not considered hand dominance. The current study compared outcomes between both treatments in a dominant wrist–injured group (dominant group) and nondominant wrist–injured group (nondominant group). METHODS: A total of 101 patients aged 65 years and older who experienced displaced DRF requiring reduction and who were managed for over 3 months with either operative or conservative treatment were examined. The dominant group included 46 subjects (operative, n = 26; conservative, n = 20), and the nondominant group included 55 subjects (operative, n = 28; conservative, n = 27). All operative treatments were performed with volar locking plate fixation, and all conservative treatments were immobilized with a sugar-tong orthosis or forearm cast. Functional outcomes and radiographic assessments were compared 3 months after treatment. The primary outcome measure was the Quick–Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) score; secondary outcomes were grip strength, range of motion, and Mayo wrist score. We also examined QuickDASH scores after at least 1 year. RESULTS: The QuickDASH score showed no significant differences between treatments by dominance at 3 months or more than a year. In the dominant group, operative treatment resulted in significant 7-kg greater grip strength at 3 months, whereas the nondominant group showed no significant differences in functional outcomes between treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Although QuickDASH scores were similar at 3 months and 1 year between treatments regardless of hand dominance, surgery for dominant-side DRF resulted in better grip strength than conservative treatment at 3 months. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study will help clarify potential outcomes differences between operative and conservative DRF treatment in patients aged over age 65 years.