Functional bracing in lower limb fractures.

This paper reports the experience of treating 198 fractures of the femoral shaft and 154 fractures of the tibial shaft in a cast brace. Cast bracing allows early weight bearing on a fractured limb, rapid bone healing, avoids post-operative infection and minimises the incidence of joint stiffness - the so-called "fracture disease". The advantages of early ambulation and freedom of joint movement is much appreciated by patients. Satisfactory functional results were achieved in 96% of the femoral shaft fractures treated in a cast brace. This method has been used in ipsilateral femoral shaft and femoral neck fractures, and ipsilateral femoral and tibial shaft fractures with satisfactory results. Functional bracing has been equally successful in treating fractures of the tibial shaft. The incidence of delayed union in tibial shaft fractures was 1.94%, significantly lower than reported in the literature.