ABSTRACT

Functional brace is a common method of treatment used on the humeral shaft fractures. Our aim is to report results of the treatment of functional brace which we used for closed humeral shaft fractures. We treated 129 patients who had a closed fracture of the humeral shaft with functional brace in GATA Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department between January 2000 and December 2003. 85 patients were male and 44 were female. Mean age was 26. Mean follow up period was 13 months. In 121 patients the union was achieved in 8-11 weeks, and in 8 patients open reduction and internal fixation was necessary. All but eight of the patients had an excellent or a good functional result with a nearly full range of motion of the extremity. There were a minimum of complications, including eight non-unions. We concluded that functional brace is a cheap, effective method for diaphyseal fractures of the humerus brace.