Lower Extremity Fractures in Patients with Spinal-Cord Injury

Abstract
From experience gained from the treatment of forty-six fractures occurring in patients with spinal-cord injury, it is obvious that conventional methods of fracture care are not always applicable to fractures occurring in paraplegic patients. Pillow splints and well padded plaster casts are very useful methods of treating fractures below the mid-femoral shaft in paraplegic patients. Fractures of the hip region usually received no treatment other than positioning of the involved extremity. Treatment should strive to achieve fracture healing with minimum danger to the patient, should cause little or no interference with the patient's daily routine, and should ensure that functional capacity will be unchanged after healing occurs.