title: [Clinical randomized controlled trial on splint external fixation combined with Chinese herbs in treating distal radius fractures of elderly patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of Yishen Zhuanggu decoction ([Chinese characters: see text], YSZGD) on the fracture healing and function of wrist joint in osteoporotic distal radius fractures (ODRF) of elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety patients of ODRF were treated with splint external fixation and YSZGD, including 28 males and 62 females, with an average age of 63 years (ranged, 61 to 91 years). According to AO classification, all the patients were classified as type A or B1. Among the patients, 80 patients had a type of Colles fracture,7 patients were with a type of Smith fracture,and 3 patients had a type of Barton fracture. They were randomly divided into three groups included TCM, Western medicine and control group (30 cases each group) after the fractures were fixed manually by splint. Patients in TCM group took YSZGD orally, one potion and two time each day; the patients in Western medicine group treated with Calcitonin (50 units, intramuscular, 2 times each week), Caltrate D (1 tablets, taken orally, one time each day) and Alfacalcidol Soft Capsules (0.5 units, taken orally, one time each day); and the patients in control group took no medicine. X-ray examination on the fractured wrist was taken at the 4, 6, 8, 12th weeks after treating to observe, the fracture healings, the evaluation of wrist function and comparision of curative effects were taken at the 2nd month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fracture healing time in TCM group was 7.12 +/- 2.32 weeks and that in the Western medicine group was 9.25 +/- 3.05 weeks, showing significant differences between them (PC < 0.05), and that in the control group was 11.57 +/- 1.93 weeks which was longer thant in that in the two medicine groups (P < 0.05); According to Dienst wrist rating system, the excellent and good rates of three groups were 93.3%, 86.7% and 60% respectively which showing significant differences between medicine groups and control group (P < 0.05), and the curative effects of medicine groups were more excellent than that of control group through Ridit analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  YSZGD can promote the fracture healing evidently and shorten the healing time, whose curative effect surpassed Western medicine and promoted the restoration of wrist function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Wuyi TCM Hospital of Jiangmen City, Jiangmen 529031, Guangdong, China. csxhome@sina.com
authors.forename: Shu-xiang
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Le
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hui-qiang
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Situ
authors.forename: Chong-da
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Lin-jian
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Hong-guang
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005592:Fracture Fixation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011884:Radius / Q000601:surgery; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal