title: A prospective single center study to assess the impact of surgical stabilization in patients with rib fracture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the intensity of pain and duration of return to normal activity in patients with rib fractures treated with surgical stabilization with plating versus conventional treatment modalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted over a 12 month period. Patients with rib fractures were assessed by numerical pain scale. Patients having pain scale less than 5 were excluded from study. Patients having pain scale of 5 or more than 5 were treated with conventional treatment for next 10 days. On 11th day patients were again assessed by numerical pain scale and patients having score less than 5 were excluded from study. Patients having pain scale of 5, 6, and 7 were treated with conventional treatment and patients having pain scale of 8, 9, and 10 were selected for operative management. Operative and control group were compared on basis of intensity of pain and duration of return to normal activity. Follow up was done on 5, 15, and 30 post operative day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was less pain in operative group as compared to control group. Mean rib fracture pain in operative group was 9.15, 2.31, 1.12 as compared to 6.25, 5.96, 4.50 in control group on 5, 15 and 30 post operative days. Also there was early return to normal activity in operative group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical stabilization of rib fracture, an underutilized intervention is better than conventional conservative management in terms of both, decrease in intensity of pain and early return to normal activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, M.G.M. Medical College, Indore (M.P.), India. drgaurav287@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Gaurav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khandelwal
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Ankur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maheshwari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001860:Bone Plates; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult