title: Prophylactic corticosteroid injection in ulnar wrist pain in distal radius fracture.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ulnar sided wrist pain is one of the most common complications of distal radius fractures. The simplest method for decreasing pain for this affliction is corticosteroid injection. The present study was designed to assess the effect of corticosteroid injection in the prevention of ulnar sided wrist pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this clinical trial patients with distal radius fractures scheduled for closed reduction and percutaneous pin fixation were divided into control and corticosteroid groups. In the corticosteroid group, the patient received a single betamethasone injection in the dorsoulnar side of the wrist before reduction, while the control group received placebo. The patients were to be followed for at least 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  82 patients were followed for 6 months. At the end of the 3 months followup the difference between the two groups about the number of individuals without ulnar sided wrist pain was statistically significant (P = 0.038), so that less patients in the control group were painless, while this was not the case in the 6 months followup (P = 0.507), but in the both time frames the mean grip power, visual analog pain score and the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score showed statistically significant difference between the two groups, so that the corticosteroid groups demonstrated greater power grip and less scores in pain and DASH (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the findings of the present study it seems that prophylactic corticosteroid injection will be associated with a decrease in the severity of wrist pain in patients with acute distal radius fractures. With regard to the decrease in the number of painless individuals, it seems that the decrease is not persistent. Overall the need for a study with longer followup is obvious.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Kerman Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saied
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Medical Informatics Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heshmati
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Medical Informatics Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Amirreza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadeghifar
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Kerman Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Alia Ayatollahi
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Students' Research Committee, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Fateme
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arabnejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Students' Research Committee, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pooladsanj
keywords: Pain; Radius fractures; distal radius fracture; pain management; steroid; steroids; wrist; wrist injuries