Abstract
We report fixation of intramedullary nail in surgical treatment of fractures of long bones in elderly patients. The cases consist of 5 females with an average age of 84 years old (range; 76 to 93 years old). Of these, two were femoral supracondylar fractures, and three were humeral neck fractures. All the patients had casts only for one week after the surgery, and after that we used only soft brace in all cases. The cases of femoral supracondylar fractures gained ROM from 0 to 120 degree in knee flexion/extension within 2 to 3 weeks after surgery, and they complained of no pain in these periods. One could walk with no cane or crutch support and another could walk their full weight bearing within 4 weeks after surgery. The cases of humeral neck fractures started rehabilitation with pulley exercises after removal of sutures and gained active ROM of 90 degrees of abduction within 4 weeks after surgery. In all cases bony union was obtained within 6 to 12 weeks. The results indicate that the fixation of intramedullary nail in surgical treatment of fractures of long bones is a favorable treatment for elderly patients.
