Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

There are few reports on function after limb salvage surgery using the Ilizarov technique, and none that document the pattern of recovery or predict when maximum function returns. This prospective, longitudinal study documents the baseline functional abilities of 40 consecutive patients with nonunion of a fracture in the lower limb. Patients were studied for at least two and a half years following the completion of surgery. Function was measured by timed tests of functional performance and by the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score self-reported patient questionnaire. Recovery was slowest in the early stages after removal of the frame and greatest between six months and one year. Statistically significant improvement continued up to, but not beyond two years. This observation has important implications for the length of follow-up incorporated into the rehabilitation programmes for patients, predictions of patient status in regard to compensation and for the desing of future studies to evaluate functional outcome.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Journal of bone and joint surgery - series b

Publication Date

01/01/2004

Volume

86

Pages

81 - 85