A Prospective Comparison of Non-Operative and Operative Management of Humerus Mid-Shaft Fracturesa Prospective Comparison of Non-Operative and Operative Management of Humerus Mid-Shaft Fractures

Background: Humerus shaft fractures are common long bone fractures and the treatment options range from conventional plaster application to plate osteosynthesis. This study aimed to determine outcomes of non-operative vs operative techniques in managing mid-shaft humerus fractures. Methods: This randomized control trial was conducted in Department of Orthopaedics, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, from 10 Oct 2022 to 9 Apr 2023. Patients aged 20–70 years with unilateral, displaced, and closed humeral shaft fracture were included using non-probability consecutive sampling, after approval of hospital ethical committee and written informed consent of patients. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in group A were treated with operative technique and patients in group B were treated with non-operative technique. Outcomes were observed on 12 weeks’ follow-up. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS-22. Results: One-hundred-fifty patients were enrolled, 75 patients in each group. Mean age was 43.75±14.7 years in group A and 40.64±14.9 years in group B. There were 58.7% males in group A and 61.3% in group B. Females were 41.3% in group A and 38.7% in group B. In group A non-union was present in 5.3%, malunion in 10%, and radial nerve injury in 5.3% patients. In group B non-union was present in 17.3%, malunion in 26.7% and radial nerve injury in 21.3% patients. All these showed statistically significant difference with p-value 0.020, 0.041 and 0.004 respectively. Conclusion: Operative technique is better than non-operative technique in management of mid-shaft humerus fracture. Pak J Physiol 2025;21(2):34-37, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v21i2.1726