The value of conservative treatment versus surgery of non-displaced waist scaphoid fractures

Introduction Scaphoid fractures are the most common type of hand fracture. Traditionally, non-displaced fractures of the scaphoid have been treated conservatively, with the immobilisation of the hand with a cast; hence, surgical fixation of the fracture has become increasingly popular because of quicker re-mobilisation and return to its original function. However, this was balanced against the risk of complications of surgery of the fractures. This review article has found that there is no statistically significant benefit obtained, with both treatment methods showing equally good outcomes at the final follow-up. The aim of this review was to discuss the treatment of scaphoid fractures comparing the effectiveness of conservative treatment, with surgical intervention in non-displaced waist fractures of the scaphoid bone. Materials and methods Electronic databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed and the Cochrane Library, were searched with the