Recovery of strength after reduced pediatric fractures of the forearm, wrist or hand; A prospective study.

Loss of strength was more prominent and prolonged the more invasive the treatment, hence most extensive in the group receiving open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF), intermediate in the group receiving closed reduction with percutaneous pinning (CRIF), and least extensive in the group undergoing closed reduction without internal fixation (CR). Besides time passed, gender and age were of significant influence on strength, although there was no difference in pattern of recovery over time between children who received a different treatment. In the period of 6 weeks to 3 months after trauma, female gender, type of fracture sustained and occurrence of an unwanted event were associated with an increased ratio between affected and expected grip strength. For the later phase of recovery, between 3 and 6 months, this was only true for the occurrence of an unwanted event.