The Effect of Prophylactic Corticosteroid Injection in Decreasing the Ulnar Sided Wrist Pain in Patients with Acute Distal Radius Fracture

Distal radius fractures are one of the most common fractures and ulnar sided wrist pain is one of the most common complications of these fractures. The simplest treatment for this complication is corticosteroid injection. The present study was designed to assess the effect of corticosteroid injection in prevention of ulnar sided wrist pain.

In this clinical trial study, 82 patients with distal radius fracture scheduled for closed reduction and percutaneous pin fixation were randomly divided into control and corticosteroid groups. In the cortcosteroid group the patient received a single betamethasone injection in the dorsoulnar side of the wrist before reduction, while the control group received placebo. The patients were followed for 6 months. The pain was assessed by visual analogue score and compared. (IRCT 201104062115N1)

Finally 82 patients were followed for 6 months, 39 in control (placebo) and 43 in corticosteroid group. The mean age of the patients was 39±13.62 in control and 42±13.23 in steroid group. At the end of the 3 month follow up the difference between the two groups with regard to the number of individuals without ulnar sided wrist pain was statistically significant (12 individuals in the control and 23 in steroid groups, p=0.038), while this was not the case in the 6 months follow up (18 individuals in the control and 23 in steroid groups, p=0.507), but in the both time frames the mean visual analogue pain score was higher in the control group (2.39±1.89 vs 1.09±1.41 at 3 months and 1.92±1.88 vs 0.95±1.21 at 6 months follow up (p<0.05).

Based on the findings of the present study it seems that prophylactic corticosteroid injection will be associated with a decrease in the severity of wrist pain in patients with acute distal radius fractures. With regard to the decrease in the number of painless individuals.