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Background: Nearly one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese in the United States. This study aimed to explore the difference in injury characteristics and treatment outcomes between forearm fractures in children based upon weight status. Methods: Four hundred and sixty-eight skeletally immature children sustaining forearm fractures between 2017-2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, injury characteristics, treatment methods, and complications were reviewed. Patients were analyzed by weight group: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese as defined by body mass index (BMI) percentile based upon age. Analyses were performed on dichotomized groups: underweight and normal weight (UN) versus overweight and obese (OO). Results: The median age at injury was 10 years. The distribution of BMI categories was 4.1% underweight, 56.2% normal weight, 16.2% overweight and 23.5% obese. OO individuals were less likely to have angulated (>10 degrees) fractures in any plane (34% vs. 45%) and less likely to require closed reduction (27% vs. 37%) compared to their UN peers. Those with an acceptable cast index (less than 0.8), regardless of weight, trended towards lower rates of loss of reduction compared to those with poor cast index (17% vs. 29%). No statistically significant differences were found in rates of open fracture, low energy mechanism, operative treatment, loss of reduction, or complications between OO and UN children. Conclusions: Overweight and obese children sustain forearm fractures that are less angulated and require closed reduction at a lower rate. There are no differences in rates of open fracture, low energy mechanism, operative treatment, loss of reduction, or complications between overweight and normal-weight children treated for forearm fractures.

Over recent decades, the prevalence of women in surgical subspecialties has increased. There has been a significant rise in the percentage of women entering integrated plastic surgery programs and an increase, albeit smaller, in women entering orthopedic surgery training programs. Although female membership in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand has steadily increased, women remain in the vast minority within this professional society and many others within the field of hand surgery. In addition to underrepresentation in positions of leadership, women face challenges such as imposter syndrome, bullying, unfavorable work structure for work-family balance, macro and micro-aggressions, and lack of mentors at a higher rate than their male colleagues. As awareness rises of the additional challenges that women in hand surgery face, we must directly address them to improve equity within our subspecialty.

BACKGROUND Pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures are the most common elbow injury in children, accounting for 12% to 17% of all childhood fractures. A lack of information exists regarding complication rates on the basis of fellowship status and geography. METHODS The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) Part-II database was used to identify candidates who performed either percutaneous or open treatment of humeral supracondylar or transcondylar fractures between 2002 and 2016 on patients aged 0 to 12 years. Candidates were categorized by fellowship training experience. Information analyzed included fellowship status, surgical procedure, complications, and geographic location of treatment. Data were analyzed utilizing the χ and Fischer exact tests and were considered significant if P≤0.05. RESULTS A total of 9169 cases (mean, 5.36+2.27 y; range, 0 to 12) were identified between 2002 and 2016, 8615 of which were treated with closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, whereas 554 were treated with an open procedure. The 5 most common fellowships treating these fractures were listed as pediatrics (4106), sports medicine (1004), none (912), trauma (732), and hand/upper extremity (543). Pediatrics performed the highest number of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), however, reported the statistically lowest percentage of ORIF. A statistically significant difference was identified between surgical complication rates and fellowship specialties, with pediatrics having the lowest complication rate (7.0%), followed by no fellowship (8.2%), trauma (9.0%), sports medicine (9.8%), and hand/upper extremity (11.2%) (P

Background: Many variables affect the pressure caused by splinting or casting. The purpose of this study was to compare pressure underlying a splint wrapped with either an elastic bandage or a bias cut stockinette. Methods: Thirty-two plaster volar resting splints were applied to a simulated extremity with a saline bag secured to it. A pressure transducer was connected to the saline bag to monitor changes in pressure once splints were applied, and 15 mL increments of saline were added to the bag to simulate swelling. Each dressing type was tested with normal application and tight application. Results: Normal application splints wrapped with either bias cut stockinette or an elastic bandage demonstrated similar initial splint pressures ( P = .81). With simulated swelling, splints wrapped with bias cut stockinette demonstrated a 15 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-28.5) higher average pressure than those wrapped with an elastic bandage ( P = .035). Tight application splints with an elastic bandage wrap demonstrated a 46 mmHg (95% CI, 16-77) higher initial splint pressure than those wrapped with bias cut stockinette ( P = .009). Conclusions: Splints wrapped using either an elastic bandage or bias cut stockinette appear to have a similar safety profile, although in cases of excessive swelling, an elastic bandage may provide additional compliance. Tight splint application appears to be more hazardous with the use of an elastic bandage compared with a bias cut stockinette. Further study of the use of elastic bandages and bias cut stockinettes in the clinical setting may be warranted.

Monteggia fracture-dislocations in the pediatric population have unique patterns of injury that require distinct considerations in diagnosis and management. When appropriately diagnosed and treated early, acute pediatric Monteggia injuries have favorable outcomes. Missed or inadequately treated injuries result in chronic Monteggia lesions that require more complex surgical reconstructions and are associated with less predictable outcomes. This article reviews the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic pediatric Monteggia injuries as well as the controversies there in.

Upper extremity injuries seen in young athletes participating in golf and tennis are typically overuse in nature, whereas lower extremity injuries in these sports are generally due to acute trauma. The biomechanics of the swing in golf and tennis lead to stress on the wrist in both the planes of flexion-extension as well as radial and ulnar deviation. These repetitive motions can potentially result in tendinopathies of the wrist extensors and flexors. Intra-articular pathology, such as injuries to the triangular fibrocartilage complex can also occur. Initial treatment of these injuries in the young athlete is typically non-operative but may include operative intervention in order to alleviate discomfort and/or facilitate return to sport.

Background Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tears have been treated with increasing frequency in pediatric and adolescent patients over the past decade. There is little information on these injuries in young athletes and a scarcity of data regarding their ability to return to preinjury levels of athletic participation. The purpose of this study was to review the outcomes of pediatric and adolescent athletes with operatively treated TFCC tears with or without a concurrent ulnar shortening osteotomy and to determine their ability to return to their preoperative level of activity. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients who underwent operative treatment of TFCC tears between 2006 and 2012 within one Upper Extremity practice. Patients were included if they were high-level athletes, unable to participate in their sport secondary to wrist pain and desired to return to their sport. All operative patients had imaging studies and clinical findings consistent with TFCC injury as the primary source of their activity-limiting pain and had failed nonoperative management prior to surgery. Patients without at least 3 months of documented postoperative follow up were excluded. Results In total, 22 patients were included in the chart review with 20 patients willing to participate in a telephone survey and PODCI. Eighty percent of patients returned to their sport following operative treatment of their injury at an average of 4.8 months. Seven of the 22 patients underwent a concurrent ulnar shortening osteotomy for ulnar positive variance. All 20 patients reported satisfaction with the outcomes of their surgery and treatment. Conclusions Operative treatment of TFCC injuries in adolescent and pediatric athletes after failure of conservative treatment allowed return to sport at the previous level of participation. Concurrent ulnar shortening osteotomy in the setting of ulnar positive variance did not prohibit return to high-level athletic participation. Level of evidence Level IV.