Fracture of the scapular body: functional outcome after conservative treatment.

BACKGROUND

Scapular body fractures, irrespective of the number of fragments, are usually managed non-operatively, with favorable results. We evaluated results after non-operative management to determine the outcomes of scapular body fractures.

METHODS

We evaluated 22 patients following a fracture of the scapular body that had been treated non-operatively. To assess the influence of accompanying injuries other than those of the involved limb, we used both patient-oriented general health and shoulder-based outcome measures.

RESULTS

In this series the functional outcome, reflected by the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score, the Simple Shoulder Test (SST) score and the range-of-motion, showed a difference between multiple injured patient group and a group sustaining a isolated scapular fracture. There was no significant difference in the SF-36 scores of the overall group compared with an age-matched population control in any subcategory beside the subcategory social function. The SF-36 scores of the multitrauma patient group were significantly lower than the scores of the age-matched population controls in several subcategories.

CONCLUSION

Whereas isolated scapular body fractures healed leading to a functional shoulder score level equal to the general population and a range of motion equal to the uninjured contralateral shoulder, the multitrauma patient group showed a less favorable outcome.