Closed fractures of the proximal tibia treated with a functional brace.

It generally is agreed that fractures of the proximal tibia, when treated with intramedullary nails, are more likely to present technical difficulties and to be associated with an increased rate of complications. This study reports on 108 closed fractures located in the proximal third of the tibia that were treated with functional braces. Nonunion occurred in 2.7% of the patients; the final displacement and shortening averaged 20% and 3.5 mm, respectively. Eighty-eight percent of the fractures healed with less than 6 degrees of angular deformity. It seems that functional braces for closed fractures of the tibia, located in its proximal third, are a viable therapeutic approach that offers satisfactory clinical and radiographic results in a high percentage of instances.