Question
My child is 5 years old. He fell while coming back from school and fractured his arm. Will surgery delay his future development?
Answer
In the treatment of fractures, the three basic principles of reduction, fixation, and functional exercise are crucial. Early and systematic functional exercise not only helps maintain the normal physiological function level of the body, accelerate fracture healing, and prevent functional impairment of adjacent unharmed joints but is also more importantly, it can prevent permanent functional impairment of the injured joint due to muscle adhesion, joint stiffness, and muscle atrophy. This can maximize the recovery of the patient’s limb function and prevent limb atrophy and joint contracture due to disuse.