Ekrol I. J Bone Joint Surg. 2014. doi:10.2106/JBJS.M.00268.
No significant benefits were found for patients with displaced or nondisplaced distal radial fractures who received vitamin C compared with a placebo, according to study data.
Investigators studied 336 patients with an acute distal radial fracture during a 1-year period. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 500 mg of vitamin C or placebo daily for 50 days following fracture. Complications, wrist and finger motion, grip and pinch strength, pain, Continuous Rank Probability Score (CRPS) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) values at 6 weeks and 1 year after treatment were evaluated.
No significant differences were observed in either cohort regarding patient or fracture characteristics, according to the researchers. Neither DASH nor CRPS values were significantly effected in either group; likewise, there were no significant between-group differences in time to union.
Patients in the vitamin C cohort had significantly greater wrist flexion and pinch strength deficits at 6 weeks follow-up, according to the researchers. That cohort also had higher rates of complications, as well as elevated usage pain if the fracture was displaced, at 26 weeks follow-up.
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.