Title

Delayed mobilization in distal humerus fractures managed with plating

Authors

Animesh Gupta, Vineet Kumar*, Raj Kumar Arya, Prabhat Kumar & Vanshika Singh

Affiliation

Department of Orthopaedics, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (DR.RMLIMS), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Animesh Gupta - E-mail: animeshgupta301996@gmail.com

Vineet Kumar - E-mail: drvineet.kumar@drrmlims.ac.in

Raj Kumar Arya - E-mail: dr.rajkumararya@drrmlims.ac.in

Prabhat Kumar - E-mail: dr.prabhat.kumar.ortho@drrmlims.ac.in

Vanshika Singh - E-mail: vanshika.rmlims@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received April 1, 2026; Revised April 30, 2026; Accepted April 30, 2026, Published April 30, 2026

Abstract

The optimal timing of postoperative mobilization following surgical fixation of distal humerus fractures remains controversial, particularly in complex intra-articular fractures where concerns regarding fixation stability and elbow stiffness influence rehabilitation strategies. Distal humerus fractures are complex injuries requiring meticulous surgical management to achieve optimal outcomes. This prospective study evaluated 31 patients with closed distal humerus fractures (AO Type 13 C) treated with pre contoured locking plates, assessing functional recovery using the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) over a 6-month follow-up. The mean patient age was 37.5 years, with road traffic accidents being the predominant cause of fracture. MEPS scores improved significantly from 45.97 at 2 weeks to 72.58 at 6 months, with nearly half of the patients achieving good functional results. Common complications included stiffness, screw prominence, nerve compression and infection. Thus, we show that delayed mobilization following bi-columnar plating provides satisfactory outcomes in distal humerus fractures.

Keywords

Distal humerus fractures, delayed mobilization, pre-contoured locking plates, Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), functional outcomes

Citation

Gupta et al. Bioinformation 22(4): 2371-2375 (2026)

Edited by

P Kangueane

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.