Rehabilitation after musculoskeletal injury: Israeli and South African perspectives.

Rehabilitation for patients sustaining isolated and multiple musculoskeletal injuries due to trauma remains a mainstay of recovery. There are a wide variety of systems in place to manage the rehabilitation process. This article describes the post-traumatic rehabilitation procedures from 2 member countries of the International Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Israel and South Africa. The systems are reflective of the clear differences between these 2 countries with vastly different economic strata and health care systems. In Israel, the rehabilitation programs and resources are most likely the result of the mature social support systems and the trauma experience. In South Africa, the programs are reflective of a two-tier health care system, with patients exposed to varying levels of rehabilitation resources.

Pelvic ring fracture in the older adults after minor pelvic trauma - is it an innocent injury?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of severe hemorrhage as a potentially life-threatening complication in elderly patients with isolated, low-energy pelvic ring fractures, which may be more common than previously described. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at an academic level 1 trauma center, including 579 patients aged over 65 who suffered from isolated low-energy pelvic fractures between 2006 and 2020. Pelvic computer tomography (CT) scans, with or without contrast, were performed and reviewed for patients with suspected posterior ring injury or bleeding. Patients without CT scans were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Among the 123 patients with isolated pubic rami fractures, 30 (24.4 %) had bleeding with a significant hemoglobin drop (>2 g%). 21(70 %) patients of these had posterior pelvic ring involvement as compared to 45 who did not bleed (51 %, p = 0.07). There was a significantly larger proportion of patient who received anticoagulant therapy (ACT) with posterior ring injury among the bleeding group (20 % vs 3.2 % p < 0.01). Treatment included blood transfusion (19/123, 15.5 %), and arterial angiographic embolization (5/123, 4 %). No complications related to angio-embolization were observed, and all patients survived the initial 90-day period. No other source of bleeding was identified in any of these patients. CONCLUSION: Severe pelvic hemorrhage in the older adults due to a minor pelvic injury after a low-energy trauma is not an uncommon complication, especially with combination of ACT and posterior pelvic ring fracture. This indicates that these injuries more challenging than previously believed. Geriatric pelvic ring injuries should be monitored carefully with serial blood counts, and low threshold for imaging including contrast enhanced CT scans and angiography.

How resources affect management of periprosthetic fractures of the distal femur: perspectives from Israel, South Sudan, and South Africa.

Periprosthetic fractures of the distal femur have significant morbidity in both total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA, respectively). The incidence of these fractures is growing, with the predominant mechanism of injury being a fall from a standing height and therefore considered fragility fractures. In many countries, improved public funding and a flourishing private health care sector, when coupled with increased life expectancy, translates to more older patients receiving both TKA and THA and therefore an increased prevalence of periprosthetic fractures and their associated complications. These fractures may occur below a long stem THA, above a TKA, or between the two (so-called "interprosthetic fracture"). We will outline fracture classification, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment options, highlighting perspectives on treating these fractures in Israel, South Africa, and South Sudan. These countries represent differing access to resources, varied comorbidity factors, and differing health care systems. The points of difference and the points of similarity will be considered.

Automated computation of radiographic parameters of distal radial metaphyseal fractures in forearm X-rays.

PURPOSE: Radiographic parameters (RPs) provide objective support for effective decision making in determining clinical treatment of distal radius fractures (DRFs). This paper presents a novel automatic RP computation pipeline for computing the six anatomical RPs associated with DRFs in anteroposterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) forearm radiographs. METHODS: The pipeline consists of: (1) segmentation of the distal radius and ulna bones with six 2D Dynamic U-Net deep learning models; (2) landmark points detection and distal radius axis computation from the segmentations with geometric methods; (3) RP computation and generation of a quantitative DRF report and composite AP and LAT radiograph images. This hybrid approach combines the advantages of deep learning and model-based methods. RESULTS: The pipeline was evaluated on 90 AP and 93 LAT radiographs for which ground truth distal radius and ulna segmentations and RP landmarks were manually obtained by expert clinicians. It achieves an accuracy of 94 and 86% on the AP and LAT RPs, within the observer variability, and an RP measurement difference of 1.4 ± 1.2° for the radial angle, 0.5 ± 0.6 mm for the radial length, 0.9 ± 0.7 mm for the radial shift, 0.7 ± 0.5 mm for the ulnar variance, 2.9 ± 3.3° for the palmar tilt and 1.2 ± 1.0 mm for the dorsal shift. CONCLUSION: Our pipeline is the first fully automatic method that accurately and robustly computes the RPs for a wide variety of clinical forearm radiographs from different sources, hand orientations, with and without cast. The computed accurate and reliable RF measurements may support fracture severity assessment and clinical management.

New Versus Old-How Reliable Is the New OTA/AO Classification for Trochanteric Hip Fractures?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of the 2018 OTA/AO trochanteric hip fracture (THF) classification compared with the 1983 OTA/AO Muller classification system. To further delineate the reliability of classifying stable and unstable THF using the 2 classification systems. DESIGN: Radiographic observational study. SETTING: Multicenter, one Level 1 and one Level 2 trauma centers. PARTICIPANTS/PATIENTS: Seventy-three radiographic series of patients treated operatively for THF were evaluated by 6 orthopaedic surgeons. INTERVENTION: The OTA/AO THF classification system was applied by each surgeon to 73 cases in 2 independent assessments performed 4 weeks apart: once by the old classification followed by the new 2018 OTA/AO classification. Each radiographic series included lateral hip and anteroposterior initial radiographs. Eight random cases were duplicated in each of the surveys to evaluate the intraobserver reliability. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Intraobserver and interobserver of the group, subgroup and fracture stability classification determined by the interclass coefficient (ICC) and Cohen kappa values. RESULTS: The interobserver reliability for the group classification (31A1/A2/A3) was moderate using the new classification, whereas substantial agreement was shown using the old classification (0.49 and 0.69, respectively). The reliability of the fracture stability classification was higher using the old classification (0.70 vs. 0.52). Subgroup classifications interobserver agreement was fair for both classification systems, although lower reliability was shown in the old classification (0.34 vs. 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: The new OTA/AO classification has a lower interobserver reliability for THF classification when compared with the old one.

Is It Safe to Resume Direct Oral Anticoagulants upon Discharge after Hip Fracture Surgery? A Retrospective Study.

This study aimed to examine the incidence rate of early reoperations following hip fracture surgery and determine the safety of resuming direct oral anticoagulants. Many orthopedic surgeons are reluctant to resume chronic anticoagulation therapy for patients after surgical intervention for hip fractures. One of the main reasons is the potential for reoperation in the case of surgical complications. We conducted a retrospective cohort study at an Academic Level I trauma center, reviewing the records of 425 geriatric patients (age > 60) who underwent hip fracture surgery between 2018 and 2020, including a subgroup treated with direct oral anticoagulants prior to hospitalization. The study assessed the incidence rate of complications requiring early reoperation. Out of the 425 patients, only nine (2%) required reoperation within a month after discharge, with two (0.5%) on chronic anticoagulation therapy. None of the reoperations were urgent, and all were performed at least 24 h after re-admission. The findings revealed a very low incidence rate of reoperations in patients who underwent hip fracture surgery, with no reoperations performed within 24 h of re-admission. Consequently, we believe that resuming chronic direct oral anticoagulants is a safe and effective approach when discharging patients after hip fracture surgery.

Combat Injury Profile in Urban Warfare.

INTRODUCTION: Combat ground maneuvers consist of various platforms and have several environmental characteristics, influenced by the terrain, the operational mission, and the force's capabilities. This study assesses data on injuries sustained during urban warfare, aiming to evaluate the relationship between injury characteristics, maneuver platform, and personal protective gear on the battlefield. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IDF soldiers injured infantry soldiers from the "Cast Lead" and the "Protective Edge" operations in the Gaza Strip (2008-2009 and 2014, respectively) were divided into four groups according to the maneuver platform and the environment: mounted infantry (armored and unarmored vehicle) and dismounted infantry (urban and open area). The primary outcome was the severity of the injury, and the secondary outcome was the injured body part. RESULTS: Overall, 588 casualties were included in the final analysis, of whom 507 were dismounted infantry soldiers (265 in open terrain and 242 in urban area) and 81 were mounted infantry soldiers (20 in unarmored and 61 were injured in armored vehicles). The Injury Severity Score was similar in all subgroups. Open terrain subgroups were found to have fewer head injuries and higher levels of lower extremity injuries, similar to the unarmored vehicle group. More facial injuries were documented in the urban area group. CONCLUSIONS: The Injury Severity Score was not influenced by environmental protection. Although we found differences in the injured body parts, further studies on the exact mechanism of injury are needed to elucidate further the relationship and differences between the various platforms used and injuries seen in urban warfare, aiming for tailor-made protection.

Computer-Generated Radiographic Measurements of Distal Radius Fractures: Does It Help With Decision Making?

PURPOSE: Operative management of distal radius fractures (DRFs) has become increasingly common. Age, activity levels, and comorbid conditions are major factors influencing the treatment decision, although operative indications are still controversial. Radiographic parameters (RPs), such as radial inclination, dorsal tilt, and articular step-off, can provide objective support for effective decision making. However, manual measurement of RPs may be imprecise and subject to inconsistency. To address this problem, we developed custom software of an algorithm to automatically detect and compute 6 common RPs associated with DRF in anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. The aim in this study was to assess the effect of this software on radiographic interobserver variability among orthopedic surgeons. Our hypothesis was that precise and consistent measurement of RPs will improve radiographic interpretation variability among surgeons and, consequently, may aid in clinical decision making. METHODS: Thirty-five radiograph series of DRFs were presented to 9 fellowship-trained hand and orthopedic trauma surgeons. Each case was presented with basic clinical information, together with plain anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. One of the 2 possible treatment options was selected: casting or open reduction with a locking plate. The survey was repeated 3 weeks later, this time with computer-generated RP measurements. Data were analyzed for interobserver and intraobserver variability for both surveys, and the interclass coefficient, kappa value, was calculated. RESULTS: The interobserver reliability (interclass coefficient value) improved from poor to moderate, 0.35 to 0.50, with the provided RP. The average intraobserver interclass coefficient was 0.68. When participants were assessed separately according to their subspecialties (trauma and hand), improved interobserver variability was found as well. CONCLUSIONS: Providing computed RPs to orthopedic surgeons may improve the consistency of the radiographic judgment and influence their clinical decision for the treatment of DRFs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Orthopedic surgeons' consistency in the radiographic judgment of DRFs slightly improved by providing automatically calculated radiographic measurements to them.

Fragility fracture management and FLS models in South Africa and Israel.

Osteoporosis is a common disease of the elderly. Many patients at high risk are neither identified nor treated. A Fracture Liaison Service is a coordinated model of care for secondary fracture prevention. Several national quality indicators have been published in each country to improve surgical treatment and osteoporosis medical treatment. Fracture Liaison Services in both countries have been created by local clinicians with different models depending on the medical geographic locations of patients and the local setup. The objective of this review is to describe the national guidelines and the current clinical treatment models for fragility fractures in South Africa and Israel. Successes and barriers to successful implementation have been identified and are summarized.

When giants talk; robotic dialog during thoracolumbar and sacral surgery.

BACKGROUND: Spinal trauma patients treated in a specialized hybrid operating room (OR) using two robotic systems communicating during surgery. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients with thoracolumbar or sacral fractures who underwent surgical fixation between Jan 2017 to Jan 2020 with robotic-guided percutaneous pedicle screw insertion in the specialized hybrid OR with Robotic flat panel 3D C-arm (ArtisZeego) for intraoperative interventional imaging connected with the robotic-guidance platform Renaissance (Mazor Robotics). RESULTS: Twenty eight surgeries were performed in 27 patients; 23 with traumatic spinal fractures, 4 with multi-level thoracolumbar compression fractures due to severe osteoporosis. Average patient age 49 (range 12-86). Average radiation exposure time 40 s (range 12-114 s). Average radiation exposure dose 11,584 ± SD uGym2 (range 4454-58,959). Lumber levels operated on were between T5 and S2 (shortest three vertebras and longest eight vertebras). 235 (range 5-11) trajectories were performed. All trajectories were accurate in all cases percutaneous pedicle screws placement was correct, without breach noted at the pedicle in any of the cases. No major complications reported. In all cases, follow-up X-rays showed adequate fracture reduction with restoration. CONCLUSIONS: Merging of surgical robotics technologies increases patient safety and surgeon and patient confidence in percutaneous spine traumatic procedures.

Initial definitive treatment of open femoral shaft fractures with retrograde nailing - is it safe? A retrospective analysis comparing antegrade to retrograde nailing.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of severe open femoral fractures with retrograde intramedullary nailing, raises concerns of septic arthritis of the knee due to its intra-articular entrance point. There is little evidence concerning the safety of retrograde femoral nailing (RFN) usage in these cases, and what evidence there is does not necessarily include severe open fractures. Furthermore, the outcome of ballistic injuries treated in this manner and a comparison with antegrade femoral nailing (AFN), is yet to be established. The aim of this study was to examine the outcome of primary retrograde femoral nailing in high-grade open fractures and compare our results with similar fractures treated with AFN. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of treated high-grade open femoral fractures, was performed at an academic level one trauma centre between 2006 and 2016. Included were all open femur shaft fractures treated with either RFN or AFN as primary fixation. We analysed both patient groups and compared outcomes including the infection rate, non-union rate and secondary interventions. Presence of knee pain and long-term function, was evaluated using the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients with open femoral shaft fractures whose primary treatment was intramedullary nailing (IMN), were included in the cohort. Thirty patients were treated with RFN and 19 with AFN. No septic arthritis of the knee was detected in either group. One patient in the RFN group and two in the AFN had a deep surgical wound infection. Excluding reoperations for locking screw removal due to local irritation, the reoperation rate was 22% with two patients treated for non-union in the RFN group and two in the AFN. When comparing outcome measures, including SF-12 scores and the reported knee pain rates of AFN and RFN groups, no significant differences were observed. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that retrograde femoral nailing as initial definitive treatment in high-grade open femoral shaft fractures, resulted neither in septic arthritis of the knee nor in an unacceptable infection rate. General outcomes regarding complications and reoperations, was similar to antegrade femoral nailing performed in our centre for similar injuries.

Recommendations for Orthopedic Surgeons during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Toward the end of 2019, the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began to create turmoil for global health organizations. The illness, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), spreads by droplets and fomites and can rapidly lead to life-threatening lung disease, especially for the old and those with health co-morbidities. Treating orthopedic patients, who presented with COVID-19 while avoiding nosocomial transmission, became of paramount importance. OBJECTIVES: To present relevant methods for pandemic control and hospital accommodation with emphasis on orthopedic surgery. METHODS: We searched search PubMed and Google Scholar electronic databases using the following keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, screening tools, personal protective equipment, and surgery triage. RESULTS: We included 25 records in our analysis. The recommendations from these records were divided into the following categories: COVID-19 disease, managing orthopedic surgery in the COVID-19 era, general institution precautions, triage of orthopedic surgeries, preoperative assessment, surgical room setting, personal protection equipment, anesthesia, orthopedic surgery technical precautions, and department stay and rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Special accommodations tailored for each medical facility, based on disease burden and available resources can improve patient and staff safety and reduce elective surgery cancellations. This article will assist orthopedic surgeons during the COVID-19 medical crisis, and possibly for future pandemics.

Meniscal Entrapment After Tibial Plateau Fracture and Fixation: A Case Report.

CASE: A 40-year-old man presented with limited in range of motion, pain, and tenderness over the medial joint line after an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) because of a bicondylar tibial plateau fracture (TPF). The cause of his pain was inconclusive on Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), so arthroscopy was performed and identified an incarcerated medial meniscus at the fracture site. An osteotomy with medial joint elevation was performed followed by a meniscus release, with excellent results at the 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case reporting a trapped/incarcerated meniscus in a healed TPF after ORIF.

Evolution of treatment of femoral shaft fracture in polytrauma: Did damage control orthopaedics improve the outcome? A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of polytrauma patients with femoral shaft fracture has changed considerably during the past few decades. A transition from early total care (ETC) to "Damage Control" Orthopaedics (DCO) in selected patients was proposed in order to decrease mortality. The aim of the study was to investigate whether this policy change resulted in improved patient outcome. METHODS: We present a retrospective, comparative study, held in a Level I trauma center in Jerusalem, Israel. Polytrauma patients with Injury Severity Score higher than 16 with femoral shaft fracture were included. Data was extracted from our institute's electronic trauma registry. The study examines two time periods: Between the years 1996 and 2006 patients were treated according to the ETC protocol, with immediate intramedullary nailing (IMN) within 12 h. From 2007 until 2019 a DCO policy was adopted, implementing temporary external fixator for high risk patients, according to the "Hannover" criteria. Following resolution of the acute phase, these were converted to IMN. Patients eligible for DCO were matched to controls who received ETC during the earlier period. RESULTS: A total of ninety-six patients were included (DCO n = 44, ETC n = 52). The groups were comparable in terms of age, gender, mechanism of injury, injury to surgery time and Injury severity score (DCO median 31.5, ETC median 29). No statistical difference was found between the groups in terms of mortality (P = 0.757), acute respiratory distress syndrome (P = 0.534), sepsis (P = 0.519) and hospital stay (DCO median 24 days, ETC median 21.5 days) or ICU stay (Median 7 days in both groups). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study did not demonstrate better outcome by implementing DCO concepts in the polytrauma patient. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III prognostic.

An Uncommon Complication of Arteriovenous Fistula Following Intramedullary Nail Distal Locking - A Case Report.

Introduction: An arterial pseudo aneurysm formation is an unusual complication following intramedullary nail distal locking screw insertion. During such surgical procedure, arterial laceration might damage the wall, allowing blood leakage into the soft- tissue surrounding. Only few records are available regarding such injuries. Case Report: A 19-year-old male diagnosed with femoral shaft fracture after a trauma event, was treated using Antegrade Long Intra-Medullary Nail with distal locking screw. Following post-operative serial blood count indicating a consistent decrease in his Haemoglobin levels, a Computed Tomography angiogram was performed and showed an arteriovenous fistula of the lateral superior geniculate artery. The artery was coiled, and haemoglobin levels were stabilized again. Conclusion: A distal interlocking screw should be carefully placed, including blunt dissection before the drilling and screw placement. In addition, blood counts were proved essential in routine.

Indications and interventions of damage control orthopedic surgeries: an expert opinion survey.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to gather an expert opinion survey and to evaluate the suitability of summarized indications and interventions for DCO. BACKGROUND: The indications to perform temporary surgery in musculoskeletal injuries may vary during the hospitalization and have not been defined. We performed a literature review and an expert opinion survey about the indications for damage control orthopaedics (DCO). METHODS: Part I: A literature review was performed on the basis of the PubMed library search. Publications were screened for damage control interventions in the following anatomic regions: "Spine", "Pelvis", "Extremities" and "Soft Tissues". A standardized questionnaire was developed including a list of damage control interventions and associated indications. Part II: Development of the expert opinion survey: experienced trauma and orthopaedic surgeons participated in the consensus process. RESULTS: Part I: A total of 646 references were obtained on the basis of the MeSH terms search. 74 manuscripts were included. Part II: Twelve experts in the field of polytrauma management met at three consensus meetings. We identified 12 interventions and 79 indications for DCO. In spinal trauma, percutaneous interventions were determined beneficial. Traction was considered harmful. For isolated injuries, a new terminology should be used: "MusculoSkeletal Temporary Surgery". CONCLUSION: This review demonstrates a detailed description of the management consensus for abbreviated musculoskeletal surgeries. It was consented that early fixation is crucial for all major fractures, and certain indications for DCO were dropped. Authors propose a distinct terminology to separate local (MuST surgery) versus systemic (polytrauma: DCO) scenarios.

Effects of Covid-19 on orthopaedic trauma services: early experiences in South Africa and Israel.

South Africa and Israel have significantly different health systems. As South Africa is geographically 500 times as large and has a population nearly 7 times as large as the state of Israel, major differences in the challenges and subsequent handling of the pandemic between these countries were to be expected. South Africa's challenges included being under-resourced, particularly related to trauma, and severe and radical measures had to be undertaken that included extended strict lockdowns, bans on alcohol sales, and cancellation of the majority of the elective surgery during this initial period of the pandemic. Although Israel is much smaller and thereby theoretically easier to control, a complex political situation created difficulties and delays in controlling the pandemic after the initial response, leading to a second wave and additional lockdown. Although massively engaged initially, the Israeli trauma systems had continued functioning almost normally throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Bacterial contamination of protective lead garments in an operating room setting.

BACKGROUND: Protective lead garments (PLG) worn in the operating room are a potential source for bacterial colonisation and thus may increase the risk of intraoperative infection. The clinical significance of such bacterial contamination has yet been established. Although disinfection protocols have been employed, their effectiveness is also unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to describe and compare the bacterial profile of PLGs with a focus on common pathogens involved in surgical site infections (SSI) and prosthetic joint infections (PJI). METHODS: We studied body aprons and neck-thyroid protective shields. We sampled 20 body aprons and 21 neck PLGs, swabbing the inside and outside of the PLGs. Swabs were cultured on different media and the results were assessed and compared. RESULTS: Of PLGs, 87.8% were contaminated. The neck-thyroid shield PLGs was generally more contaminated than body apron PLGs and exhibited significantly higher loads of Staphylococcus epidermidis (P = 0.048). Other pathogen cultured were Micrococcus spp., Acinetobacter lwoffii (A. lwoffii), Bacillus species (Bacillus spp.), Moraxella osloensis (M. osloensis) and Pseudomonas stutzeri (P. stutzeri). No other common pathogens associated with SSI or PJI were detected. CONCLUSIONS: PLGs are heavily contaminated despite regular cleaning protocols. Neck PLGs are highly contaminated with potentially infectious agents. As neck PLGs are often directly exposed above the surgical sterile gown and the surgical field, measures should be undertaken to reduce their exposure and bacterial load, perhaps by suggesting users consider avoiding the use of intraoperative fluoroscopy when possible or alternatively supporting the use of body exhaust suits when PLGs are needed.

Hip fracture care and national systems in Israel and South Africa.

Despite the same latitude on earth, Israel and South Africa have a wide variety of healthcare systems and approaches. Israel is a developed country with life expectancy within the first decile of the modern world. South Africa is a developing country where available resources and health care varies greatly across the country. Israeli policy makers have realized in 1999 the importance of early surgery for hip fractures as the single most important factor contributing to decreased mortality. After an introduction of a newer reimbursement system in 2004, and public advertising of early hip fracture treatment as a quality tag for hospitals, in more than 85% of the cases patients are operated on early (within 8 hours) with a significant decrease in mortality. However, other issues such as patient preparation, rehabilitation, and prevention are still at their beginning. South Africa deals with significant challenges with high energy hip fractures in a younger population, although osteoporosis is on the rise in certain parts of the country. Due to limited resources and distances, time to surgery differs among hospital systems in the country. In public hospitals, a delay up to a week may be common, whereas in private hospitals most patients are operated early within 48 to 72 hours. Due to decreased life expectancy, arthroplasty is more aggressively used in displaced femoral neck fractures. Rehabilitation is mostly done within the families. Prevention and orthogeriatric teamwork are not being commonly practiced. Generally speaking, more attention to hip fractures is needed from healthcare funders.

Cell-Based Therapies for the Treatment of Fractures.

Ongoing studies investigating fracture healing have uncovered and allowed investigators to gain a better understanding of where the variety of cells, which participate in this process, originate, and how they communicate as well as how they can be enhanced to successfully heal a fracture when the process has slowed or failed completely. This brief review will highlight some of the recent findings regarding the role the immune system in fracture healing and how these cells communicate with each other during the healing process. In addition, two 2 methods that have recently been shown to be promising techniques in supporting fracture when it stalls or reversing the process, when the fracture has failed to heal, will also be described.