OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of Yishen Zhuanggu decoction ([Chinese characters: see text], YSZGD) on the fracture healing and function of wrist joint in osteoporotic distal radius fractures (ODRF) of elderly patients.

METHODSNinety patients of ODRF were treated with splint external fixation and YSZGD, including 28 males and 62 females, with an average age of 63 years (ranged, 61 to 91 years). According to AO classification, all the patients were classified as type A or B1. Among the patients, 80 patients had a type of Colles fracture,7 patients were with a type of Smith fracture,and 3 patients had a type of Barton fracture. They were randomly divided into three groups included TCM, Western medicine and control group (30 cases each group) after the fractures were fixed manually by splint. Patients in TCM group took YSZGD orally, one potion and two time each day; the patients in Western medicine group treated with Calcitonin (50 units, intramuscular, 2 times each week), Caltrate D (1 tablets, taken orally, one time each day) and Alfacalcidol Soft Capsules (0.5 units, taken orally, one time each day); and the patients in control group took no medicine. X-ray examination on the fractured wrist was taken at the 4, 6, 8, 12th weeks after treating to observe, the fracture healings, the evaluation of wrist function and comparision of curative effects were taken at the 2nd month.

RESULTSThe fracture healing time in TCM group was 7.12 +/- 2.32 weeks and that in the Western medicine group was 9.25 +/- 3.05 weeks, showing significant differences between them (PC < 0.05), and that in the control group was 11.57 +/- 1.93 weeks which was longer thant in that in the two medicine groups (P < 0.05); According to Dienst wrist rating system, the excellent and good rates of three groups were 93.3%, 86.7% and 60% respectively which showing significant differences between medicine groups and control group (P < 0.05), and the curative effects of medicine groups were more excellent than that of control group through Ridit analysis.

CONCLUSIONYSZGD can promote the fracture healing evidently and shorten the healing time, whose curative effect surpassed Western medicine and promoted the restoration of wrist function.