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Pharmacologic agents in fracture healing
Michael C Koester1, Kurt P Spindler
1Vanderbilt Sports Medicine, Medical Center East, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. michael.koester@vanderbilt.edu
Clinics in Sports Medicine
|December 6, 2005
Summary
Athletic bone fractures can cause significant lost playing time. Medications like parathyroid hormone and bisphosphonates show promise for healing athletic fractures, but more clinical research is needed.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Bone fractures are a common risk in athletes, leading to substantial missed playing time.
- Medications are being investigated for their potential to enhance fracture healing processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of how various medications affect bone fracture healing in athletes.
- To identify potential therapeutic agents for preventing and treating athletic-related fractures.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing animal studies on medication effects on fracture healing.
- Analysis of limited clinical evidence regarding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and fracture healing.
- Identification of knowledge gaps requiring further clinical investigation.
Main Results:
- Parathyroid hormone and bisphosphonates show potential for future use in treating athletic fractures based on animal studies.
- Evidence for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs impacting fracture healing in humans is currently limited, despite some animal model findings.
- Significant need for large-scale randomized clinical trials to confirm these findings.
Conclusions:
- Certain medications, including parathyroid hormone and bisphosphonates, may play a role in managing athletic bone fractures.
- Further rigorous clinical research is essential to establish the efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for athletic fracture healing.
- The clinical impact of NSAIDs on fracture healing remains uncertain and requires further investigation.