SCIENCE is a study is trying to improve the treatment of children who have a broken bone in the elbow called an ‘epicondyle fracture’.
Read moreYou are free to decide if you want your child to take part
Read moreYour child will either be treated with a cast or splint, or with an operation.
Read moreEach of these routinely used treatments has potential advantages and disadvantages.
Read moreYou and your child can leave the study at any time.
Read moreThe results will be de-identified and available to you online.
Read moreEach of these routinely used treatments has potential advantages and disadvantages.
Resting the arm in plaster cast for up to 4 weeks, to allow it to heal by itself:
The benefit is avoiding surgery. However, the main risk of this is that healing is less reliable, which may lead to an unstable elbow causing pain, stiffness and/or clunking and may rarely need more complex surgery later on.
Surgery to fix the bone, usually with a screw and a splint or cast for up to 4 weeks:
The benefit is more reliable healing. There are however risks of surgery, which include those associated with an anaesthetic (low risk), wound healing problems, pain or stiffness, injury to nerves supplying the fingers and breakage of the bone or metal. There is commonly the need for a second surgery to remove the screw once the bone has healed.
Dan, SCIENCE study doctor