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Review
. 2022 Aug 26;14(8):e28437.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.28437. eCollection 2022 Aug.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Buddy Taping Versus Reduction and Casting for Non-operative Management of Closed Fifth Metacarpal Neck Fractures

Mohamed B Mohamed  1 , Christian N Paulsingh  1 , Tarig H Ahmed  1 , Zahir Mohammed  1 , Trisha Singh  1 , Mohamed S Elhaj  1 , Nusyba Mohamed  1 , Safeera Khan  1
Affiliations
Review

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Buddy Taping Versus Reduction and Casting for Non-operative Management of Closed Fifth Metacarpal Neck Fractures

Mohamed B Mohamed et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

A closed fifth metacarpal neck fracture is a frequently encountered upper limb fracture that occurs when the bone breaks right below the little finger's knuckle. At the moment, there is no agreement on the best way to treat these fractures. This research seeks to look at the efficacy of buddy taping versus reduction and casting for non-operative management of uncomplicated closed fifth metacarpal neck fractures. A systematic review of PubMed, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PubMed Central (PMC), and the Cochrane Library databases was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to find relevant studies about buddy taping versus reduction and casting for non-operative management. Disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) score; satisfaction score; visual analog scale (VAS); range of motion (ROM); strength; and other outcomes were reported in this study. We used Review Manager 5.4 (The Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK) for the meta-analysis. Seven trials with a total of 454 patients were considered in the review and four in the quantitative analysis. All the included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Our study concluded that buddy taping was effective for improving pain, range of motion, and strength. The DASH score and satisfaction score didn't show any significant difference. Thus, we recommend the use of buddy taping rather than plaster and immobilization for the management of uncomplicated closed fifth metacarpal neck fractures.

Keywords: boxer's fracture; buddy taping; fifth metacarpal; fracture; non-operative management; plaster cast immobilization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for systematic review
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; MEDLINE: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online; PMC: PubMed Central
Figure 2
Figure 2. DASH score in 12 weeks
DASH: disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand; SD: standard deviation; CI: confidence interval; df: degrees of freedom Bansal et al., 2007 [13]; van Aaken et al., 2016 [14]; Pellatt et al., 2019 [15]; Martínez-Catalán et al., 2020 [3]
Figure 3
Figure 3. DASH score in 12 weeks after removing the study of Pellatt et al. (2019)
DASH: disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand; SD: standard deviation; CI: confidence interval; df: degrees of freedom Bansal et al., 2007 [13]; van Aaken et al., 2016 [14]; Pellatt et al., 2019 [15]; Martínez-Catalán et al., 2020 [3]
Figure 4
Figure 4. Satisfaction score after 12 weeks
SD: standard deviation; CI: confidence interval; df: degrees of freedom Bansal et al., 2007 [13]; van Aaken et al., 2016 [14]; Pellatt et al., 2019 [15]
Figure 5
Figure 5. VAS pain score at 12 weeks
VAS: visual analog scale; SD: standard deviation; CI: confidence interval; df: degrees of freedom van Aaken et al., 2016 [14]; Pellatt et al., 2019 [15]; Martínez-Catalán et al., 2020 [3]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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