Locked Plating Versus Spiral Blade Retrograde Nailing in Supracondylar Femoral Fractures

Comminuted supracondylar femur fractures in the elderly are often treated with either retrograde femoral nailing or locked plating. Early weight-bearing is typically restricted after fixing supracondylar fractures, thereby impairing the patient’s mobilization. In general, surgeons are more comfortable allowing early weight-bearing of long bone fractures after nailing rather than plating, but early studies of retrograde nails for supracondylar fractures using standard distal locking showed poor fixation compared with locked plating.