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Fracture of the humerus in ball throwers A consequence of idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis in a female handball player?
Author(s) -
Landmark R.,
Petersen M. M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0838.1995.tb00012.x
Subject(s) - medicine , bone mineral , osteoporosis , surgery , humerus
We report a case of a spontaneous humeral shaft fracture sustained during pitching by a 22‐year‐old previously healthy female European team handball player. The fracture was treated by closed reposition followed by immobilization in a hanging cast. The fracture healed uneventfully, and normal function and range of motion were reached within 6 months. Between 1 and 2 years after the fracture, bone mineral measurements showed a decreased bone mass (1.43–2.56 SD below mean values of normal women) at all measuring sites; proximal tibia bilaterally (bone mineral content (right) = 2.68 g/cm, bone mineral content (left) = 2.79 g/cm), lumbar spine (bone mineral density (L2–4) = 0.814 g/cm 2 ), and right hip (bone mineral density (neck) = 0.697 g/cm 2 , bone mineral density (Ward's) = 0.626 g/cm 2 ). A thorough endocrinological examination indicated that a state of bone loss existed, but no specific endocrine disease was found. The unusual fracture presented must be considered the result of the torsional forces transmitted to a severely osteoporotic bone.