Our daughter fell during cheerleading camp from the top of a human pyramid her squad was practicing. She broke both bones in her forearm. The surgeon thought it might be possible to hold both bones in place by just using one metal rod down one of the bones. We agreed but we are wondering if we did the right thing. Maybe both bones should have been held in place with rods. What do you think?

No doubt your surgeon recommended the treatment approach that was best for your daughter given the circumstances. Fractures of both the radius and ulna bones of the forearm can be difficult to treat. If the bones don’t line up straight during the healing process, forearm rotation can suffer.

Without a smooth palm up/palm down motion, there are many movements that become difficult if not impossible. Surgery must be done in such a way that the bones are stabilized (held in place) while preserving forearm rotation.

Placing a metal rod down the middle of each broken bone has been a popular fixation method for many years. Then back in 1996, the first orthopedic surgeon tried using a metal rod just down one of the two broken forearm bones (the ulna). This type of fixation is called single intramedullary fixation.

Since that time, other surgeons have tried the new technique and reported on their results. Most of the time, the single intramedullary rod works just fine. X-rays taken during the surgery confirm good placement of the bones. X-rays taken after the arm is in a cast and healing can be done if there are any questions about maintaining the alignment.