Evaluating the Safety of Early Return to Play After Metacarpal or Scaphoid Fracture: A Systematic Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews whether returning to sports early after hand or wrist fractures causes more complications.

Contribution

The study provides a focused systematic review on return-to-play timelines for metacarpal and scaphoid fractures in athletes.

Findings

Current literature lacks focused analysis on metacarpal and scaphoid fracture return-to-play timelines.

The review aims to synthesize outcomes and complications of early versus standard return timelines.

No prior systematic review has specifically addressed these fractures in athletic populations.

Abstract

This review summarizes reported outcomes and complications associated with early versus standard return-to-play timelines in athletic patients. Specifically, we focus on athletes with metacarpal and scaphoid fractures to determine whether significant differences in complications and outcomes exist depending on the time of return. Return-to-play timing varies within sports medicine, and a focused review addressing metacarpal and scaphoid fractures currently does not exist. Therefore, this review seeks to synthesize existing studies to highlight the implications of early return to play.

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