Lets Agree to Disagree on Operative vs Nonoperative Treatment for Distal Radius Fractures in the Elderly (LADON Radius)

The primary objective of this study is to determine if non-operative treatment of distal radius fractures in patients aged 65 and over leads to equal funtional results as operative treatment. To do so patients will be included from two "schools" in which treatment i seither predominantly operative or non-operative. There will be no study intervention as patients will be treated as per local standard of care. The study is set up as an international multicenter study. Those patients included in the study will be follow-up at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 1 year and 2 years after treatment was initiated. Our hypothesis is, that patients treated operatively will have better function than those treated non-operatively.

Inclusion Criteria:≥ 65 years oldacute (< 14 days after injury) distal radius fracturetreated at one of the participating hospitalsExclusion Criteria:initial operative treatment at a non-participating hospitaldelayed presentation (>14 days after injury)patient actively refuses the recommended treatmentinsufficient follow-up (<12 months) or unavailable to follow-up due to residency in other hospital areaconcomitant injury to the ipsilateral or contralateral upper extremitycognitive impairment precluding answering questionnairesnon-German, non-English, non-Dutch speakingpre-existing co-morbidities which preclude operative treatmentpathological fracturesopen fracturesneurovascular injury requiring operative treatment