Aims. To determine whether an early return to sport in professional
Australian Rules Football players after fixation of a non-thumb
metacarpal fracture was safe and effective. Patients and Methods. A total of 16 patients with a mean age of 25 years (19 to 30)
identified as having a non-thumb metacarpal fracture underwent open
reduction and internal plate and screw fixation. We compared the
players’ professional performance statistics before and after the
injury to determine whether there was any deterioration in their
post-operative performance. Results. Of the 16, 12 sustained their fracture during the season: their
mean time to return to unrestricted professional play was two weeks
(1 to 5). All except two of the 48 player performance variables
showed no reduction in performance post-operatively. Conclusion. Our data suggest that professional athletes who sustained a non-thumb
metacarpal fracture can safely
