Rate of bony union after Jones fracture fixation in the general population

Abstract

Nonunion rates in the conservative treatment of Jones fractures can be high, therefore surgical intervention is often recommended. Most current studies in the literature look at a younger athletic population to assess bony union rates. Little has been published on healing rates in the general population. A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients undergoing surgical fixation of Jones fractures by three surgeons from 2015 to 2022. A total of 195 patients were collected. Radiographs were evaluated to determine time to fracture union, type of fixation construct, and risk factors for development of the fracture such as pes cavus and forefoot adduction. The bony union rate was 92.8 % with a nonunion rate of 7.2 % (14/195), a delayed union rate of 10.3 % (20/195), and a refracture rate of 4.1 % (8/195). The overall time to union was 14 weeks, with a median of 11 weeks in patients less than 30 years of age and 14 weeks in those greater than 30 years of age. Pes cavus was present in 42.1 % of patients and forefoot adduction in 32.8 %. Patients with increased age (p < 0.001) and type II diabetes (p = 0.04) were found to have statistically significant longer times to union. Metatarsus adductus was a significant predictor of nonunion status (p = 0.015). The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the healing rates of Jones fractures after fixation in the general population.