Complications of traditional bonesetting in contemporary fracture care in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review

Abstract

In most low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), traditional bonesetters (TBS) still play an integral role in trauma care [1]. The practice of traditional bonesetting dates a long way back and is common in many developing countries in Africa, South America and the Indian subcontinent [2], where traditional care of injuries and diseases has remained popular despite modern health care services and advancement in various spheres of life [2,3]. Bonesetting skills are usually passed down the family line without any documentation. TBS receive no formal training in modern orthopaedic care and their practice is kept a family secret as part of ancestral heritage [4].Despite the presence and availability of modern orthopaedic services (MOS), TBS enjoy high patronage and wide acceptance across different social and educational strata and religions [5], for reasons documented by several authors [6][7][8][9]. In Nigeria, TBS provide about 70%-90% of primary fracture care in certain areas [10]; thus, this method of fracture

Frequency of Complications among Trauma Patients Treated by Traditional Bone Setters Presented to Orthopedics Department, Gujranwala Teaching Hospital Gujranwala.

“…In developing countries, a significant portion of fracture treatments is administered by traditional bone setters (TBS), also known as quacks, who lack formal medical training and knowledge (1). TBS are typically lay practitioners skilled in joint manipulation, engaging in the healing and realignment of bones without any formal education in recognized medical procedures (2). The practice of TBS often remains a family tradition, passed down from one generation to the next, typically from father to son.…”