Impending Catastrophe of Delayed Fracture Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic

摘要

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a drastic reduction in the number of road-traffic accidents, sports injuries, and eventual orthopedic surgeries. During such quiet situations, where lockdown and social distancing are widely implemented, many people struggled to access specialized medical services in health care facilities, especially given the surge in the number of patients and prioritization of COVID-19 patients and emergency cases. Many people consider orthopedic management to be a last resort and often opt instead for more traditional, but unproven, medical treatments. Traditional massage and manipulation or alternative medicine continue to be popular, especially in Eastern countries. Traumatic cases, such as fractures, dislocations, ligament tears, and tendon ruptures, are often treated by unregistered practitioners of such alternative and traditional treatments. In many remote areas, the community of patients relies heavily on traditional healing using herbs, potions, massages, and, in some cases, ancient, mystical, and magical rituals passed down from their ancestors or learned through religious teachings.