Injury
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The purpose was to compare clinical and radiological outcomes between two fixation techniques used to treat extra-articular fractures involving the base of the thumb metacarpal: retrograde intramedullary cannulated headless screw (RICHS) and locking plate (LP). Fifty-one patients who underwent RICHS (n = 22) or LP fixation (n = 29) from January 2010 through 2020 were included in this retrospective case-control study with mean follow-up 39 months. ⋯ Mean time to return to work or routine activities was less in RICHS than LP (22 vs. 32 days), as was the percentage of patients requiring hardware removal (0% vs. 44.8%). We conclude that RICHS fixation requires less operating time and yields faster post-operative return to full function and fewer secondary procedures.