Science AI Journal
Medicine · Research topic

Open research questions in Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation

297 gap statements mined from Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,997 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation? See the ranked Medicine journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • Selection bias and unmeasured confounding may have influenced the observed associations. Causal interpretation of comparative treatment benefit is limited due to the non-randomized design. The study did not systematically confirm TFCC or DRUJ ligament tears using MRI or arthroscopy.

    Mini-Anchor Fixation vs Conservative Treatment for Hauck Type II Ulnar Styloid Fractures Associated With Distal Radius Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The unique radiographic appearances and fracture patterns in pediatric patients can make diagnosis challenging. The lack of standardization in study design and characteristics can introduce methodological heterogeneity. The potential for publication bias can affect the validity of the results.

    Diagnostic accuracy of deep learning models for detecting wrist and distal forearm fractures in pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a comprehensive evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of deep learning models for detecting wrist and distal forearm fractures in pediatric patients. The need for a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize existing evidence.

    Diagnostic accuracy of deep learning models for detecting wrist and distal forearm fractures in pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges in terms of patient selection, with a need to exclude patients with open fractures, multiple coinciding fractures, and poor cognitive function. The paper also had to address the issue of duplicates in the patient data. The study's findings may be limited by the retrospective design and the potential for confounding factors.

    A retrospective cohort study of distal radius fracture manipulation under different traction methods and different analgesic modalities and its impact on surgical rates · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for careful consideration of the entry point location to minimize the risk of neurological complications.

    Radial entry for ESIN fixation of pediatric radial fractures: a 10-year cohort study with focus on neurological complications · 2026 · DOI

  • Patients face challenges in managing their pin site care, including the need for support and guidance. The development of standardized pin site care guidelines is a challenge due to the limited and inconsistent evidence base.

    The external fixator pin site care study: EPIC · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of standardized pin site care guidelines leads to variability in practices and outcomes. The current evidence base for pin site care is limited and inconsistent. There is a need for further research to inform the development of effective pin site care regimens.

    The external fixator pin site care study: EPIC · 2026 · DOI

  • The widespread adoption of wrist arthroscopy has been accompanied by the recognition of associated complications. There is a need to evaluate complications in wrist arthroscopy over a decade. The study aims to fill this gap by examining the types of complications and their management.

    Evaluating complications in wrist arthroscopy: a decade of experience and lessons learned · 2026 · DOI

  • The relationship between patient expectations and subjective long-term outcomes in scaphoid fracture surgery is not well understood. The predictive value of baseline expectations on functional recovery is unknown.

    Patient expectations and outcomes of successful scaphoid surgery: a prospective cohort analysis using the trauma expectation and trauma outcome measure (TEFTOM) · 2026 · DOI

  • Importance Although individuals with thumb carpometacarpal (CMC1) osteoarthritis (OA) commonly experience participation restrictions, participation-focused outcome measures remain underinvestigated, and clinicians primarily rely on assessments of impairments in body structures and functions.

    Validity and Reliability of the Activity Card Sort 3 in Persons With Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis · 2026 · DOI

  • However, little is known about how patients and their families cope with the functional limitations and economic consequences that follow, and how these injuries affect patients' mental and emotional health.

    How Does Traumatic Hand Injury Impact Patients in a Safety-net Healthcare System? A Mixed Methods Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The DT-PRWE demonstrated excellent psychometric properties in simulated data; however, its psychometric properties have not yet been evaluated in a real-world clinical setting.

    What Is the Interversion Reliability and Agreement Between the Decision Tree Patient-rated Wrist Evaluation and the Full-length Version? · 2026 · DOI

  • Also, future research may investigate whether implementing shortened PROMs, such as the DT-PRWE, improves compliance with PROMs.

    What Is the Interversion Reliability and Agreement Between the Decision Tree Patient-rated Wrist Evaluation and the Full-length Version? · 2026 · DOI

  • Surgeon case volume has been linked with outcomes across many orthopaedic procedures, but its influence on distal radius fracture fixation remains uncertain.

    Is Higher Surgeon Volume Associated With Lower Complication and Revision Risk After Distal Radius Fracture Surgery? A Population-based Cohort Study of 13,389 Patients · 2026 · DOI

  • Consequently, the influence of intrinsic healing elements on early postoperative function remains unclear.

    Disruption of Intrinsic Healing Elements Does Not Alter Early Functional or Mechanical Outcomes After Zone II Flexor Tendon Repair in a Large-animal Model · 2026 · DOI

  • There is limited information about modifier 22 use in open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of distal radius fracture.

    Utilization of Billing Codes for Complexity in Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Distal Radius Fractures · 2026 · DOI

  • Corticosteroid injections are a common first-line treatment, though treatment outcomes of ultrasound relative to landmark-guided techniques remain unclear.

    Ultrasound-Guided Versus Landmark-Guided Corticosteroid Injections for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: A Retrospective Comparative Study · 2026 · DOI

  • However, little is known about how DQST affects occupations of first-time mothers.

    ‘I couldn't change his nappy’: New mothers' experiences of De Quervain's tendinosis and its impact on occupational performance · 2025 · DOI

  • In summary, while current in vivo evidence suggests that MSCs may enhance the surgical repair of flexor tendons, there is insufficient evidence at present to recommend this treatment for use in humans.

    1230 Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for the Enhancement of Flexor Tendon Repair in Animal Models · 2024 · DOI

  • However, evidence is unclear on whether patient satisfaction differs when comparing WALANT with anaesthesia with tourniquets (local, regional, or general).

    1105 Patient Satisfaction Using Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) in Adults Undergoing Hand Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • There is a need to compare the cost-effectiveness of different treatment strategies for DRF.

    Comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of different treatment strategies for distal radius fracture · 2026 · DOI

  • The comparative efficacy and safety of haematoma block and procedural sedation for manipulating distal radius fractures are uncertain. There is a lack of high-quality evidence comparing haematoma block with procedural sedation.

    Haematoma block versus sedation for manipulating distal radius fractures in the emergency department · 2026 · DOI

  • First, in our study, the impact of hand trauma was not limited to the injury itself or to short-term lost wages.

    Editor’s Spotlight/Take 5: How Does Traumatic Hand Injury Impact Patients in a Safety-net Healthcare System? A Mixed Methods Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Comparison of the radial approach to other approaches, - Evaluation of the long-term effects of SBRN injury, - Investigation of the optimal entry point location, - Study of the effects of patient age on neurological complications, - Research on the development of new techniques to minimize SBRN…

    Radial entry for ESIN fixation of pediatric radial fractures: a 10-year cohort study with focus on neurological complications · 2026 · DOI

  • Participants felt that until they developed DQST, they received insufficient information about it from health professionals during pregnancy and the first-year post-birth.

    ‘I couldn't change his nappy’: New mothers' experiences of De Quervain's tendinosis and its impact on occupational performance · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation sub-topic

This page shows what the Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, search the Research Gap Finder: the search is free with a free account and lists the papers closest to your topic first. Unlocking that topic (50 credits, charged once) fills the comparison table from our 7.9M-paper local library and writes the gaps from its rows.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Medicine

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
4,200 open questions
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
2,789 open questions
Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
2,285 open questions
Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
2,273 open questions
Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
2,102 open questions
Sports Performance and Training
1,952 open questions
Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
1,915 open questions
Mosquito-borne diseases and control
1,849 open questions
Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of standardization in study design and characteristics can introduce methodological heterogeneity (“Diagnostic accuracy of deep learning models for detecting wrist and distal…”, 2026); (2) The lack of standardized pin site care guidelines leads to variability in practices and outcomes (“The external fixator pin site care study: EPIC”, 2026); (3) There is a need to evaluate complications in wrist arthroscopy over a decade (“Evaluating complications in wrist arthroscopy: a decade of experience and…”, 2026); (4) The relationship between patient expectations and subjective long-term outcomes in scaphoid fracture surgery is not well understood (“Patient expectations and outcomes of successful scaphoid surgery: a prospective…”, 2026); (5) Little is known about how patients and their families cope with the functional limitations and economic consequences that follow, and how these injuries affect patients' mental and emotional health (“How Does Traumatic Hand Injury Impact Patients in a Safety-net Healthcare…”, 2026). 297 gap statements have been mined from Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,997 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 1,100,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? Acceptance odds for top, mid and open/emerging journals, in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck for prior publication across 7 sources and our local library.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

How Pre-Check worksHow AI Review works

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.