Distal Tibia Fracture

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether personalized weight-bearing prescriptions using Smart Crutch Tips™ can improve recovery after surgery for extra-articular distal tibia fractures. The study will also assess how safe and practical this approach is in daily outpatient use. Can a personalized weight-bearing program based on CT and finite element analysis help the fracture heal faster? Can it help patients return to full weight-bearing sooner? Can it reduce the fear of movement during recovery? Researchers will compare standard rehabilitation, AO Foundation-based recommendations, and personalized weight-bearing programs derived from finite element analysis (FEA) to determine which approach leads to faster healing, earlier mobility, and better outcomes. Participants will: Use Smart Crutch Tips™ during walking for up to 24 weeks; Follow a personalized weight-bearing prescription based on CT scans and biomechanical modeling; Follow a specific walking plan with real-time audio and visual feedback; Attend eight follow-up visits over 36 weeks for clinical exams, x-rays, and CT scans; Complete online questionnaires about pain, activity, and fear of movement.

In approx. 10-15% of all fracture patients, there is a prolonged healing time or even a complete absence of fracture healing (non-union). As a result, these patients require further surgical interventions, combined with renewed or prolonged hospitalisation/rehabilitation and incapacity to work. To summarise, this therefore represents a serious socio-economic problem. At present, there is no prognostic method for the early prediction of patients at risk of a disturbed healing process. However, if these patients are successfully stratified, there are already a variety of therapeutic strategies available to additionally stimulate fracture healing. Therefore, the aim is to conduct a prospective clinical study to validate CD8+ TEMRA cells as a prognostic marker of impaired fracture healing. The investigators assume that preoperative CD8+ TEMRA cell expression represents a prognostic biomarker with high diagnostic precision for differentiating between a) normal healing patients, b) delayed healing patients and c) pseudarthrosis patients. Furthermore, the sensitivity and specificity should be high enough, health-economically significant and realisable in clinical routine.