Secondary analyses There was evidence for a marginally significant (P=0.051) treatment effect in favour of the plate group for the DASH score at 12 months only, although the effect size was small −3.2 (95% confidence interval −6.5 to 0.0).
There was a borderline significant difference in the disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) at one time point (12 months) in favour of the locking plate, but this was well below the minimum clinically important difference. 23 Kirschner wire fixation, however, requires significantly shorter surgical operating time than locking plate fixation and a reduced use of perioperative antibiotics.