Outcome of delayed allopathic management of orthopaedic injuries initially treated by traditional bone healers.

Non-allopathic treatment methods still play a substantial role in management of orthopaedic injuries in Sri Lanka despite the provision of free allopathic health care in state sector. Traditional healing (‘deshiya chikithsa’/‘Sinhala wedakama’) has been practiced for centuries, well before the establishment of allopathic system [1]. These physicians are highly patronised on cultural background, thus treatment failures/complications may not be appreciated. As some of the traditional treatment methods contradict the lopathic management (AM) principles, a certain amount of mutual antagonism and distrust has been developed, which delays referrals from traditional bone healers (TBH) or patient return to AM after complications/failures of traditional treatment. The objective of this study was to analyze the functional outcome after delayed AM in a series of patients treated initially by TBH for orthopaedic injuries.