A prospective radiological study included 170 Colles' fractures that were treated by closed reduction and a plaster cast. Among the seventeen fractures which were malunited, twelve had definitely displaced after the 11th day.
Roentgenograms of 40 rereduced Colles' fractures were reviewed . It was found that early rereduction (1-6 days after primary reduction) led to lasting improvement of the fracture's position in only 2 of 15 cases, whereas late rereduction (7-15 days after primary reduction) led to permanent improvement in 15 of 30 cases with respect to dorsal angulation and in 9 cases to radial shortening.