Study shows thyroxine spurs bone healing

LINKOPING, Sweden, July 20 (UPI) -- Broken bones heal more quickly if the patient is given thyroxine, a naturally occurring substance used to treat brittleness in bones, Swedish researchers said.

Thyroxine injections would benefit elderly people undergoing long rehabilitation from broken hips and younger people itching to get back to work to earn more money, Linkoping University researcher Per Aspenburg said.

Aspenburg's study included 102 women between the ages of 45 and 85 who had completed menopause and suffered a wrist fracture. On average, patients given thyroxine, which occurs naturally in the body, healed two weeks ahead of patients given a placebo, Aspenburger said.

"This is a study that shows that it can be done, Aspenburg said.

An estimated 700,000 Swedes break bones every year, the Swedish news agency TT reported Monday.