A pragmatic , multicenter , parallel-group , randomized clinical trial , the Proximal Fracture of the Humerus Evaluation by Randomization ( PROFHER ) trial , recruited 250 patients aged 16 years or older ( mean age , 66 years [ range , 24-92 years ] ; 192 [ 77 % ] were female ; and 249 [ 99.6 % ] were white ) who presented at the orthopedic departments of 32 acute UK National Health Service hospitals between September 2008 and April 2011 within 3 weeks after sustaining a displaced fracture of the proximal humerus involving the surgical neck .