ABSTRACT
Distal radius fractures comprise 17.5 per cent of all fractures. The aim of management is to achieve a pain-free mobile wrist joint with little or no functional impairment. Operative management options include use of Kirschner wires with a plaster cast, open reduction and internal fixation via volar or dorsal plating, bridging or non-bridging external fixation and wrist-bridging internal fixation. The stability of the fracture governs the likelihood of success of treatment; therefore those fractures with a low tendency to redisplace are ideal for plaster cast treatment. The preferred approach is to use a below elbow plaster cast for a period of 4 to 6 weeks, depending on fracture stability. Limitations to external fixation include: The radius at the level of proximal pin insertion is covered by the tendons of extensor carpi radialis longus and extensor carpi radialis brevis, and, to a lesser extent, extensor digitorum communis.
