WRIST FRACTURE

Course overview

DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURES, COMMONLY KNOWN AS A WRIST FRACTURE, ARE DEFINED BY THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE METAPHYSIS OF THE DISTAL RADIUS. IN YOUNGER PATIENTS, THEY ARE COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH-ENERGY MECHANISMS, AND IN OLDER PATIENTS, THEY MORE FREQUENTLY OCCUR WITH LOWER ENERGY MECHANISMS OR FALLS. THEY CAN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITY IF LEFT UNTREATED. TREATMENT CAN INVOLVE BOTH NON-OPERATIVE AND OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT AND ULTIMATELY DEPENDS ON SEVERAL FACTORS. THIS ACTIVITY ILLUSTRATES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE WRIST FRACTURES AND STRESSES THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.