Your radius is one of the two bones in your forearm, along with the ulna. It’s the bone that attaches closest to your thumb. A radius fracture, sometimes called a radial fracture, is a break of this bone.
A distal radius fracture is a break in the part of the bone closest to your wrist. Your doctor may refer to it as a wrist fracture or broken wrist.
Distal radius fractures are the most common arm fracture. They make up about 16% of all fractures orthopedic surgeons treat. They’re most common in children and adults over age 50.
Read on to learn more about this injury, including the most common causes and how doctors diagnose and treat it.
Experts estimate that distal radius or ulnar fractures make up roughly 25% of upper body fractures. The most common cause is falling on an outstretched hand. Less commonly, they occur during car accidents. The bone almost always breaks about 1 inch from the end.
Distal radius fractures most often occur in children under age 18 and adults over age 50. In older adults with osteoporosis, a relatively small fall might be enough to cause a break. Younger people often break their wrist when falling during sporting activities, like:
Distal radius fractures are the second most common fractures in people over 65, besides hip fractures.
A 2019 study analyzing more than 1 million distal radius Medicare treatment claims found the following sex breakdowns by age:
| Age | Male percent | Female percent |
|---|---|---|
| 0–19 | 60.2% | 39.8% |
| 40–64 | 28.9% | 71.1% |
| 65 and over | 14.6% | 85.4% |
Medical literature has described more than 15 different classification systems for distal radius fractures over the last 70 years. In a 2016 study , researchers concluded that none of these classification systems are particularly useful for surgeons in guiding treatment.
Some particular patterns of fracture occur frequently. Some of the more common types include:
Typical symptoms of a distal radius fracture are:
In some cases, there may be noticeable deformity of the wrist. In severe cases, there might be neurological symptoms, such as weakness or numbness.
If you suspect you, or somebody you’re taking care of, has a distal radius fracture, you can start the diagnostic process by visiting the emergency room.
Doctors can usually diagnose a distal radius fracture with a standard X-ray. They may order a CT scan in complex cases, such as when there are multiple fractures or multiple joints involved.
An orthopedic specialist may later order an MRI if they suspect you have ligament damage.
Approximately 31% of distal radius fractures also have injuries to the soft tissues, such as ligaments.
