Dinner Fork Deformity, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

This book describes Dinner Fork Deformity, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

A Dinner fork Deformity or Distal Radius Fracture is very frequent in elderly women or men who sustained a fall on the outstretched hand.
The pain usually excruciating and the person is unable to use his or her hand.
He or she has to support the forearm and hand.

Dinner fork deformity is caused by in which the fracture of the distal radius in forearm with dorsal (posterior) and radial displacement of the wrist and hand.

Dinner fork also termed “bayonet” deformity due to the shape of the forearm.

A Dinner fork deformity or Distal Radius Fracture is a medical disorder that is a break in the larger of the two bones in the lower forearm.

The bone is broken on the lower end, close to where it connects to the bones of the hand on the thumb side of the wrist.

It is also termed the broken wrist.

Distal Radius Fracture is a fracture of the distal radius in the forearm with posterior and radial displacement of the wrist and hand.

The fracture is occasionally known as a "dinner fork" or "bayonet" abnormality due to the appearance of the resultant forearm.

Distal Radius Fractures are often observed in people with osteoporosis.

The term of Distal Radius Fracture is classically used to indicate a fracture at the distal end of the radius, at its cortico-cancellous junction.

Now the term tends to be used more loosely to indicate any fracture of the distal radius, with or without affliction of the ulna that has dorsal displacement of the fracture fragments.

The classic Dinner fork deformity has these features:

1. Transverse fracture of the radius
2. 2.5 cm (0.98 inches) before the radio-carpal joint
3. Dorsal fracture displacement and dorsal angulation, together with radial tilt

Dinner fork deformities are very frequent.

They are the most often broken bone in the forearm.

In the USA, one out of every 10 broken bones is a broken wrist.

Cause

1. Over stretched hand (common in child)

Normally, these injuries happen from falling onto an outstretched arm or being hit on the wrist.

2. People who are suffering from osteoporosis (a disorder in which bones become very fragile and tend to break)

3. Traumatic accident

Many distal radius fractures in people older than 60 years of age are produced by a fall from a standing position.

A broken wrist can happen even in healthy bones, if the force of the trauma is strong enough (such as a car accident or a fall off a bike may produce enough force to break a wrist.

4. Calcium deficiency is not the direct cause but a contributing factor for the deformity

Distal radius fractures are frequent in people who play contact sports, e.g., skiers, inline skaters, and bikers.

It can also be induced by overuse.

It normally happens about 3-5 cms proximal to the radio-carpal joint with posterior and lateral displacement of the distal fragment leading to the typical "dinner fork" or "bayonet" like deformity.

Symptoms:

1. Pain, especially when flexing the wrist
2. Tenderness
3. Swelling
4. Bruising
5. Deformity
6. Loss of function of the hand

X-rays can show if the bone is fractured and whether there is displacement of the broken bones

The treatment of broken bones has one basic rule that the broken pieces must be restored into position and prevented from moving out of place until they are healed.

After closed reduction, the cast is positioned with the distal fragment in palmar flexion and ulnar deviation

If non-surgical treatment does not alleviate the pain and the quality of life has been severely affected by arthritis, the doctor may advise surgery such as internal or external fixation of fracture.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Dinner Fork Deformity
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Wrist Sprains
Chapter 8 Wrist Arthritis
Epilogue