HISTORY, EVOLUTION AND BIOMECHANICS OF EXTERNAL FIXATION OF THE WRISTJOINT

Comminuted and articular fractures of the distal radius continue to be a difficult therapeutic problem and a daily challenge for the orthopa edic surgeon. With the advent and subsequent refinement of external fi xation techniques for the wrist, the quality of results has been subst antially improved in the past two decades so that wrist fixators are n ow considered a routine tool in the treatment of complex wrist trauma. It is the purpose of this article to provide an overview on the pione er work, the evolution of its principles, and the basic biomechanical concepts of external fixation of the wrist.