Traumatic arthritis of the hand and wrist in children

Despite the frequency of trauma to the hand and wrist in children, reports of traumatic arthritis and its subsequent treatment are rare. Factors that must be considered in treating children who develop arthritis include age, status of the physis, joint congruity, joint stability, functional status o f the joint, degree of impairment from pain, and the patient's hopes of pot ential treatment. Bearing these factors in mind in concert with sound princ iples of arthritis management, operative and nonoperative options allow the physician to maximize a particular child's outcome. This article incorpora tes such concepts throughout the text and serves as a guideline for underst anding and treating this uncommon condition.