Colles' fracture
A Colles' fracture is a type of fracture of the distal forearm in which the broken end of the radius is bent backwards. Symptoms may include pain, swelling, deformity, and bruising. Complications may include damage to the median nerve.
| Colles' fracture | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Colles fracture, Pouteau fracture |
| An X-ray showing a Colles' fracture | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine, orthopedics |
| Symptoms | Pain, swelling, deformity, bruising |
| Usual onset | Sudden |
| Causes | Fall on an outstretched hand |
| Risk factors | Osteoporosis |
| Diagnostic method | X-rays |
| Treatment | Cast, surgery |
| Prognosis | Recovery over 1 to 2 years |
| Frequency | ~15% lifetime risk |
It typically occurs as a result of a fall on an outstretched hand. Risk factors include osteoporosis. The diagnosis may be confirmed via X-rays. The tip of the ulna may also be broken.
Treatment may include casting or surgery. Surgical reduction and casting is possible in the majority of cases in people over the age of 50. Pain management can be achieved during the reduction with procedural sedation and analgesia or a hematoma block. A year or two may be required for healing to occur.
About 15% of people have a Colles' fracture at some point in their life. They occur more commonly in young adults and older people than in children and middle-aged adults. Women are more frequently affected than men. The fracture is named after Abraham Colles who described it in 1814.