Disorders of the distal radioulnar joint are a major source of ulnar-sided wrist pain. Fortunately, our understanding of the anatomy, joint mechanics, and pathophysiology of this area has increased greatly in recent years, making resolution of many of these problems feasible. In most cases, an accurate diagnosis can be made, and successful treatment can then be prescribed. This review covers va...

Surgery for ulnar-sided wrist problems have proved a major challenge. A variety of bony procedures, which may or may not be supplemented with soft tissue interposition, tenodesis, and fusion of the distal radioulnar joint, have been designed in an attempt to address this challenge. The problems encountered in the use of these procedures have included weakness, snapping and instability of the di...

We describe a method for stabilising the distal radioulnar joint using a double breasted slip of extensor retinaculum. This is a retrospective series of 30 patients with a painful wrist secondary to instability of the distal radioulnar joint. The results were assessed by a modified Mayo Score. The mean follow-up was for 38.1 months (13 months to 8 years). Twelve patients had excellent, 16 good ...

Different surgical techniques have been described for chronic distal radioulnar joint instability: they are often complicated, quite invasive and may not be recommended for bidirectional instability. We describe a procedure using a radial-based extensor retinaculum strip and a capsular plication. This is a simple technique and less invasive than 'anatomic' radioulnar ligament reconstructions. W...

Sixteen fresh-frozen adult human cadaveric upper extremities were used in a biomechanical analysis of distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) stability. The relative contribution to stability of the DRUJ by the surrounding anatomic structures presumed to stabilize the joint was analyzed with respect to forearm rotation and wrist flexion and extension using a purpose-built 4-axis materials testing machin...

Post-traumatic radioulnar synostosis is a rare complication of forearm fracture. Resulting in loss of forearm axial rotation, it is functionally very disabling. The surgical indication, timing of operation, surgical technique, interest and type of adjuvant treatment are all issues with which physicians managing radioulnar synostosis must deal. No therapeutic consensus yet exists, but a wide var...

A 46-year-old man, who was left-hand dominant with known paraplegia due to tuberculosis spondylitis, presented with complaints of progressively increasing weakness and instability of the left upper limb for the past 2 years. The patient had difficulty using his left upper limb for activities of daily living such as eating, combing his hair, and maneuvering his wheelchair. On examination, the le...