Which fracture occurs near the wrist after reaching out during a fall?

Which fracture occurs near the wrist after reaching out during a fall?

• A. Pott Fracture
• B. Open/Compound Fracture
• C. Closed/Simple Fracture
• D. Colles Fracture

Answer: (D)

When you fall and reach out to break the impact, the wrist is driven into hyperextension, stressing the distal radius just above the wrist. This often leads to a Colles fracture, where the broken end of the radius tilts backward (dorsally) and the wrist takes on a distinctive dinner- fork deformity. It’s common in older adults with weaker bones and is usually a closed fracture, meaning the skin isn’t broken, though it can be open if the trauma is severe. This differs from an ankle fracture at the feet (Pott), and from an open fracture where the bone punctures the skin; a closed/simple fracture simply means the skin remains intact. A Smith fracture is a related wrist injury but with forward (volar) displacement from a fall on a flexed wrist, not the typical hyperextended FOOSH pattern described here.

When you fall and reach out to break the impact, the wrist is driven into hyperextension, stressing the distal radius just above the wrist. This often leads to a Colles fracture, where the broken end of the radius tilts backward (dorsally) and the wrist takes on a distinctive dinner- fork deformity. It’s common in older adults with weaker bones and is usually a closed fracture, meaning the skin isn’t broken, though it can be open if the trauma is severe. This differs from an ankle fracture at the feet (Pott), and from an open fracture where the bone punctures the skin; a closed/simple fracture simply means the skin remains intact. A Smith fracture is a related wrist injury but with forward (volar) displacement from a fall on a flexed wrist, not the typical hyperextended FOOSH pattern described here.