What is a Galeazzi Fracture?
A Galeazzi fracture is a significant break in the forearm. Often called a Galeazzi fracture-dislocation, those who have been diagnosed with this injury might be facing a long recovery process. The forearm is made up of two separate bones called the radius and the ulna. The radius is the larger of these two bones, and the ulna is slightly smaller. When someone has been diagnosed with this fracture, there are several complications that might result. Therefore, it is important for everyone to have a basic understanding of this traumatic injury. The good news is that most people with this injury will eventually make a full recovery.
An Overview of a Galeazzi Fracture
In a Galeazzi fracture, the distal part of the radius is broken. This means that the fracture in the radius takes place in the part of the wrist that is closer to the hand. In addition, the joint that connects the radius and ulna at the distal end (called the distal radioulnar joint) is also dislocated. This is why the injury is often called a Galeazzi fracture-dislocation. Of note, there might be a second fracture in the ulna; however, this is not always the case. The combination of the fracture and the dislocation makes this injury serious.
Watch YouTube Video – Galeazzi Fracture – Everything you need to know – by Dr. Nabil Ebraheim. The video below provides a thorough description of this type of fracture.
How Does a Galeazzi Fracture Occur?
A Galeazzi fracture can be encountered in individuals of any age ranging from children to adults. The primary mechanism of this injury is a fall onto a hand that has been outstretched. When someone falls, they typically extend their arms to protect their chest and abdomen from injury. While this does protect the torso, it also places the forearm at risk. If someone falls with their hand outstretched while also flexing their elbow, a Galeazzi fracture might result.
This means that a Galeazzi can be encountered in a slip and fall injury that might occur on a staircase, on a wet floor, or even on a poorly maintained sidewalk. People also extend their arms to protect themselves in a motor vehicle accident, meaning that this fracture might occur in this scenario as well. Any traumatic accident runs the risk of leading to this injury.
Diagnosis of a Forearm Fracture
If someone presents with pain to their forearm following a traumatic accident, the doctor will probably order an x-ray series. In order to make a diagnosis of this fracture, an x-ray of the forearm taken from multiple views will be needed. Each view is vital in making sure that no injuries are missed and for ensuring that the doctor can plan an appropriate treatment based on the injury pattern. If the doctor confirms a fracture of the radius along with a dislocation of the radioulnar joint, then this injury is confirmed.
Treatment and Recovery
Once the diagnosis has been made, the treatment process can begin. Unfortunately, these fractures are almost universally unstable. This means that the bone fragments are free to move around and might lead to serious complications. To avoid this, these fractures are corrected using surgery. A trained surgeon can fixate the bone fragments in the proper location using either electric nails, plates, screws, and even K-wires (called Kirschner wires).
Once the fragments are in the proper location, healing can begin. This type of fracture will take several weeks in a cast to heal properly. After this, individuals may need physical therapy to rebuild the strength in their forearm. Most people will make a full recovery.
Personal Injury Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. A Galeazzi fracture is a significant break of the forearm which can lead to substantial complications. If someone you are close to has sustained a serious fracture of the forearm due to the negligence of another person or entity, please contact me today by using (916) 921-6400 and by calling (800) 404-5400 for friendly, free legal advice.
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Citation of Picture: The image at the top was found first on Pixabay and has been reproduced here with permission under the Creative Commons License.
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