Traumatic problems of the distal radioulnar joint

Traumatic injuries of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) may give rise to complex wrist pathologies. Substantial ongoing disability can arise should these injuries go unrecognized resulting in sub-optimal treatment and lack of appropriate rehabilitation. Injuries of the DRUJ may occur in isolation but more commonly are found with a fracture of the radius. These challenging DRUJ injuries may be simple or complex (irreducible or severe instability), acute or chronic. An adequate knowledge of the stabilizers of the DRUJ is essential in understanding treatment options. Traumatic instability of the DRUJ is reviewed and the anatomy and stabilizing factors are discussed. An algorithm to guide selection of treatment options in complex cases is presented.