Biomechanics of the Wrist

This article summarizes six years of studies with an experimental model, which uses a static positioning frame, pressure-sensitive film, and a microcomputer-based videodigitizing system, to characterize the biomechanics of the human cadaver wrist by measuring the contact areas and pressures in a variety of normal, simulated traumatic, and surgically treated conditions. The results of these studies have provided clinically relevant information about the normal anatomy and functional mechanics of the wrist, as well as guidelines for the treatment for a number of different fractures and ligament injuries. The results of studies of radial carpal instabilities and fractures have demonstrated an increased load in the areas where degenerative arthritis is seen in these clinical conditions, and have furnished a means by which the biomechanical efficacy of certain surgical treatments can be measured.