The evolution of distal radius fracture management: a historical treatise.

Distal radius fractures (DRFs) have been a common affliction for millennia, but their treatment is a more recent development resulting from human erudition. Although immobilization has served as the only available treatment for most of our history, many advances have been made in the management of DRFs over the last century as orthopedics has grown. Yet the topic remains hotly contested in the literature and, given the frequency of the injury, research continues to focus on it. This article traces the evolution of DRF treatment to provide a context for the future.