What is a radial head fracture?

There are two bones in your forearm: the radius and the ulna. The radius is large at the wrist and small at the elbow. The small part of the radius at the elbow is the “head”. It’s common to break the head of the radius when you stick your arm out to break a fall (figure).^{1, 2}

Figure: Radial head fracture

Signs and symptoms^{1, 3, 4}

• You may feel strange after the fall, but not have much pain. The elbow usually moves well initially.
• Within an hour or so, the elbow may become painful and difficult to move. That’s because blood from the fracture is filling the joint.

Evaluation

• Your doctor will perform x-rays to diagnose the fracture and help decide if surgery might help. When the fracture is out of place more than 2 millimeters, surgery is an option.⁵