Patients who require assistive devices with their hands for mobilization are called functional quadrupeds. These patients pose a unique challenge after they have a distal radius fracture, as their injury not only limits the wrist but also compromises ambulation. The authors propose a different treatment strategy for functional quadrupeds to improve mobilization and weight-bearing with the injured limb after a distal radius fracture. In this article, the authors define the functional quadruped and describe their technique of spanning bridge plate fixation with a retrospective review of patient outcomes.
Keywords: Distal radius fractures; Functional quadruped; Spanning bridge plate fixation; Wrist.
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