How can you differentiate between the radius and ulna?

The radius connects to the thumb side of your wrist and is the larger of the two while the ulna connects to the pinky side and is the smaller one. An easy way to remember the difference between the two is the word radius is longer than the word ulna just like the bones themselves.

What is medial radius and ulna?

Ulna and Radius The ulna is located on the medial side of the forearm, and the radius is on the lateral side. These bones are attached to each other by an interosseous membrane. More distal is the shaft of the ulna.

What happens if you break your radius and ulna?

When the radius and ulna are broken, a number of nearby structures can also be injured. These include the cartilage lining the surfaces of the wrist joint, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons. Injury to these structures may delay your recovery.

Where is the distal radius and ulna?

The radius is the bone on the thumb side and the ulna is the bone on the little finger side. People may break both of these bones when they trip and hold an arm out to stop the fall. The distal (closest to the hand) part of the bones are most likely to be injured.

How do you tell right and left ulna and radius?

Locate the anterior aspect of Ulna. A good landmark is the trochlear notch. When viewed anteriorly, the radial notch point to the side the bone is from, i.e. left ulna will have the radial notch (see below) on the left side of the bone.

Does radius and ulna twist?

The ulna is one of the two forearm bones and is on the small finger side of the forearm. Unlike the radius, this bone does not twist, so when the hand changes position, the ulna is always in the same position on the inside part of the forearm. The joint between the ulna and humerus is a hinge type of joint.

What is the function of radius and ulna?

The radius and ulna pivot around one another to allow rotation of the wrist. Together, along with the humerus, they create the elbow joint. The radius is often thought of as the larger of the two long bones in the forearm because it is thicker than the ulna at the wrist, but it is thinner at the elbow.

How long does it take to heal a broken radius and ulna?

They take an average of 3-6 months to completely heal. By six weeks, patients are extremely comfortable and usually are released to full activities such as manual labor, skiing and motocross by three to four months.

Does a broken radius need surgery?

Distal radius fractures may be treated effectively by wearing a supportive cast or splint. For severe distal radius fractures, surgery may be necessary. Distal radius fracture repair with volar plate is a surgical procedure that uses metal implants, or plates, to help stabilize fractures in the radius near the wrist.

Where is the distal ulna?

The lateral, distal end of the ulna is the head of the ulna. It articulates with the ulnar notch on the radius and with the triangular articular disc in the Wrist Joint.