I began this project by choosing my joint. I chose the wrist joint due to my many injuries to the bones in my wrist. After I chose this joint, I did some general research on the what exact bones made up this joint and some of the major ligaments, blood vessels, and arteries in this joint. Once that was done, I began to research how to solve the problem of the common distal radial fracture. I looked up common treatment methods for a severe fracture and these treatments are what sparked my idea, a preventative measure to decrease the chance of a broken radius.
Main Body
The joint I will be redesigning is the wrist joint, where the ulna and radius meet the carpals. The wrist is made up of several bones, including the distal ends of the ulna and radius, the carpal bones, and the proximal ends of the metacarpal bones. All of these contribute to a wide range of motion such as flexing or extension and pronation or supination. The ligaments in the wrist help to keep the wrist stable while still allowing mobility. Some major ligaments include the radiocarpal ligament and the ulnar collateral ligament which prevent extreme radial deviation.
A common injury to this joint is a distal radius fracture where the epiphysis of the radius sustains an incomplete or complete break. Fracturing your wrist is such a common injury due to the fact that it can happen very easily. For example, one may simply break their wrist from slipping and falling backward, landing with their hand outstretched. Although, wrist injuries can also occur during more serious accidents such as car accidents or falling from a high distance, like a ladder. Radial fractures can also occur in sports. For instance, wrist fractures are a very common injury in competitive cheerleading due to the constant pressure and strain that is put on these bones during stunting.
My proposed solution to this very common injury is to add additional ligaments behind the radius in order to prevent a fracture. Adding these ligaments would give more support to the bones and would also help to keep the bones aligned. If you were to fall and land with your hand outstretched, these extra ligaments would help to absorb the shock of the fall and would take some of the weight off of the bone. This solution mirrors the technique used to set major fractures. When the bone is so broken that it cannot be realigned without surgery, doctors go into the part of the wrist that is broken and must attach plates and metal screws and pins to keep the bone together. The additional ligaments would be a preventative measure for the extreme fracture. These ligaments would receive their blood from the radial artery and vein. Due to the thicker and more protective nature of the ligaments, some, but a very little range of motion would be lost.
A common injury to this joint is a distal radius fracture where the epiphysis of the radius sustains an incomplete or complete break. Fracturing your wrist is such a common injury due to the fact that it can happen very easily. For example, one may simply break their wrist from slipping and falling backward, landing with their hand outstretched. Although, wrist injuries can also occur during more serious accidents such as car accidents or falling from a high distance, like a ladder. Radial fractures can also occur in sports. For instance, wrist fractures are a very common injury in competitive cheerleading due to the constant pressure and strain that is put on these bones during stunting.
My proposed solution to this very common injury is to add additional ligaments behind the radius in order to prevent a fracture. Adding these ligaments would give more support to the bones and would also help to keep the bones aligned. If you were to fall and land with your hand outstretched, these extra ligaments would help to absorb the shock of the fall and would take some of the weight off of the bone. This solution mirrors the technique used to set major fractures. When the bone is so broken that it cannot be realigned without surgery, doctors go into the part of the wrist that is broken and must attach plates and metal screws and pins to keep the bone together. The additional ligaments would be a preventative measure for the extreme fracture. These ligaments would receive their blood from the radial artery and vein. Due to the thicker and more protective nature of the ligaments, some, but a very little range of motion would be lost.
Before After
Discussion
I found my inspiration for the redesign of the wrist joint after multiple breaks to both my ulna and my radius. I arrived at the idea for my design after researching what is done to treat a severe fracture to the radius. From my own personal experience, and from the help of the internet, I learned that in an extreme fracture, a surgery must be done where doctors reattach the bone with metal pins, screws, and plates. At that point, I tried to think how the fracture could be prevented in the first place. For my solution, I proposed that ligaments should be added in place of where the screws and plates would be if the bone were to be broken. The ligaments would act as a preventative measure that would help the radius from breaking by absorbing some of the shock and helping to keep the bones aligned.
As I created my “better joint” a problems that came to mind with my idea was the change in the range of motion. With the addition of ligaments, this could possibly limit the range of motion as the wrist would lose some of the mobility that it had before. For example, the wrist may not be able to bend as far backward as it was able to without the extra ligaments.
Since this treatment is not possible and we cannot create a more effective joint, there are a couple things that you can do to prevent a wrist fracture. On a dietary level, make sure that you are consuming enough calcium as well as vitamin D since both are crucial for healthy and strong bones. Both vitamins are easy to get. An easy source of calcium is milk and vitamin D can easily be received from the sun. If you are a more clumsy person, it is important that you make sure to wear sensible shoes that will not cause you to slip and make sure to avoid slippery surfaces. Finally, if you have had fractures in the past or have a history of osteoporosis in your family, you may want to tape your wrists or wear a brace while doing sports or exercise that may put excessive strain on your wrist.
Works Cited
Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology
by Gerard J. Tortora and Bryan Derrickson
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