Carpal Instability: Evaluation and Treatment

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

Carpal instability is a common cause of wrist pain, motion loss, and disability. Diagnosis and treatment of carpal instability are dependent on a clear understanding of wrist anatomy and carpal kinematics, both normal and pathologic, as well as their relation to the current concepts regarding management. A brief review of anatomy and normal kinematics is presented, followed by a detailed discussion of specific instability patterns, including pathomechanics. A treatment algorithm is provided, detailing the authors' preferred treatment for the most common instability patterns.