A dinner fork deformity with dorsal displacement of the radius is typical of which fracture?

• A. Smith's fracture
• B. Hutchinson's fracture
• C. Bennett's fracture
• D. Colles' fracture

Answer: (D)

This pattern is the classic Colles' fracture. When someoneFalls on an outstretched hand, the distal radius breaks and the fragment tilts backward (dorsally), giving the characteristic dinner fork appearance. The deformity results from the distal fragment angulating posteriorly relative to the proximal radius, a hallmark of Colles' fractures, and it’s most common in older adults with weaker bones.

The other injuries have different displacement patterns: a Smith’s fracture shows palmar (volar) displacement of the distal fragment, Hutchinson’s fracture involves the distal radius with an intra-articular fracture of the radial styloid, and a Bennett’s fracture is at the base of the thumb metacarpal.