Forearm Fractures May Signal Intimate Partner Violence

Up to one-third of adult women who sustain a non-displaced fracture to the ulna bone of the forearm may be victims of intimate partner violence, according to a study being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The findings underscore the need to screen for intimate partner violence in women with these types of injuries, researchers said.

Fractures to the ulna, the bone on the pinkie side of the forearm, often occur when people hold up their hands to protect their faces from being struck with an object. These breaks are referred to as “nightstick fractures,” because they are frequently seen in people who try to block blows from nightsticks wielded by police officers.

Bharti Khurana, MD, a radiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and senior author of the study, had observed these fractures in her practice for years, mostly in men. But it was the occasional woman she saw that raised questions.

Source: RSNA Press Release

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