The Radius

 

The radius is commonly fractured at the wrist. Because of the close connections with the ulna, breaks often happen together - at the wrist, the radius is the bone that is important, and is used to categorise the break. 

Colles Fracture

Radius within 2.5cm of the wrist. Distal fragment angulated to point dorsally.
Analgesia, POP, elevation
Discharge undisplaced

Complications: stiffness, malunion, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (Sudeck's atrophy) - refer for physiotheraphy, carpal tunnel syndrome, extensor pollicis longus rupture

 

Smith's Fracture

Unstable distal radius fracture (or reverse Colles' fracture)
The distal fragment is impacted, tilted anteriorly.
From a fall onto a flexed wrist.
Analgesia, POP, orthopaedics

Barton's Fracture

Intra-articular fracture involving the volar portion of the distal radius. The resultant fragment slips anteriorly, so the fracture is unstable.
POP and refer 

http://radiopaedia.org/articles/colles-fracture 
http://emergencymedicineireland.com/2012/05/anatomy-for-emergency-medicine-17-colles-fractures/
http://emrems.com/tag/colles/
http://emj.bmj.com/content/29/9/781.2.extract 
http://radiopaedia.org/cases/distal-radial-fracture-colles-fracture-1
http://blog.ercast.org/2011/07/distal-radial-fractures/
http://radiopaedia.org/cases/colles-fracture-1
http://radiopaedia.org/cases/colles-fracture-6
http://www.ajemjournal.com/article/S0735-6757%2809%2900492-6/abstract

Smith's Fracture
http://www.enlightenme.org/learning-zone/when-colles%E2%80%99-not-colles%E2%80%99
http://radiopaedia.org/articles/smith-fracture
http://radiopaedia.org/cases/smith-fracture

Barton's Fracture
http://lifeinthefastlane.com/bone-and-joint-bamboozler-003/