Stress Fracture of the Capitate

ABSTRACT

Most capitate fractures occur in association with additional carpal injuries, particularly scaphoid fractures. Isolated fractures of the capitate account for only 0.3% of carpal injuries, and stress fractures are one form of this fracture. We report the case of a 20-year-old male who had a stress fracture of the capitate after serving as an honor guard in the military. Conventional radiographs and computed tomography of the right wrist revealed a minimally displaced fracture line located at the midcarpal aspect of the right capitate. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrates a subarticular capitate fracture with diffuse bone marrow edema, small osteophytes, and irregularity of the midcarpal articular cartilage. We also review the carpal kinematics which possibly caused the stress fracture. Although stress fractures of the capitate are rare, they should also be accounted for with patients who perform repetitive motions of the wrist to a considerable extent.