Humeral Shaft Fractures
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2025
Publication Title
StatPearls [Internet]
Abstract
The humerus (arm bone) is the upper arm's only long bone. Humeral shaft fractures comprise 1-5% of all bony fractures (see Image. Oblique Humeral Shaft Fracture). These injuries have a bimodal age distribution. In young people, humeral shaft fractures are mostly caused by high-energy trauma. In older individuals, the damage may be caused by a low-impact force.
The humerus articulates with the scapula proximally and the radius and ulna distally. The proximal humerus has a head, neck, and greater and lesser tubercles. The humeral head articulates with the scapula's glenoid fossa, forming the scapulohumeral joint, also known as the glenohumeral or shoulder joint. The anatomical neck of the humerus is the region around the humeral head proximal to the greater and lesser tubercles. The greater tubercle is the lateral border of the arm bone. The lesser tubercle is the arm bone's anterior projection. The intertubercular (bicipital) groove is the furrow between these tubercles.
The surgical neck of the humerus is the narrow portion distal to the tubercles. This site is one of the most commonly involved locations in humeral shaft fractures.
The deltoid tuberosity on the arm bone's lateral aspect is the deltoid's distal attachment site. The radial groove is a depression running posterolaterally on the middle third of the humerus. Middle-third humeral fractures can injure the radial nerve and profunda brachii artery, which pass in the radial groove.
The humerus widens inferiorly, forming the lateral and medial supracondylar ridges. The lateral and medial epicondyles form at the distal end of the humerus. The humeral condyle comprises the lateral and medial epicondyles, the capitulum, the trochlea, and the olecranon, coronoid, and radial fossae.
The arm has 2 compartments. The anterior compartment contains the brachial artery and vein, biceps brachii, brachialis, coracobrachialis, and musculocutaneous, median, and ulnar nerves. The posterior compartment houses all 3 muscle bellies of the triceps and the radial nerve.
Historically, most humeral shaft fractures have been treated nonoperatively, especially with the development of the functional brace by Sarmiento et al. However, some humeral shaft fractures require early surgical intervention for better outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Bounds EJ, Frane N, Jajou L, Weishuhn LJ, Kok SJ. Humeral Shaft fractures. 2023 Dec 13. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 28846218.
PubMed ID
28846218
Comments
Bookshelf ID: NBK448074