A Case of Acute Plastic Deformation of the Forearm in a Medieval Hispano-Mudejar Skeleton (13–14th Centuries AD)

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Acute plastic deformation refers to a traumatic bending or bowing without a detectable cortical defect. <b><i>Case Presentation and Discussion:</i></b> We describe a rare case from an individual that was exhumed from the Hispano-Mudejar necropolis in Uceda (Guadalajara, Spain) dated between the 13th and 14th centuries AD. The case corresponds to an adult woman, with a bowing involvement of the left ulna and radius. After making the differential diagnosis with various pathologies likely to present with this alteration, we reached the diagnosis of acute plastic deformation of the forearm through external and radiological examination and comparison with the healthy contralateral forearm. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Acute plastic deformation is a rare traumatic injury, not described until the last century and only rarely described in palaeopathological contexts. We contribute a new case, the first being sufficiently documented, contributing to the knowledge and diagnosis of this type of trauma in the ancient bone, while deepening the knowledge of the living conditions of the medieval Mudejar population of Uceda.