Olecranon fractures interrupt the extensor mechanism of the elbow, and the triceps never stops testing the repair. Plating answers with a rigid tension-side construct, and the anatomic olecranon plate takes the concept further by wrapping the tip itself: its proximal end curves over the process and places screws down the long axis of the fragment, where a straight plate has nothing to grip.
The olecranon is also the least forgiving hardware site in the body — subcutaneous from tip to shaft, leaned on daily, and the leading source of plate-removal requests in elbow trauma. A plate that is pre-contoured and low on the bone earns its place there. The choice between plating and tension-band wiring, and the configuration used, remain with the operating surgeon.
