Hand and Wrist Device Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis | Global | 2025-2031 | Includes: Wrist Replacement, Wrist Fusion, and 3 more

The global hand and wrist device market was valued at over $1.3 billion in 2024. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.4 percent to reach nearly $1.7 billion by 2031.

This report covers wrist replacement, wrist fusion, ulnar head replacement, hand digit implants, and distal radius plates and screws. It quantifies unit sales, average selling prices (ASPs), market size, growth rates, and company shares, and analyzes market drivers and limiters, recent mergers and acquisitions, product portfolios, and competitive dynamics. The study provides historical data to 2021 and forecasts to 2031.

Interest in biodegradable implants, including platforms such as OSSIOfiber(R), is rising. These devices are designed to support bone healing and then resorb, which can reduce the need for hardware removal. This aligns with the broader push toward minimally invasive, patient-friendly orthopedic solutions and supports procedural migration to outpatient settings.

Market Overview

• Hand and wrist procedures are among the most common in orthopedics because they address daily function. Distal radius fractures, carpal instability, tendon disorders, and degenerative wrist disease drive steady procedural demand across a wide age range. The market includes two high-volume pillars: trauma fixation and fusion, complemented by smaller but important categories such as wrist arthroplasty and digit joint implants.

Growth is supported by three broad shifts. First, aging populations remain active longer, which increases the prevalence of osteoarthritis and fragility fractures. Second, urbanization and sports participation contribute to trauma volume across younger demographics. Third, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continue to expand access to care while lowering costs. Many hand and wrist procedures can be done efficiently in outpatient settings with short anesthesia times and fast recovery pathways.

Fixation technology continues to evolve. Low-profile locking plates, variable-angle screw systems, and improved contouring help restore anatomic alignment while protecting soft tissues. In parallel, biodegradable materials offer a path to avoid secondary removal procedures in selected cases. For arthroplasty, wrist replacement remains a niche alternative to fusion because of the joint's complex biomechanics, yet modern implant designs are improving handling and stability, which is drawing renewed interest among specialized surgeons.

Pricing pressure persists in mature markets due to procurement consolidation and strong competition in commodity-like segments. Even so, stable trauma volumes, procedure migration to ASCs, and a gradual broadening of reconstructive indications support a clear growth path through 2031.

Market Drivers

Demographic shift toward an aging and active population

Rising life expectancy and an emphasis on staying active into older age sustain demand for restorative procedures in the hand and wrist. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis increase with age and frequently affect the small joints of the hand and the wrist. Patients seek pain relief and function restoration through fusion or replacement depending on activity level, bone quality, and surgeon preference. This demographic base anchors steady annual procedure counts worldwide.

High incidence of upper extremity trauma

Falls on an outstretched hand remain a leading cause of wrist fractures across all regions. Distal radius fractures are the most frequently treated injury in this market and are most often managed with plate and screw fixation. In younger patients, sports and work injuries contribute to complex patterns involving the distal radius, ulnar styloid, and carpal ligaments. Reliable fixation options and reproducible techniques keep trauma at the core of market value and unit volumes.

Expansion of ASCs

A large share of hand and wrist procedures is well suited to outpatient care. ASCs offer consistent scheduling, fast turnover, and cost control for payers and providers. Manufacturers have responded with streamlined instrument sets, single-use kits, and anesthesia-sparing techniques that reduce overall time in the facility. The result is higher throughput, shorter wait times, and a larger addressable patient base, which supports unit growth even when ASPs are under pressure.

Minimally invasive and patient-friendly materials

There is growing adoption of biodegradable implants in indicated cases, which can remove the need for removal surgery and reduce metal artifact on imaging. Platforms like OSSIOfiber(R) seek to combine strength with gradual resorption that follows natural bone healing. These properties align with patient preferences for smaller incisions, faster recovery, and fewer secondary procedures.

Digit and motion-preserving solutions

In the hand, motion preservation is important for daily tasks. Silicone and pyrocarbon digit implants, surface-replacing designs, and low-profile fusion devices provide options across a spectrum of pathology. Expanded choice lets surgeons match implants to patient goals, which supports steady adoption across diverse clinical settings.

Market Limiters

Limited adoption of wrist arthroplasty due to procedural complexity

Wrist replacement is technically demanding. The joint's anatomy is small and complex, and long-term survivorship must balance stability with range of motion. Many surgeons have limited exposure or training in wrist arthroplasty and prefer wrist fusion for reliable pain relief in high-demand patients. These factors cap arthroplasty's share in the near term.

Biomechanical constraints of small joint arthroplasty

Hand and finger joints place tight constraints on implant geometry and material performance. Wear, loosening, and soft tissue balance are difficult to optimize across small surfaces exposed to frequent repetitive loads. While demand for motion-preserving digit implants is real, performance limits and technique sensitivity slow broader uptake compared with fixation or fusion solutions.

Downward pressure on pricing due to market saturation

The distal radius plate and screw segment is highly competitive. Many manufacturers offer high-quality, low-profile locking plates with similar features. Procurement groups often weigh price heavily when products are clinically interchangeable. This competition reduces ASPs and narrows margins, which can mute revenue growth even when unit volumes are stable or rising.

Market Coverage and Data Scope

• Quantitative coverage: Market size, market shares, market forecasts, growth rates, units sold, and average selling prices.
• Qualitative coverage: Growth trends, market limiters, competitive analysis and SWOT for top competitors, mergers and acquisitions, company profiles, product portfolios, disruptive technologies, and disease overviews that shape demand.
• Time frame: Base year 2024, forecasts to 2031, historical data from 2021 to 2023.
• Data sources: Primary interviews with industry leaders, government physician and regulatory data, hospital and private practice inputs, import and export records, and the iData Research internal database.
• Method note: Revenue is modeled as units multiplied by ASP, validated against procedure volumes, utilization patterns, and replacement assumptions for fixation and arthroplasty devices

Care settings include hospitals, orthopedic specialty centers, and ambulatory surgery centers.

Markets Covered and Segmentation

Wrist Replacement Market

Wrist Fusion Market

Ulnar Head Replacement Market

Hand Digit Implant Market

Distal Radius Plate and Screw Market

Each segment is analyzed by market value, ASP, unit volume, and forecast growth with regional views where data support consistent modeling.

Competitive Analysis

DePuy Synthes led the hand and wrist device market in 2024. The company held the largest market shares in wrist fusion and distal radius plate and screw, two of the highest volume categories. Its VA LCP(TM) Distal Radius System remains a benchmark for variable-angle fixation with a wide tray configuration that supports both acute trauma and elective reconstructive cases. DePuy's strength in trauma workflows and distribution breadth underpins its leadership position across diverse care settings.

Stryker was the second-leading competitor. The company participates across all major segments and has a particularly strong presence in hand digit implants, supported by the ReMotion(TM) Total Wrist System and complementary small joint solutions. Stryker's portfolio design philosophy emphasizes ASC-friendly instrument sets, consistent tray layouts, and cross-compatible implants that help teams move efficiently across hand, wrist, and forearm procedures. This integrated approach improves utilization in high-throughput environments.

Zimmer Biomet ranked third overall in 2024. The company focuses on wrist replacement and distal radius plating, with notable share in both categories. The APTUS(R) Wrist Modular Hand System supports reconstructive pathways with modular options that fit a range of anatomic and pathology profiles. Zimmer Biomet's position is strengthened by upper extremity relationships that stretch across shoulder and elbow, creating cross-selling opportunities for wrist reconstruction and fixation.

Other participants compete in selected niches, including silicone and pyrocarbon digit implants, percutaneous fixation, and specialty fusion devices. In regions with tender-driven procurement, local manufacturers with competitive pricing have expanded share in standard fixation, while global suppliers retain advantages in training, service, and complex reconstruction portfolios.

Technology and Practice Trends

• Low-profile variable-angle plating: Systems that allow controlled angulation with locking stability help surgeons address comminution and osteoporotic bone while minimizing soft tissue irritation.
• Biodegradable and biointegrative implants: Platforms such as OSSIOfiber(R) are designed to provide early strength and then resorb as healing progresses, which can reduce the need for hardware removal and imaging artifact.
• Digit motion preservation: Evolving implant geometries, surface finishes, and constraint options are improving stability and tactile function for MCP and PIP joints in select patients.
• Efficient ASC workflows: Compact trays, clear step guides, and single-use kits reduce setup and turnaround times, which is critical in outpatient environments.
• Imaging and planning aids: Routine use of fluoroscopy and CT where indicated, along with templating tools, helps teams tailor implant choice to bone quality and fracture pattern.
• Enhanced soft tissue management: Attention to volar approach protection, tendon gliding planes, and early mobilization protocols supports better functional outcomes after fixation or fusion.

These trends work together to improve predictability and patient experience. As implants become easier to use and better aligned with outpatient care, adoption broadens among general orthopedists and hand specialists alike.

Geography

This edition provides global coverage across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

Why This Report

Where are the largest and fastest-growing opportunities within the hand and wrist device market.

How distal radius plating, fusion, digit arthroplasty, and wrist replacement compare in growth prospects through 2031.

Which biodegradable and low-profile fixation technologies are gaining traction and how they impact procedure mix.

How ASC expansion and outpatient workflows change tray design, case time, and purchasing decisions.

What pricing pressures and procurement dynamics mean for ASPs in mature versus emerging regions.

How DePuy Synthes, Stryker, and Zimmer Biomet are positioned across segments and which product strategies drive share gains.

What risks could limit growth, including arthroplasty complexity, biomechanical constraints, and saturation in commodity fixation.

The Global Hand and Wrist Device Market Report from iData Research answers these questions with procedure-aware models, pricing detail, and company share analysis.

Use it to quantify demand by segment, plan product launches, align pricing and contracting, and prioritize training and support programs that speed adoption.