[citation needed] In Classical Greece, the physician Hippocrates described an external fixation apparatus composed of leather rings connected with four wooden rods from a Cornel tree to splint the fracture of a tibia bone.

Clayton Parkhill of Denver, Colorado and Albine Lambotte of Antwerp, Belgium independently invented the modern concept of unilateral external fixation, in 1894 and 1902, respectively.

In 1938, Raoul Hoffmann of Geneva, Switzerland, building on the work of others, realized that major improvements were essential to make the external fixator more clinically relevant.

Outside the body, a rod or a curved piece of metal with special ball-and-socket joints joins the bolts to make a rigid support.

[citation needed] Installation of the external fixator is performed in an operating room, normally under general anesthesia.

Removal of the external frame and bolts usually requires special wrenches and can be done with no anesthesia in an office visit.

Damage to soft-tissue structures - Transfixing pins or wires may injure nerves or vessels, or may tether ligaments and inhibit joint movement.