External fixation is a process for fracture fixation by which pins or wires are inserted into bone percutaneously and held together via an external scaffold. Initially described by Malgaigne in 1853, external fixation was proposed as an alternative to immobi llization in plaster cast, traction, or internal fixation. Circular external fixation with thin wire fixation was popularized by the lizarov technique in the 1970s and 1980s, further evolving into hybrid fixation systems using both thin wires and standard half-pins for periarticular fractures.

External fixation is a surgical treatment wherein Kirschner pins and wires are inserted and affixed into bone and then exit the body to be attached to an external apparatus composed of rings and threaded rods — the llizarov apparatus, and the Octopod External Fixator — which immobilises the damaged limb to facilitate healing.As an alternative to internal fixation, wherein bone-stabilising mechanical components are surgically emplaced in the body of the patient, external fixation is used to stabilize bone tissues and soft tissues at a distance from the site of the injury.