Objective To compare the efficacy of volar locking plate and external fixator in treating distal radius type C fracture.Methods A randomized controlled study was used.Patients with distal radius type C fractures from October 2014 to October 2017 were included and randomly divided into 2 groups:external fixator group and volar locking plate group,treated with external fixator and volar locking plate respectively.The duration of operation,intra-operative blood loss,fracture healing time and incidence of postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.The wrist joint activity,radial inclination,palmar tilt,the ratio of the grip strength with two hands and the Gartland-Werley score of the wrist joint at the last follow-up were measured and compared.Results A total of 30 patients were included and followed up for 1 year.There were 14 cases in external fixation group and 16 cases in volar locking plate group.The duration of operation in the volar locking plate group was longer than external fixator group and the blood loss was more.At the last follow-up,the palmar tilt and radial inclination of the volar locking plate group were better than external fixator group.The fracture healing time,wrist flexion and extension,wrist rotation,the grip strength ratio with two hands and the Gartland-Werley score of the wrist joint had no significant difference between the two groups.No postoperative complications occurred in the two groups.Conclusion The operative risk of external fixator is less than volar locking plate in treating distal radius type C fracture.External fixator can cause reduction loss after operation at a certain degree.However,the loss of the reduction does not affect the recovery of wrist joint function.