Recovery Time For Distal Radius Fractures
Since there are several types of distal radius fractures and treatment methods, the recovery time can be different for each patient. Our Coastal Orthopedics specialist can work with you to formulate a recovery plan that can help you narrow down a time frame in which youll be able to resume normal activities.
Your recovery plan can encompass pain management suggestions, which help with relieving the pain of your fracture. Well discuss, cast and wound care, since the caster and splinter are instrumental to the healing process.
Promising wrist arthroscopy treatment measures means that more than likely patients can expect a favorable outcome in distal radius fractures. For the best results, be sure to communicate with our orthopedics specialist and adhere to your recovery plan.
Identifying Symptoms Of A Sprained Wrist
- 1Expect some pain with movement. Wrist sprains have a wide range of severity depending on the degree of stretch and/or tearing to the involved ligament. Mild wrist sprains , involve some ligament stretching, but no significant tearing moderate sprains involve significant tearing severe sprains involve a greater amount of tearing or complete rupture of the ligament.XResearch source Consequently, with Grade 1 and 2 wrist sprains, movement will be relatively normal, albeit painful. A Grade 3 sprain often leads to joint instability with movement because the involved ligament is no longer properly attached to its wrist bones. In contrast, movement is typically much more restricted with wrist fractures and there’s often a grinding feeling with movement.
- Grade 1 wrist sprains are mildly painful and the pain is usually described as a soreness that can be sharp with movement.
- Grade 2 wrist sprains generate moderate-to-severe pain, depending on the degree of tearing the pain is sharper than a Grade 1 tear and sometimes also throbbing because of inflammation.
- Grade 3 wrist sprains are often less painful than Grade 2 varieties because the ligament is completely severed and not irritating surrounding nerves as much although Grade 3 injuries eventually throb significantly due to accumulating inflammation.
- Swelling from inflammation doesn’t cause much color change to skin, aside from some redness from “flushing” due to all the warm fluid underneath the skin.
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When To Seek Medical Care
If you have severe pain, deformity, numbness, or are unable to move your wrist, you should call your doctor for an immediate appointment, go to an urgent care clinic, or go to a hospitalâs emergency department.
If there is no deformity and the pain is manageable with over-the-counter pain medication, you may want to wait 12-24 hours before deciding whether to call the doctor. If symptoms persist after a day, see a doctor.
If you have obvious deformity, numbness, or severe pain, you need medical attention.
- If there is obvious deformity or severe swelling, there may be a broken bone that needs to be moved back into its normal position.
- There also can be a dislocation where the bones are no longer in the correct position, although they are not broken.
Recommended Reading: How To Tell If Your Wrist Is Sprained Or Fractured
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Treatment For A Broken Wrist
If you have broken your wrist, your physician will usually secure your arm in a splint until the swelling goes down. After about a week, the splint will be replaced by a cast, which you might need for six to eight weeks. You may need to have multiple X-rays to make sure the bone is healing properly.
Doctor Doctor Give Me The News
One of the easiest and most common ways to instantly tell if you have a wrist fracture is the use of an x-ray. Even if its a torn ligament in your wrist, an x-ray is necessary. Not only will this show the doctor if you have a broken wrist, but it will also give them more detail about the break such as if it is a displaced or non-displaced fracture.
Other imaging tests can give the doctors more insight into your injury if needed. CT scans can show the doctors if there are injuries to the soft tissues or blood vessels. The amazing part about this technology is that it will take a variety of x-rays scans and combine them to show your bodys internal structure.
Another test used is an MRI. Intricate photos of your soft tissue and bone are taken and will show even the smallest of fractures and injuries to your ligaments.
These are great resources for doctors to determine if youve done any deeper damage to your wrist. Theyll be able to look for nerve, muscle, joint, and blood vessel damage in the case that they were affected by the break, allowing them to make better decisions about what action needs to be taken.
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Orthopedic Hand And Wrist Care In North Dakota
At The Bone & Joint Center, our board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons are skilled in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of common and complex conditions affecting the hand and wrist.
To find out more information about the orthopedic hand and wrist issues we treat, visit us today. You can make an appointment by calling 946-7400 / 900-8650. You can also request an appointment online. We look forward to serving you!
Signs Of A Wrist Sprain
If you have a wrist sprain, you may be able to move the wrist in a range of motion. It may be painful, but you will still be able to do it.
That usually means the bones are not broken, and you have a sprain.
Another sign of a wrist sprain is that there are swelling and redness around the sprained area of the wrist.
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Signs And Symptoms Of A Wrist Fracture
A wrist fracture is essentially the same thing as a broken wrist, and lets face it, if you break your wrist, its probably going to result in plenty of pain. Depending on the severity of the break, various treatments may be recommended, but how do you know if its a fracture and not just a sprain?
How Do I Know If I Need Wrist Fracture Surgery
How To Tell The Difference Between A Sprain and A Break!The following factors are considered by your doctor when assessing if wrist fracture surgery is necessary. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then your doctor will most likely recommend surgery.
- Are the bones shifted out of position?
- Are the bones fragmented and unstable?
- Is the wrist joint, as a whole, affected by the injury?
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Does A Sprained Wrist Hurt To Touch
If you have a wrist sprain, you may be able to move the wrist in a range of motion. It may be painful, but you will still be able to do it. That usually means the bones are not broken, and you have a sprain. Another sign of a wrist sprain is that there are swelling and redness around the sprained area of the wrist.
How Can I Prevent A Wrist Sprain
Wrist sprains are hard to prevent, since theyâre usually caused by accidents. Even the best-trained athlete can slip. But always make an effort to exercise safely.
Some athletes benefit from using wrist guards or tape. These may prevent the wrist from bending backward during a fall.
SOURCES:American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons web site: âWrist Sprains.â Davis, M.F., et al, Expert Guide to Sports Medicine, American College of Physicians Press, 2005. Rouzier, P., The Sports Medicine Patient Advisor, second edition, SportsMed Press, 2004.
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Less Common Symptoms Of Wrist Sprains
The less common symptoms of wrist sprains may include:
- Bruising. A bruise, also known as contusion, may form on the skin over the wrist due to rupture of blood vessels under the skin and leaking of blood into the tissue spaces. A change in color of the skin varying from red, black, or blue may occur due to bruising. Sometimes, bruising may extend to the fingers.
- Warmth. A feeling of warmth over the sprained wrist may be present due to increased blood flow to the area.
- Numbness. Numbness in one or more fingers may be experienced in cases where a wrist bone dislocates and presses on one or more nerves in the wrist.
- Feeling of tearing. In some moderate to severe wrist sprains, popping or tearing may be felt at the time of injury. The tearing feeling may also occur during wrist movements.
- Feeling of instability. Instability refers to a consistent click or clunk when moving the wrist. It can feel like the bones are shifting position and may be uncomfortable.
It is also possible for bone fractures, tendon damage, and/or nerve injuries to occur along with wrist sprains. A careful evaluation by a medical professional can help diagnose and treat wrist injuries.
Signs Of A Wrist Fracture
The wrist is a part of the body that is injured frequently, and these injuries may result in pain, a sprained wrist or even a wrist fracture. A wrist fracture is a medical term for a broken wrist, which means youve broken one or more of the many bones in your wrist. There are eight wrist bones which are connected to the forearm bones called the radius and the ulna. The radius is the most common bone to break in the wrist. This injury typically happens from falling on an outstretched hand, but it can also result from traumatic events such as a car accident.
Wrist fractures can range in severity. You may have a non-displaced break, which means the bones did not move out of place. Or, your break may be displaced in which the bones need to be put back into place. In some fractures, the bone can shatter into multiple pieces . Some patients have also suffered from an open fracture, which is when a fragment of bone is forced out through the skin.
Sometimes, its not always clear if youre suffering from an actual wrist fracture. Here are five signs that you may have broken your wrist:
- Pain and swelling in the wrist
- Inability or difficulty using the hand or wrist
- Deformed-looking wrist
- Pain with finger movement
- Numb or tingling fingers
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Visit www.HandCare.org to learn more about wrist fractures or to find a hand surgeon near you.
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What Happens If A Wrist Fracture Is Left Untreated
A scaphoid fracture can lead to wrist osteoarthritis, especially if the fracture is untreated and does not heal correctly. This is called nonunion. Severe cases of this kind of osteoarthritis can lead to an incorrect alignment of wrist bones in what is called scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse .
Is My Wrist Sprained Or Fractured
Even a small slip or fall onto an outstretched hand can injure your wrist, but just how bad is it? Should you ice and elevate the injury? Or go to the doctor for an X-ray? Orthopedic surgeon and hand specialist Dr. Andrew Tyser lends his expertise on this episode of The Specialists, and explains what to look out for when it comes to wrist injuries.
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Symptoms Of Broken & Sprained Wrists
Dr. Tyser:
Usually in that case, if the pain subsides over the next few days, it’s typically considered a wrist fracture. But if the pain is not getting better and persists and the swelling gets worse, difficult use to the hand, etc., many times an X-ray is warranted to determine if it is a wrist fracture or not.
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How To Tell If Your Wrist Is Sprained
How to Tell If a Bone is Broken | First Aid TrainingThis article was medically reviewed by Victor Catania, MD. Dr. Catania is a board certified Family Medicine Physician in Pennsylvania. He received his MD from the Medical University of the Americas in 2012 and completed his residency in Family Medicine at the Robert Packer Hospital. He is a member of the American Board of Family Medicine.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 11 testimonials and 81% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 264,360 times.
Wrist sprains are relatively common injuries, especially among athletes. A sprain occurs when the ligaments in the wrist are stretched too far and potentially tear, either partially or completely. A sprained wrist causes pain, inflammation, and sometimes bruising, depending on the severity of the injury .XResearch source Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between a badly sprained wrist and a bone fracture, so being well-informed should help you make the distinction. However, if you suspect a fracture for any reason, make an appointment with your doctor and get medical treatment.
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Common Symptoms Of Wrist Sprains
Common symptoms of wrist sprains include one or more of the following:
- Pain. Pain in a sprained wrist may vary from an intermittent dull ache to a sharp constant pain. The pain usually subsides after a few days, however, activities such as gripping or lifting with the hand may be painful until complete healing occurs. Hand twisting activities, such as opening a jar or doorknob may also be painful.
- Swelling. The wrist may appear swollen. Swelling may occur due to collection of fluid in the joint and tissue spaces of the injured area. The amount of swelling usually depends on the severity of the sprain.
- Stiffness and reduced flexibility. Stiffness in the wrist joint may be caused due to swelling and/or muscle spasms in response to the ligament injury. Decreased motion, especially while bending the wrist backward and during side-to-side movements may be experienced. Flexibility should improve gradually over time.
- Joint weakness. Reduced grip and pinch strength with a general feeling of weakness in the sprained wrist may occur in moderate to severe wrist sprains. This symptom may be exacerbated by activities requiring pushing with the hand.
The duration of symptoms usually depends on the type and severity of the wrist sprain. While some sprains usually heal in a few days, others may take weeks or months.
Treatment For A Broken Arm Or Wrist
When you get to hospital the affected arm will be placed in a splint to support it and stop any broken bones from moving out of position.
You will also be given painkilling medicines for the pain.
An X-ray is then used to see if there is a break and how bad that break is.
A plaster cast can be used to keep your arm in place until it heals sometimes this may be done a few days later, to allow any swelling to go down first. You may be given a sling to support your arm.
A doctor may try to fit the broken bones back into place with their hands before applying a splint or cast you will be given medicine before this happens so you will not feel any pain. If you had a very bad break surgery may be carried out to fix broken bones back into place.
Before leaving hospital, you’ll be given painkillers to take home and advice on how to look after your cast.
You’ll be asked to attend follow-up appointments to check how your arm or wrist is healing.
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Signs And Symptoms Of A Broken Wrist
Wrist fractures are common injuries affecting people of all ages. These injuries often occur from a fall on an outstretched arm or sports-related accident. Wrist fractures are sometimes obvious — but not always. Common signs and symptoms to look for include swelling, joint deformity and pain. Numbness and tingling in your fingers or hand may also be a tip-off.
Signs Of A Broken Wrist
While you will have pain in your wrist regardless of if its broken or sprained, you will have significantly more pain if you break your wrist.
Some of the signs of a broken wrist include:
- Swelling
- Tenderness to touch
You might also experience tingling in your fingers.
Another sign to consider is if you are completely unable to move your wrist either because you have so much pain or because of the swelling.
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How To Prevent A Broken Or Sprained Wrist
My best advice–try not to fall! This may seem common sense, but many times the cause is preventable. Loose rugs, items on the floor, unsafe ladder use, all are preventable common causes of falls. As much as we love our pets, we must also be careful with them around our feet as well.
Second to that, there are a few things you can do to prevent a wrist injury should you fall.
- Be proactive and build bone strength with a diet containing sufficient calcium and vitamin D and doing weight-bearing exercises
- Wear protective gear for sports activities, especially skateboarding and rollerblading
- Take care when walking on slippery or bumpy surfaces
Diagnosing A Wrist Injury
When you injure your wrist, your doctor will ask you to describe how the injury occurred and perform a physical examination. Common physical tests during the examination could include:
- Inspecting for deformity, bruising, swelling, and lacerations
- Palpating the critical structures to assess the location of the injury
- Testing your joints to assess their stability
Based on the exam, your doctor may then order an x-ray. An x-ray is needed to decipher between a sprain and a fracture in most situations. If the x-ray appears normal but your symptoms are severe and persistent, your doctor may order additional tests such as a CT scan or an MRI. Rarely would a bone scan would be needed.
Its important to note that fractures of the scaphoid can masquerade as a sprain. This is because sometimes scaphoid fractures arent as painful as distal radius fractures . Your practitioner should check the scaphoid for tenderness and if theres any suspicion, then special x-rays, a CT scan, an MRI, or early follow up and recheck are necessary.
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