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Patient education: Common wrist injuries (The Basics)

Patient education: Common wrist injuries (The Basics)

What are common types of wrist injuries? — Common types of wrist injuries include:

Sprains – A wrist sprain is when a ligament in the wrist tears or gets stretched too much. Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones to other bones.

Fractures – A "fracture" is another word for a broken bone. There are different kinds of wrist fractures. Some involve a break in 1 of the small bones in the wrist. Others involve a break in 1 of the forearm bones near the wrist (figure 1). A common type of wrist fracture involves the end of 1 of the forearm bones. It can happen when a person falls onto their outstretched hand.

What are the symptoms of a wrist injury? — Wrist injuries can cause:

Pain

Swelling

Bruising

Stiffness

Weakness in the wrist or arm

The wrist or arm to look bent

Sprains usually cause less pain and swelling than fractures, but not always.

Will I need tests? — Probably. Your doctor or nurse will ask about your symptoms and do an exam. They will also ask about how you got hurt, like whether you fell and how you landed. To check for a fracture, the doctor can do an X-ray. They might also do an imaging test such as a CT or MRI scan. Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of the body.

How are wrist injuries treated? — Treatment depends on the type of injury you have and how severe it is.

If you have a lot of pain or a severe injury, your doctor will prescribe a strong pain medicine. If your injury is mild, your doctor might recommend that you take an over-the-counter medicine for your pain. Over-the-counter medicines include acetaminophen (sample brand name: Tylenol), ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve).

Treatment for a wrist sprain can include:

Resting your wrist

Ice – To reduce swelling, you can put a cold gel pack, bag of ice, or bag of frozen vegetables on your wrist every 1 to 2 hours, for 15 minutes each time. You should put a thin towel between the ice (or other cold object) and your skin. You should put the ice (or other cold object) on your wrist for at least 6 hours after your injury. Some people find it helpful to ice longer, even up to 2 days after their injury.

Wearing an elastic bandage (such as an ACE wrap) or splint

Surgery – Most people with a wrist sprain do not need surgery. But people who tore a ligament might need surgery to fix the ligament.

A wrist fracture is usually treated with a splint or cast. If you need a cast, your doctor might wait for your swelling to get better before putting the cast on your wrist. This might take a few days. While you wait for the swelling to get better, your doctor will probably have you wear a splint.

Before your doctor puts the cast on your wrist, they will make sure that your bone is in the correct position. If your bone is not in the correct position, your doctor might do a procedure or surgery to put your bone in the correct position.

After your cast or splint comes off, your doctor might recommend that you see a physical therapist (exercise expert). The physical therapist can show you exercises and stretches to make your muscles stronger and help your joints move more easily.

How long do wrist injuries take to heal? — It depends partly on the type of injury and how severe it is. A mild sprain takes about 1 to 2 weeks to heal. Fractures can take weeks to months to heal.

It also depends on the person. Healthy children usually heal very quickly. Older adults or adults with other medical problems can take much longer to heal.

Can I do anything to improve the healing process? — Yes. It's important to follow all of your doctor's instructions while your sprain or fracture is healing. They will probably recommend that you eat a healthy diet that includes enough calcium, vitamin D, and protein (figure 2). They will also probably recommend that you avoid doing certain things. For example, they might recommend that you:

Avoid doing certain physical activities.

Avoid smoking – A fracture can take longer to heal if you smoke.

Avoid damaging your cast or getting it wet, if you have a cast that shouldn't get wet.

When should I call my doctor or nurse? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to call. In general, you should call your doctor or nurse if:

You have severe pain, or your pain or swelling gets worse.

You have numbness or tingling in your fingers, or your fingers look blue or purple.

You damage your cast or get it wet, and it's not supposed to get wet.

More on this topic

Patient education: Fractures (The Basics)
Patient education: How to care for your cast (The Basics)
Patient education: How to care for your child's cast (The Basics)
Patient education: Giving your child over-the-counter medicines (The Basics)
Patient education: Calcium and vitamin D for bone health (The Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (The Basics)
Patient education: Preventing falls in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Wrist fracture (The Basics)
Patient education: Femur fracture (The Basics)

Patient education: Cast and splint care (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Calcium and vitamin D for bone health (Beyond the Basics)

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Feb 02, 2024.
Disclaimer: This generalized information is a limited summary of diagnosis, treatment, and/or medication information. It is not meant to be comprehensive and should be used as a tool to help the user understand and/or assess potential diagnostic and treatment options. It does NOT include all information about conditions, treatments, medications, side effects, or risks that may apply to a specific patient. It is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for the medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of a health care provider based on the health care provider's examination and assessment of a patient's specific and unique circumstances. Patients must speak with a health care provider for complete information about their health, medical questions, and treatment options, including any risks or benefits regarding use of medications. This information does not endorse any treatments or medications as safe, effective, or approved for treating a specific patient. UpToDate, Inc. and its affiliates disclaim any warranty or liability relating to this information or the use thereof. The use of this information is governed by the Terms of Use, available at https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/know/clinical-effectiveness-terms. 2024© UpToDate, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved.
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