Wrist Fractures
A wrist fracture occurs in the bones that make up or connect to your wrists. One of the most common wrist fractures occurs when the radius (one of your forearm bones) breaks near where it connects to the small bones in your wrist. Learn more about your hand anatomy.
Like other bones in your body, your wrist bones are designed to withstand a certain amount of external force, but too much can result in a wrist fracture, also known as a broken wrist. In medical terms, a broken wrist is a distal radius fracture.
There are two types of fractures that can happen in the wrist:
- Nondisplaced fracture: The bone is broken but has not shifted or moved out of position.
- A hairline wrist fracture, or a small crack in one of your wrist bones, is a type of nondisplaced fracture.
- Buckle fractures of the wrist, where the wrist bone bends or bulges out on one side due to impact, are also a type of nondisplaced fracture. Children commonly experience these fractures because their developing bones are more fragile and susceptible to fractures.
- Displaced fracture: There’s a significant shift in the bone, and the fractured ends of the bone are no longer in proper alignment.
Summit Orthopedics hand and wrist orthopedic specialists help diagnose and treat wrist fractures in people from throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Broken Wrist Symptoms in Adults and Children
If you have a broken wrist, you may feel a lot of pain in your wrist and hand. This pain can range from a dull ache to a sharp, stabbing sensation. You may or may not be able to move your wrist, or you may have a lot of pain when trying to flex your wrist.
In both adults and children, signs of a broken wrist include:
- Bruising, or a bluish-purplish discoloration from ruptured blood vessels
- Numbness
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Tingling
- Visible deformity, such as your wrist appearing bent
Everyone’s experience with a broken wrist is different. Some people have one symptom while others will experience several symptoms.
What Causes a Fractured Wrist?
Broken wrists are a common problem in the U.S. Most broken wrists happen during falls when the hand is extended, causing the wrist bone or bones to break.
Some other common causes of hand and wrist fractures are:
- Car accidents
- Health conditions, such as osteoporosis and cancer, that can weaken bones and increase the risk for fractures.
- Sports injuries
Diagnosing a Wrist Fracture
Diagnosing a broken wrist usually begins with a visual examination of your hand. Your provider will look for signs of a broken wrist, like deformity, swelling and tenderness. They will ask about your pain level and what may have caused the fracture.
An X-ray can help your doctor confirm you have a broken wrist. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, your doctor may want to get a closer look with an MRI or CT scan. These scans can show details of your wrist bones, tendons and ligaments that an X-ray cannot capture.
Treatment for a Fractured Wrist
You can get care for a wrist fracture at an emergency room or urgent care facility. The type and severity of your wrist fracture determine the treatment you receive.
Treatment for both nondisplaced and displaced wrist fractures typically focuses on immobilizing the injured area to allow the bone to heal correctly. This may involve a cast, splint or brace. Providers will wrap your wrist tightly to correct bone alignment and prevent it from moving. You will have to keep your wrist immobilized until it heals.
In addition to wrapping, your custom treatment plan may include:
- Anti-inflammatory medications: These medications, like ibuprofen, help reduce swelling and relieve pain.
- Pain medications: While these medications do not reduce inflammation, they help reduce pain so you can function without too much discomfort.
- Physical therapy: This process involves hand exercises and helps restore functioning after initial treatment for your fractured wrist.
- Surgery: This may be required for more severe cases of a broken wrist, especially if immobilization isn’t an effective treatment. Your provider will consider several factors, such as the severity of your fracture and your overall health, when recommending surgery.
Life After a Wrist Fracture
After a wrist fracture, your wrist can take six to eight weeks to heal. That’s usually when you can resume using your wrist as before. If you need surgery, the healing process may take longer.
During recovery, your provider will focus on reducing your pain, preventing further wrist damage and restoring your wrist to normal function. Your doctor may also recommend physical therapy to help you regain strength and flexibility in your hand.
Remember, your healing process is an individual experience influenced by factors like the type and extent of the fracture, your age, health and general physical well-being.
A wrist fracture doesn’t have to keep you down for long. At Summit Orthopedics, our primary goal is to ensure your bones heal properly so you can get back to your everyday active life as quickly as possible without any future symptoms or loss of function.
Find your Summit Orthopedics hand and wrist care expert, request an appointment or call us at (651) 968-5201 to schedule a consultation.
