- Symptoms of wrist fracture
- Diagnosis of wrist fracture
- Wrist fracture treatment
- Fractures of the wrist bones - help
The wrist allows us to move our hand. It is made of eight bones: scaphoid, lunate, triangular, pea-shaped, smaller and larger quadrilateral, capitate and hook-shaped. These dice are arranged next to each other in two rows. The most common fractures of the wrist bones concern the scaphoid bone (a tiny bone located between the radial bone and the thumb) or the so-called Colles fractures (trauma occurs in the distal epiphysis of the radius - about 2.5 cm from the wrist joint) or Smith fractures.
Fractureswrist bonesoften occur in the elderly (over 65 years of age), especially those suffering from osteoporosis. The cause of fractures can also be traumatic sports - snowboarding, skiing, hockey, roller skating or football, as well as an unfortunate fall on an outstretched hand ( Colles fracture ) or a bent ( smith breaking ).
Symptoms of wrist fracture
The main symptom of a scaphoid fracture is pain. It intensifies with the movement of the wrist or while grasping. This place is easy to locate when we lean our hand to the side and straighten our thumb strongly. In addition, swelling and hematoma may appear in this place, and there is also limited mobility of the wrist. In the event of a Colles fracture, the wrist is bayonet-shaped.
Diagnosis of wrist fracture
Fractures of the scaphoid bones account for about 60 percent. all wrist fractures. It occurs when you fall on the wrist bent dorsally and tilted to the side. Many people disregard this injury because the injured wrist is only slightly painful and swollen. These types of bone fractures are usually difficult to diagnose and sometimes are not even detected on X-rays. Unfortunately, an undiagnosed fracture can lead to the formation of a pseudo-joint (it causes severe pain and limits the mobility of the wrist) and numerous degenerations of the joints. If a fracture is suspected, the wrist should be immobilized for about two weeks and then the image should be repeated, or to be sure, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography or scintigraphy should be performed. In the event of a Colles fracture, an X-ray is usually sufficient.
Wrist fracture treatment
Treatment of most fractures of the scaphoid bone involves plaster immobilization for a period of about 6 weeks. Rehabilitation after removal of immobilization allows you to regain your former mobility. If Colles has fractures, there is a risk that bone fragments have been dislocated. In this situation, the bone elements should be adjusted so that they return to their original place. This is done under local anesthesia. A cast is then placed to immobilize the forearm. The hand must be in a cast for about 7 weeks. Smith fractures require surgery. After removing the plaster, rehabilitation is necessary, which improves blood circulation and reduces the pain in the injured site.
Fractures of the wrist bones - help
In the rehabilitation of wrist bone fractures, cryotherapy is very helpful, it consists in "blowing" the diseased area with vapors of liquid nitrogen or liquefied carbon dioxide. The treatment has an analgesic and anti-swelling effect. It also makes it easier to exercise.