Wrist Fracture Treatment

The wrist joint comprises of the long bones radius and ulna and the small carpal bones. The radius is on the same side as your thumb and ulna is on the side of your little finger. These bones touch each other at the elbow and at wrist. They can slide over each other so that you can perform activities like opening a door using a door handle. The fractured wrist can involve any of these bone and injury to the ligaments around the joint. The most common bone to fracture is the radius. Fracture of wrist can happen due to many reasons, but direct trauma and fall on an out stretched hand are the common reasons. If your palm is facing down then usually the radius will break and the bit nearest to the wrist will be pushed upwards. This called as Colle’s fracture. The opposite of this is if you fall with a bend wrist and you land on the back of the hand. This called as Smith’s fracture. You will notice pain and swelling around the wrist, inability to grip or move the wrist and deformity if there is displacement of the fractured bone.

The recovery depends on the severity of fracture and the number of bones involved. It can take up to 8 weeks for the bone to heal and will continue to get stronger up to one year after the injury. It can take another 6 week for the bone to become as strong as it was before.Some injuries can be complex due to the injury to

Wrist Fracture Treatment

 Plaster cast is used to manage a fracture where it is stable and the bones are not moved position and your doctor will discuss with you regarding how long you have to wear the plaster cast for. If your bone is unstable or have moved out of alignment you will need a surgery to fix the bones with plates and screws.

After the plaster cast is removed it is normal to feel the following symptoms as you have not moved your wrist for a number of weeks

Pain
Swelling
Stiffness
Muscle weakness
Muscle wasting.

A Physiotherapist can help with these problems, although sometimes they can last several months or more.

Consult your Physiotherapist for an assessment following the plaster cast removal. Your Physiotherapist will use electrotherapy modalities with exercises and heat or cold to manage pain and swelling. You will be treated with appropriate exercises and manual therapy technique to improve range of movement, strength and hand function.