How bad are wrist breaks?

How bad are wrist breaks?

Complications of a broken wrist are rare, but they might include: Ongoing stiffness, aching or disability. Stiffness, pain or aching in the affected area generally goes away eventually after your cast is removed or after surgery. However, some people have permanent stiffness or pain.

What is the most painful wrist fracture?

Scaphoid fractures usually cause pain and swelling in the anatomic snuffbox and on the thumb side of the wrist. The pain may be severe when you move your thumb or wrist, or when you try to pinch or grasp something. Unless your wrist is deformed, it might not be obvious that your scaphoid bone is broken.

What is the hardest bone to break in your wrist?

Of the eight carpal bones in your wrist, your navicular bone is the most likely one to break. It is important to find out if you have a navicular fracture, because navicular fractures need treatment to heal well.

What happens if you break your wrist and don’t get it fixed?

Delayed Union. When a bone fracture is untreated, it can result in either a nonunion or a delayed union. In the former case, the bone doesn’t heal at all, which means that it will remain broken. As a result, swelling, tenderness, and pain will continue to worsen over time.

Is a broken wrist painful?

When the wrist is broken, there is pain and swelling. It can be hard to move or use the hand and wrist. Some people can still move or use the hand or wrist even if there is a broken bone. Swelling or a bone out of place can make the wrist appear deformed.

Can you drive with a broken wrist?

At this time, there are no distinct rules regarding exact timeframes or circumstances for clearing patients to return to driving after a wrist fracture. Many people will be advised not to drive until the cast is removed and until you are able to use your hand comfortably for other daily functional activities.

Which is worse fracture or break?

There’s no difference between a fracture and a break. A fracture is any loss of continuity of the bone. Anytime the bone loses integrity—whether it’s a hairline crack barely recognizable on an X-ray or the shattering of bone into a dozen pieces—it’s considered a fracture.

How should I sleep with a broken wrist?

Invest in a specialized pillow, like a body pillow, for elevation—keeping the broken bone above your heart prevents blood from pooling and causing swelling. Try sleeping on your back first while propped up on a few pillows. If that doesn’t work, slowly adjust yourself to a side position if possible.

Is it a broken wrist or a fracture?

A wrist fracture is essentially the same thing as a broken wrist, and let’s face it, if you break your wrist, it’s 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 it’s a fracture and not just a sprain?

What happens if you fall and break your wrist?

If you think you might have a broken wrist, see a doctor immediately, especially if you have numbness, swelling or trouble moving your fingers. A delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to poor healing, decreased range of motion and decreased grip strength. A broken wrist can be caused by: Falls.

Can you use a broken wrist with a swollen wrist?

Obviously for people who have long bone fractures they can’t do anything until the fracture is healed. But wrist fractures you might go on for awhile with a swollen wrist and use it, not as much as you’re used to. But eventually that could create problems.

What is the most common type of wrist fracture?

Broken wrist. Overview. Wrist bones Your wrist is made up of eight small bones (carpal bones) plus two long bones in your forearm — the radius and the ulna. The most commonly injured carpal bone is the scaphoid bone, located near the base of your thumb. Colles’ fracture The distal radius fracture is one of the most common fractures of the wrist.