Sprain or Fracture? Why We Should Evaluate That Wrist Injury

When it comes to holding an object, throwing a ball, pushing something open, and every other action you perform with your hands, it’s all happening because of the hand and wrist movements. Anything you do with your hands requires some function of the complex system of eight bones and several joints, muscles, and nerves in your wrist, moving in multiple directions.

Because we always use our hands and wrists, injuries affecting just the wrist can easily make everything you do with both hands more difficult. Wrist sprains and fractures are common injuries, and even if the symptoms are minor, getting them looked at can help keep these vital parts of your anatomy in good health.

For hand, wrist, and other damage to joints, bones, and related tissue, Dr. Joseph Daniels and his staff at Southwest Orthopedic Associates can help residents of the Fort Worth, Texas, area.

The differences between wrist sprains and fractures

The primary difference is the body area affected by both conditions, as sprains are damage to the ligament, a type of soft tissue in joints, and fractures happen in the bones. 

With sprains, the tearing and stretching of this musculoskeletal tissue in your wrist often leads to symptoms like joint weakness, feelings of warmth and tenderness in the affected areas, and pain. Depending on the severity of the strain, swelling and bruising may also be present.

Fractures split, crack, or break any of the ten bones in your wrist and forearm, such as the ulna, radius, and carpal bones. They also have different types, like fractures that extend into the wrist (intra-articular), those that don’t (extra-articular), those that break the skin (open fracture, and those that break into multiple pieces (comminuted fracture). Symptoms of wrist fracture include swelling, bruising, stiffness, tenderness, a bent wrist, and deformity.

Common causes of both

Both injuries happen for similar reasons, such as the impact from injuries, falls, repetitive stress due to performing the same motions repeatedly over long periods of time, and conditions like arthritis that wear down joints. 

Other causes include carpal tunnel syndrome, ganglion cysts, and Kienbock's disease. Your risk of one or both of these injuries is increased with factors like participating in sports or other intense forms of physical activity, repetitive wrist motions at work or home, or developing arthritis, diabetes, or becoming pregnant.

Reasons to get them checked out

If you’re highly active, do lots of office or creative work, or recently had a fall, you don’t always feel symptoms of fractures or sprains right away, and sometimes the signs can show up later or after other injuries. Getting your wrists examined after something happens can help us better assess the issues early and keep them from becoming a long-term problem, common in conditions like arthritis, whether the signs are really uncomfortable or not. Doing so makes it easier for us to determine the right form of orthopedic care to mend your wrists. 

Whether wrist pain from fractures or sprains is very painful or just mildly annoying, make an appointment or call Southwest Orthopedic Associates today to get them checked out.