What is a wrist fracture?

Your wrist is made up of eight bones. They attach to the bones in your forearm and the bones in your hand. A fracture is a break in a bone. When you break your wrist, you may have broken the ends of the forearm bones (radius or ulna) or one of the eight wrist bones.

How does it occur?

The usual causes of a wrist fracture are:

• a fall

• a direct blow to the wrist.

What are the symptoms?

Your wrist is painful and swollen. When the navicular bone is fractured, the area below the thumb is tender.

How is it diagnosed?

Your health care provider will examine your wrist and review your symptoms. An x-ray of your wrist may show a fracture. Sometimes a fracture may not show up in the first x-ray and your health care provider may recommend that you have a repeat x-ray in 1 to 2 weeks.

How is it treated?

• If the broken bone is crooked, your health care provider will straighten it. Your provider will give you medicine first so the straightening is not too painful.

• You may be given a splint for your wrist for a few days until the swelling begins to go down. Then your wrist will be put in a cast for 4 to 8 weeks. Certain types of fractures may need to be in a cast longer and may eventually need surgery.

• Your health care provider may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications or other pain medications.

• You should elevate your wrist on a pillow or the back of a chair as often as possible for the first 2 to 3 days. This will help control pain and swelling.

• You may place ice packs over the cast for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for the first 2 to 3 days. Take care not to get your cast wet if it is a plaster cast.

When should I call my health care provider?

Call your health care provider if:

• Your pain is getting worse instead of better.

• You feel that your cast is too tight and you have swelling that doesn't get better when you elevate your injury.

How can I prevent a wrist fracture?

Most wrist fractures are caused by accidents that you cannot easily prevent. However, when you do activities such as rollerblading, be sure to wear protective wrist guards.