broken wrist Archives - Arora Hand Surgery

What Can I Expect During Broken Wrist Recovery?

Post author By aaarora
Post date April 2, 2018

A distal radial fracture, commonly called a broken wrist, affects the larger of the two bones of the forearm close to the wrist. A broken wrist is the most common fracture of the arm and represents 10 percent of total fractures that occur in the United States. This injury typically occurs from falling on an outstretched arm or while biking, skiing, skating, or playing a contact sport.

When is a Wrist Injury Severe?

The recovery time for a broken wrist depends on the severity of the fracture. Fractures that are more severe will take longer to heal than other breaks. This includes when the break affects the wrist joint, when the bone is broken in more than one place, when the broken bone protrudes through the skin, when the fractured bone moves out of place, or when a ligament, blood vessel, or nerve is torn or injured as a result of the injury.

How is a Wrist Injury Diagnosed?

If you’ve had an injury to the wrist, have it checked out if you are experiencing tenderness, pain, swelling, bruising, or a crooked or bent appearance. Seek emergency medical attention if you are experiencing severe pain, your hand and/or arm is numb, or blood has drained from your fingers. Our doctor will examine your hand and arm as well as take X-rays to determine whether a bone is broken.

How is a Wrist Injury Treated?

Depending on the severity of the fracture, the bone may need to be reset. This can be quite involved and is usually done under anesthesia. Once the broken bone is in the correct position to heal, it will be held in place with a splint after the injury. This gives swelling a chance to resolve before a cast is put on the arm. Regular X-rays will be conducted to make sure the bone is healing correctly.

Your treatment for a broken wrist at Arora Hand Surgery will depend on a multitude of factors. Make an appointment at our office in West Bloomfield, Howell, Macomb, or Warren to learn about your treatment options. Contact us today to book your evaluation!

Tags broken wrist

General Wrists

Treating a Broken Wrist

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Post author By aaarora
Post date February 12, 2018

A broken wrist is one of the most common types of injuries that can affect men, women, and children, especially since our natural reaction when we fall is to put our hands and arms out. A blow to the wrist or a fall can lead to this type of break of bones in the lower arm. Those who are extremely active or athletic are more prone to this type of injury.

If you break or fracture your wrist, you may have the following symptoms:

Swelling and bruising
Pain when you try to bend your wrist
Your wrist may be sensitive to touch
Your wrist may be bent in an odd way

If you think that your wrist is broken, you should seek medical attention.

What to Expect When Your Wrist is Evaluated

A member of our team, which is led by board-certified surgeon Dr. Avery Arora, will assess your wrist through a physical examination. An x-ray is usually also performed to check for the exact location of any breaks. This gives our team a guide for setting the bone. Once the bones in your arm are in proper alignment, your arm can be placed in a cast. Your doctor will check your progress regularly and will be able to help you to determine when your wrist is on track to a full recovery.

How to Care for Your Broken Wrist Once You’re Home

One of the best things that you can do when you get home is to give yourself a chance to rest. To prevent further injury and continue to stimulate hand movement, keep your fingers flexible. A member of our team can recommend appropriate exercises to help you to regain functionality, strengthen your bones, and increase flexibility after an injury.

Make an Appointment with Our Hand & Wrist Doctor

A broken wrist can be frustrating and keep you from doing some of the things you enjoy. No one likes being in pain. Contact the team at Arora Hand Surgery to schedule your consultation at one of our Michigan offices for advice about what you can do to take care of your wrist in order to promote healing. We proudly serve you from offices in Macomb Township, Warren, West Bloomfield, and Howell. We want you to have the best outcome and are here to help.

Tags broken wrist

General Wrists

Is My Wrist Broken or Sprained? – Arora Hand Surgery

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Post author By aaarora
Post date December 9, 2015

How can you tell if your wrist is sprained or broken? Essentially, it goes without saying that if you suspect either a sprain or a break, you should see your doctor or visit the emergency room in order to obtain an effective diagnosis. Sprains and breaks are both painful, and both can cause damage to the structure of the wrist. Interestingly, though, patients who have experienced both often report that a sprain is the more painful of the two injuries. It is also interesting to note that breaks are often more easily treated, whereas sprains can sometimes be more devastating, and if not treated promptly an effectively, can lead to complications like arthritis later on.

If you are determined to self-diagnose, and wait for treatment, or if you are providing first aid to an injured person, you need to know how to determine the difference between a sprain and a fracture. You also need to remember that a sprain is not a minor injury. It can involve serious tears to the ligaments that hold the wrist bones together.

How Did the Injury Happen?

This is the first thing that you need to consider when attempting to answer the questions, “Is it a break or a sprain?” If someone uses their hand to break a short fall, it could be a break, but the smart money is on a sprain. On the other hand, if someone falls off a roof and lands on their hand, a break is more likely.

What Can You See?

If a bone is protruding through the skin, the diagnosis is obvious – it is a break. Additionally, if there appears to be a great deal of swelling or bruising, a break is likely. If the swelling and pain doesnt go away in a day or two, suspect a break, but if it goes away relatively quickly, suspect a sprain.

What Can You Hear?

If moving the wrist results in a grinding or crunching sound, accompanied by excruciating pain, it is almost certainly a break.

What Should You Do?

Immediately following the injury, you or the person you are treating should immediately stop moving the wrist. Elevate it and apply cold packs. If stopping movement seems to be problematic, apply a wrist splint.

Exceptions

Although a break will usually hurt for a long time, and a sprain will stop hurting in a few days, there are exceptions. One is a scaphoid bone fracture. The scaphoid is a small wrist bone that, if broken, could feel painful for a day or two and then stop hurting. In this way, it imitates a sprain, and can be easily misdiagnosed. If untreated, it can lead to arthritis. Additionally, if certain wrist ligaments are sprained, that can also lead to arthritis, because the bones that those ligaments were intended to hold together move abnormally. This can also cause arthritis.

The Final Word

Any wrist pain that has not gone away within 3-5 days after an injury should be checked out. You may need surgery.

Tags broken wrist, Wrist Sprain

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Dr. Aroras office from my first call to schedule my appointment was friendly. Walking in the first day, I felt like I was in a nice atmosphere. Dr. Arora was EXCELLENT in taking great care of my hand injury. He was gentle and very understanding to the concerns I had about my hand. His expertise was admirable and I would recommend anyone with an injury to their hand to his office to be under his care. Because of him, I have healed faster than expected and will make an 100% recovery! Thank you Dr.

Jackie S.

I first thought I was going to have to have painful injections or surgery, but Dr. Arora suggested physical therapy may do the trick. I was doubtful, but I agreed to do it. Now, my pain is gone, and with the help of an ergonomic keyboard at work to keep my hands in the correct position, I am virtually pain free. The therapy strengthened my wrists and shoulders, and built more flexibility into my wrists.

Jerry T.

My experience with this doctor was positive from the outset. Dr. Arora was kind and spent a great deal of time with me. Staff was friendly. The office was nice and bright.

Ariel G.

Very friendly and helpful Great staff!!! Doctor Arora was very professional and did great work. I was very happy with everything!

L B.