Cols

Wrist Fractures
What is a wrist fracture?
The wrist is made up of eight small bones and the two forearm bones, the radius and ulna (see Figure 1). The shape of the bones allows the wrist to bendand straighten, move side-to-side, and rotate, as in twisting the palm up or down. A fracture may occur in any of these bones when enough force is applied, such as when falling down onto an outstretchedhand. Severe injuries may occur from a more forceful injury, such as a car accident or a fall off a roof or ladder. Osteoporosis, a common condition in which the bone becomes more brittle, may makeone more susceptible to getting a wrist fracture. The most commonly broken bone of the wrist is the radius (see Figure 1). Many people think that a fracture is different from a break, but they are thesame. When the wrist is broken, there is pain, swelling, and decreased use of the hand and wrist. Often the wrist appears crooked and deformed. Fractures of the small wrist bones, such as thescaphoid, are unlikely to appear deformed (see Figure 1). Fractures may be simple with the bone pieces aligned and stable. Other fractures are unstable and the bone fragments tend to displace or shift, inwhich case the wrist is more likely to appear crooked. Some fractures break the normally smooth, ball bearing-like joint surface; others will be near the joint but leave the joint surface intact.Sometimes the bone is shattered into many pieces, which usually makes it unstable. An open (compound) fracture occurs when a bone fragment breaks through the skin. There is some risk of infection withcompound fractures.
Figure 1: Wrist bones shown with a non-displaced fracture of the radius.

Scaphoid

Ulna

Radius with fracture

How are they evaluated?
Examination and x-rays are needed sothat your doctor can tell if there is a fracture and to help determine the treatment. Sometimes a CT scan or MRI may be used to get better detail of the fracture fragments and associated injuries. In...