![]() Treatments for wrist problems vary greatly based on the type, location and severity of the injury, as well as on your age and overall health. Nerve conduction studies also are performed to check whether the electrical impulses are slowed in the region of the carpal tunnel. A needle-thin electrode is inserted into the muscle, and its electrical activity is recorded when the muscle is at rest and when it's contracted. This test measures the tiny electrical discharges produced in the muscles. Your health care provider might order an electromyogram if carpal tunnel syndrome is suspected. In some cases, your doctor may repair wrist problems through the arthroscope. Arthroscopy is considered the gold standard for evaluating long-term wrist pain. The instrument contains a light and a tiny camera, which projects images onto a television monitor. This procedure uses a pencil-sized instrument called an arthroscope is inserted into the wrist through a small incision in the skin. If imaging test results do not provide enough information, you may need an arthroscopy. This simple, noninvasive test can help examine tendons, ligaments and cysts. For a wrist MRI, you may be able to insert your arm into a smaller device instead of a whole-body MRI machine. This test uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of the bones and soft tissues. This scan can provide more-detailed views of the bones in the wrist and may spot fractures that don't show up on X-rays. Using a small amount of radiation, X-rays can reveal bone fractures or signs of osteoarthritis. This is the most commonly used test for wrist pain. My goal is to explain each treatment option and answer every question so we can make a decision together on the best plan for them. “I don’t simply tell my patients what to do. “We look at the X-ray film together and come up with a treatment plan as a team,” Dr. Froelich also makes it a point to get to know his patients as people and to partner with them in their care. of vitamin C for fifty days to support soft tissue healing. Froelich advises that his patients only use the injured hand for light activities while healing (no lifting items over five pounds) and that they take 500 mg. In extreme injuries, such as those sustained in a car accident, your wrist may always feel slightly different.įor both types of fractures, Dr. Surgery follows the same general healing timeline as casting, which is six weeks to heal, three months to regain full strength and six months for the wrist to feel normal again. Froelich points out that he does not typically remove the plate once the bone has healed because it’s not worth the increased health risk or added cost to the patient. The plate won’t trigger airport security systems and is undetectable under your skin. Surgery typically takes about an hour to an hour and a half and doesn’t require an overnight stay. In the vast majority of cases, surgery involves making an incision on the palm side of the wrist, aligning the bones and then fixing them in place with an ultra-thin plate secured with tiny surgical screws. These types of fractures often require surgery to reposition the bones so your wrist heals straight. ![]() Displaced fractureĪ displaced fracture refers to a break in which the bones have shifted out of place. Within three months, the wrist generally regains its full strength and within six months it should feel normal again. After eight to ten weeks, patients can return to all of their normal activities, including more extreme sports such as snowboarding, mountain biking and rock climbing. (If the break does shift, your doctor may recommend surgery.) Generally, it takes six weeks for the bones to knit together before the cast is removed. During treatment, patients need to be monitored closely with X-rays (usually every two weeks) to ensure the fracture hasn’t shifted. These types of fractures are most often treated with a cast to keep the bones stable as they heal. Non-displaced fractureĪ non-displaced fracture refers to a break in which the bones stay in their original position. Froelich says treatment depends upon whether or not the fracture is non-displaced or displaced. Although there are many different types of fractures, Dr. In some cases, the fracture results in an obvious deformity such as a bent wrist. The most common symptoms of a fracture include severe ongoing pain, swelling near the wrist, tenderness, stiffness, numbness and an inability to move your wrist or thumb. An X-ray can usually confirm whether or not your wrist is broken or simply sprained.
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