Wrist Fracture Surgery

What is Wrist fracture?

Wrist fracture happens when one or more bones or the distal radius of the wrist breaks. It requires immediate attention and treatment, otherwise, the patient might be at risk of severe deformation in the wrist bones. If the treatment is delayed, the alignment cannot be done properly.

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Wrist Fracture Surgery

How is it caused?

The common cause of this fracture are injuries accompanied by heavy sports that involve hands. Motorcycle and car accidents can also lead to the breaking of the wrist.

Wrist fractures happens when a person accidentally falls and tries to support hard with the outstretched hand while landing.

Another major cause of wrist fracture is osteoporosis (a condition in which the bones become fragile and thinner), in which, the wrist bones may easily break.

When should you consult the doctor?

The patient should consult the doctor immediately when the wrist fracture is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Severe wrist pain when moving the hand

Deformity that could be seen evidently like bent wrist

Tenderness

Swelling and numbness around the wrist

Bruising

Color change seen in fingers

In some cases, the person might not feel any pain and would be able to move the wrist flexibly, however, in any case, it is vital to take the doctor’s advice as early as possible.

How is it treated?

There are many treatments available to fix a wrist fracture depending on the factors such as the patient’s age, the intensity of the fracture, the cause for the fracture and the surgeon’s preferences towards the treatment.

Below are the two main approaches used to treat a wrist fracture:

Non-surgical method:

If the bone is just broken but has not displaced, then a plaster cast is applied until the bone heals.
If the bone is displaced and causes severe pain when the patient flexes the hand, the surgeon uses a process called reduction to re-align the broken fragments of the bone. In most cases, the physician will use a closed reduction process, where there is no necessity to make an incision in the skin to align the bone fragments.

After the bone is aligned, a splint or cast is applied on the arm to make the bone heal. For the first few days, a splint is used as there will be a small amount of swelling and after the swelling subsides, a cast is applied. The cast can be removed 2 or 3 weeks later soon after the swelling completely settles down. The doctor will monitor the healing by taking frequent X-rays and once it is completely healed, the doctor might start with physical therapy, for the hand and wrist to return to normal movements and functioning.

Surgical method:

In some cases, the bones might not be fixed with a cast or splint as the displacement of the broken bones will be too much and might affect the functioning of the arm in future. Hence, a surgery may be required in place.

The doctor uses a procedure called open reduction, where an incision is made in the skin to access the broken bones for alignment. After the bones are aligned, the bone must be held in the correct position with the help of the following internal or external fixators:

Internal fixators include:

Cast
Splint
Metal pins
Plates and screws

External fixator is a frame like structure that is fixed outside the body to hold the bones in the position until they heal.

The exposed soft tissues and the bones are properly debrided and disinfected with antibiotics. The incision is then closed.

What are the possible risks involved?

Like any surgery, the following are some of the possible risks seen in a wrist fracture treatment:

Fixation loss

Nerve injury during the surgery
Stiffness due to fixation
Infection
Rupture of tendons
Misalignment of the bones due to improper positioning of the fixators

There is also a need to remove the fixators once the bones are healed, which is seen to be another complication in this surgery.

What can you expect during the post-op care of wrist fracture surgery?

The patients are usually prescribed with antibiotics to fight the discomfort or any infection accompanied by the surgery. The recovery period for this surgery depends on the individual, but most patients resume their daily routines and activities within 1 or 2 months after the cast is removed and the complete recovery takes place within 3-6 months after the surgery.

Below are some of the post-op advices given by your Apollo doctor:

Avoid heavy and vigorous activities until the bones are completely healed
Avoid riding motorcycles until the cast is removed
In-take of prescribed medicines is mandate
Following the physician’s advice for physiotherapy appointments if prescribed
Indulging in light hand exercises taught by the surgeon post-surgery in order to avoid stiffness.

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Established By Dr Prathap C Reddy In 1983, Apollo Healthcare Has A Robust Presence Across The Healthcare Ecosystem