Wrist injuries are very common. Treatment of wrist injuries is a specialized task because of the complexity of the area. There are 8 carpal bones including the radius and ulna bones of the forearm. There are multiple important ligaments which connect and stabilize the bones in the wrist and tendons which cross the wrist in order to move the fingers. Important nerves travel across the wrist to supply sensation to the thumb and fingers. Critical blood vessels supply nutrition and blood flow to the digits.
Some wrist injuries are minor sprains and heal with a brace within a few weeks. Others are more severe and require casting, hand therapy, and sometimes surgery. Surgical cases include fixation of displaced wrist fractures, repair of ruptured carpal ligaments, repair of torn TFCC ligaments, decompression of the median nerve, repair of lacerated tendons, among others. Specialized evaluation is often important to make a proper diagnosis and involves a careful physical exam, history, radiographs, and possibly an MRI. For subspecialty evaluation in the greater Raleigh area please call our office for an appointment. Please watch this video from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand for additional information about broken wrists.