Do you often end up putting your weight on your wrist? If there is too much stress on your wrists, it might impact your elbows, shoulders, and neck. It means you are
putting yourself at a higher risk of an injury. Sprains and fractures from
sudden injuries often cause wrist pain. It can be caused by long-term stress on
the wrist, such as arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Remember, many things
can cause pain, and diagnosing the exact cause is the most difficult. The next
time you have wrist pain, you might mistake it as a sprain, whereas you may
have a scaphoid fracture.
What is Scaphoid Fracture?
The scaphoid bone is one of the wrist’s eight smaller carpal bones. It is on the thumb side of your wrist below the radius (one of the two larger bones in your forearm). If you hold thumb up and look at the back of the hand, there’s an indentation, and at the end lies scaphoid bone. Due to the bone’s large size and position, it is most likely to injure or fracture. It is the most likely damaged carpal
bone in the wrist. Scaphoid has three parts
· Proximal pole: End closest to your thumb
· Waist: Curved middle of the bone that lies under the triangular
indentation.
· Distal pole: End closest to your forearm
Most scaphoid fractures happen at the wrist, 20 percent at the proximal pole, and 10 percent at the distal pole. Usually, the site of the injury affects how it heals. Most proximal poles have a poor blood supply and are cut off in a fracture.
Causes of Scaphoid Fracture
It is a common perception that when you are about to fall, your body has reflex action to protect yourself from falling and extend your hand. You might save your face or head, but your arm and wrist may bear that force on themselves. That causes your wrist to bend back in an extreme position, causing a fracture. The further your wrist is bent, the more likely your scaphoid bone is broken. You may get hurt while participating in sports or other activities, which causes repeated
stress on your wrist.
Diagnoses
Remember, it is not always apparent that your wrist pain would be a sprain it may be a scaphoid fracture. It is accompanied by pain and tenderness and might be mild initially. However, as you pinch or grip, it may become worse. The tricky thing
is it doesn’t swell, so it can be hard to find if there’s an issue or fracture with the wrist or not. These are the reasons which often confuse people if it is a fracture or a sprain and delay their treatment. And if you don’t treat your fracture, it can cause profound long-term implications. X-rays are common to identify a fracture. If the fracture isn’t determined and still the doctor feels the need, they will immobilize your wrist with a thumb splint for 10-14 days. Then again, you will undergo the examination. However, they might do MRIs or scans for proper treatment if the bone isn’t visible.
If any of your activities have caused you wrist pain and given you a hard time, then
don’t delay your treatment; schedule an appointment with FORM Hand, Wrist and Elbow Institute at (510) 480-3700 today.