What is a Broken Wrist?

If you've fallen down recently and have been suffering from wrist pain, bruising and swelling, this might be a sign that you've broken your wrist. Breaks tend to occur after a trauma and can affect people from all walks of life, from athletes to the elderly. In fact, these are the two groups of people who most commonly suffer from wrist breaks! Finding out how to properly care for your wrist is important as not doing this can cause long-term damage.

What is a Broken Wrist?

A broken wrist is just what it says on the tin: when one or more of the bones in your wrist break as a result of trauma to the area. The medical term for a broken wrist is a wrist fracture. There are several common wrist fractures, including:

• Colles' fracture
• Smith's fracture
• Scaphoid fracture
• Barton's fracture
• Chauffeur's fracture
• Greenstick fracture (affects children only)

How Do I Know If I Have a Broken Wrist?

As broken wrists are the result of a fall or trauma to the area, it is usually obvious when you break your wrist. Alongside the injury's typical symptoms, you might feel faint, sick or dizzy as a result of the pain and shock experienced from the break.

At the time of injury, you might hear a snap or grinding noise but this doesn't occur in all cases. The area will be painful and tender to the touch and you might notice that your wrist begins to swell and bruise soon afterwards. You might also experience the following symptoms:

• Inability or difficulty moving your arm
• Obvious bend or deformity in your wrist
• Tingling and numbness in the area
• Bleeding if the bone has pierced your skin

Causes of the Condition

Although having an illness that makes your bones weak (e.g. osteoporosis) can make you more susceptible to breaks, anyone can suffer from a fracture. Broken wrists occur when the area undergoes a direct blow. Common causes of the condition are:

• Falling awkwardly on your hand from an upright position
• Being involved in an accident
• Suffering from a sports injury

Treatment for Broken Wrists

If you suspect that you've broken your wrist, it's vital you seek medical attention as soon as possible. If left untreated, a broken wrist can heal poorly and lead to a decreased range of motion and grip strength, both of which will affect you for the rest of your life. Your doctor will most likely give you painkillers and a splint to secure your arm in a neutral position. Following this, you'll be given an X-ray to check how severe the break is. If it's a bad break, the doctor will usually realign your bones.

Recovering from a broken wrist usually takes a couple of months. During this time, it's integral that you use a supportive wrist splint to realign the bones and prevent further damage. Wrist splints help reduce the pain and swelling associated with your injury and can reduce the likelihood of suffering from complications, such as permanent stiffness or osteoarthritis.

Broken Wrists at Wrist Supports

Splints for wrist breaks can be difficult to find, especially ones which are supportive enough to immobilise the area. This is where Wrist Supports come in. We've taken a careful look at which wrist supports are best to make sure your break heals correctly. Whether you want to start playing sports again or you want to get back to work, we've got an excellent range to help you get back on your feet.

Please visit Wrist Supports for Broken Wrists to see our full range of braces for wrist breaks.