Common Wrist Injuries and Surgeries

Is your wrist painful, puffy, tender, or rigid? Wrist pain, particularly after a fall or accident, can reveal an injury that might require treatment. Our orthopedic surgeon in lake Mary highlights some common wrist injuries and surgeries you may encounter:

Arthritis

Inflammation, puffiness, and pain that worsens after movement or in cold or moist weather may suggest osteoarthritis (OA) — a deterioration of your articular cartilage surrounding the ends of your bones. You may also notice that your wrist is rigid and tender, and you might hear or feel a grinding in your joints. OA is incurable, but symptoms might improve with medicine, exercise, and in some circumstances, surgery.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Sharp pain radiating up your arm from your wrist, weakness in your hand and wrist, and numbness, especially in your thumb, might suggest carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). CTS is generally understood to be an overuse injury in office employees, but it can also be induced by genetics, obesity, gestation, and other elements.

Cartilage tears

If the exterior of your wrist is painful and swollen, you might have cartilage tears from an overuse wound. Athletes (especially golfers) often generate tears in their triangular fibrocartilage complex, the stabilizing cartilage on the outside of your wrist. Therapy differs depending on the extent of the damage.

Golfer's wrist (tendonitis)

Grasping a golf club and bending your wrist repeatedly can lead to pain, tenderness, and inflammation, particularly along the top of your wrist. Wrist tendonitis is most often treated with RICE therapy and sports medicine, though in some circumstances, platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) promotes faster tissue healing.

Wrist fractures

A fracture is a break or crack in one of the bones in your wrist. Wrist fractures are generally caused by falling onto your outstretched hand. Osteoporosis (thinning of your bones) is also a significant contributor to wrist breaks in individuals 60 or older. Depending on the site and severity of a fracture, healing time can be anywhere from 6 to 24 weeks. Treatment can include a cast, splinting, or surgical pinning.

Seeing an orthopedic specialist is the initial step to determining whether you may require surgery to treat a wrist injury. Many orthopedic specialists focus on treating hand and wrist wounds. Common wrist surgeries you may encounter include:

Carpal tunnel release

This surgery clips your transverse carpal ligament, expanding the size of the tunnel through which your median nerve travels. Reduced pressure on your nerve can improve signs like discomfort, numbness, and frail grip strength.

Fracture care

Regarding some wrist fractures, you may need surgical pinning or similar approaches to keep bones in place while healing.

Ligament repair

After a severe sprain with a completely torn ligament, an orthopedist may have to reconnect your ligament to your bone surgically. In addition, pins might be mandated to keep your bones lined up accurately while your torn ligaments heal. Complete recovery from this surgery takes between 6 and 8 weeks.

These are just some of the wrist injuries and surgeries you may encounter. Contact us today if you need an orthopedic surgeon in Lake Mary. We are here to help you heal.