Broken Wrist Health Video

Wrist injuries usually occur with an outstretched hand. Learn how to diagnose and treat a wrist fracture in this medical video.

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Consult a doctor
Non-displaced fractures can be casted
Check for swelling and severe pain

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Charles A. Roth, M.D. works for the Andrews Institute, which is a world class facility that focuses on research and treatment of musculoskeletal issues. It is one of the premier orthopedic and sports medicine institutes in the nation and continues to build on that reputation while being lead by world renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, MD.

DR. CHARLES A ROTH: I'm going to discuss a broken wrist at this time, and what you have to understand with wrist injury is that they usually occur with an outstretched hand that hits the surface of whatever they're falling on to and it's either in an extension position or the wrist is flexed. And if it is, it results in a certain type of injury pattern. In any case, there is usually a pop. The patient has a severe pain. They go to the emergency room and are evaluated. They have an X-ray which shows the injury; and if the injury is severe enough, it will require putting the fragments back in place. If it's not displaced at all, they can be casted and sent home; but oftentimes with a significant force, the fracture is displaced and requires reduction either in an emergency room under anaesthesia or actually opening the fracture and repairing the bone fragments with metal screws and plates. With a wrist injury, usually the hand is in this position. The person falls and the force is going up the arm and so it results in breaking along this area here, which is the radius. Now, sometimes you'll break the small bones in the wrist joint itself, but the most common injury is the radius and the ulna. If a person experiences a wrist fracture, usually there will be significant swelling and usually often severe pain and swelling associated with the injury. They should go to an emergency room because the swelling can become severe, especially if the fracture is not in the right position. The normal recovery time for a wrist fracture is between six and eight weeks

Broken Wrist Health Video

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