A wrist sprain is a common injury, and everyone experiences it at least once in their life, especially athletes, since all it takes is a loss of balance. It usually happens when your hand hits the ground while you fall. A sprain involves shock to the ligaments that connect our wrist to many bones. A sprained wrist means you’ve either torn or stretched a ligament.

Here are some signs that you have sprained your wrist:

  • Bruising
  • Pain when moving the wrist
  • Swelling

Although these symptoms might seem common, people experience these symptoms when they’ve broken their wrist too. Consulting a hand specialist is essential to make sure you haven’t broken your wrist, and it’s only a sprain. Only a hand surgeon can determine if your wrist is sprained or broken. He can ask you to take an x-ray for an accurate diagnosis since broken bones can mean something more serious.

Types of Sprains

If your hand surgeon has confirmed a wrist sprain, it means one of your ligaments has been injured. The two most common ligaments in the wrist to get damaged are the Triangular fibrocartilage complex (on the outer side of the wrist) and the scapholunate ligament (in the middle of the wrist). The TFCC is an essential part of the structure in the wrist. It connects your forearm bones to the pinkie finger and stabilizes that side of your wrist.

TFCC tears are more common because wrist sprains do not only cause them. They can also be caused due to natural wear and tear as we grow older. TFCC tears show no symptoms at times. Some people may experience a popping sound every time they move their wrist from one side to another.

Treating A Sprained Wrist

Most of the time, a sprained wrist heals without undergoing any surgery. The hand surgeon might recommend applying ice and wearing a splint for some time. Your doctor can recommend resting your wrist for some days, but it can be up to six weeks in some cases. Your doctor can also prescribe you pain relievers. In some cases where the ligament is damaged, a painkiller injection is useful as it acts quicker than an orally administered medicine.

Person – hand therapy – New Jersey.

If you have a sprained wrist and you’re experiencing pain from your injury. Consider visiting a professional hand therapist. Able Hands Rehabilitation offers professional therapy that aids healing in ligaments and offers professional hand therapy for other common injuries in Freehold, NJ. Contact us for more information.