Know anything about wrist injuries?

[eta_carinae]

I think I may have sprained my wrist yesterday in a freak shopping cart accident - the cart was going off a curb and about to dump all of my groceries on the ground.... so I caught it with my left hand. I think it probably torqued the hell out of it, and it was a bit sore afterwards. Luckily, no groceries suffered any serious injuries :rolleyes:

It got steadily worse throughout the day (accident happened early afternoon), to the point that by my class at 6pm I couldn't even bear to flip the pages in a packet of notes. I went to the student health center today, but the doctor wasn't there yet (only there from 3-445 I guess) so a nurse saw me instead. But pretty much all she did was poke and twist it (!) and give me an ice pack. "You can come back at 3 or wait until Monday to see the doctor, or you can go to a hospital to get it x-rayed if you think you might have broken it."

Can you break your wrist just from twisting it? It hurts to move it, even a little. I've been "RICE"ing it (rest, ice, elevation, compression), and I made a retarded-looking sling from a scarf. I've been trying to read stuff off the web, but it's way too technical for me... does anybody know how long you should wait for it to stop hurting and being super-stiff before you get an x-ray? It really sucks typing with one hand :) On the other hand, I'd really rather avoid anyone else poking it if there's nothing they can do for me...

[Kathleen]

It sounds to me like you may have wrenched some of the ligaments. I've fractured my wrist (twice), so I know it hurts like hell!!! You've been doing the right things, I think. Sheesh, where's Selena when we need her?!

I'd say if it continues to hurt, it would probably be best to have it checked and x-rayed just to be on the safe side. It doesn't sound like it's broken (from what you've described), but it's better to be safe than sorry.

grinner..... you've had multiple body injuries. Any ideas?

[LiLOrion]

I never broke my wrist, but a bad sprain sometimes hurts just as bad.

In both instances that my friends broke their wrists, there was a lot of swelling. Not sure if that happens in every case, or just theirs, but the swelling is usually a "tell" that something is broken.

In addition to what you are doing with the ice, you might want to take Tylenol or Aleve or something to see if that eases the pain off. If the pain has not eased up at all in a couple of days, you might want to go back to the doctor. Although I agree with not wanting people to poke it anymore. When I broke my arm, they made me contort it in the strangest ways when they were x-raying it. :rolleyes:

[scrape_medic]

Is there any strange lumps sticking out the top of it?

This wrist joint is made up of seven little bones and the usual sort of injury barring a simple strain in where one of the bones becomes displaced. If it has it wouold probably need a plaster cast and pulling to get it back in.

But the most common fracture is a Colles Fracture, a fracture of the radius bone that makes up the forearm. But this is more ususally found in older people when they fall onto an outstretched arm and use thier hand to try and break thier fall. Unlikely in your case.

[Necron]

I broke my wrist once, these things are hard to read. I didn't twist it, just jammed it. Everyone thought it was a sprain, but after 2 days when I finally got out of the bush(we were camping), and got it x-rayed it was a fracture. Like the others said, keep an eye on it, if it doesn't get better go get it looked at.

[eta_carinae]

Is there any strange lumps sticking out the top of it?


Well, nothing that looks like a broken bone, per se. You know that little pointy bone on the outside of your wrist? I think maybe it is the end of one of the bones in your forearm (radius? ulna? I can't keep them straight). It looks bigger to me, and my whole hand looks twisted a bit. I can't make it straighten out, but I just figured that could be because of the sprain.

No big bruise, not much swelling.

In addition to what you are doing with the ice, you might want to take Tylenol or Aleve or something to see if that eases the pain off.

Yeah, I've been taking ibuprofin. I figured it would help with the pain, as well as any swelling. Which I haven't really seen. It's been iced (20 mins or so at a time), elevated, and then wrapped in an ace bandage pretty much all the time. Though my fingers were resembling little sausages this morning, so I'm giving the bandage a break :)

Everyone thought it was a sprain, but after 2 days when I finally got out of the bush(we were camping), and got it x-rayed it was a fracture.

:eek: A broken bone and two days camping!? OWWW!! I wish I had a cooler injury story. I mean, I could have been mountain biking, or snowboarding, or something cool like that... but I manage to hurt myself shopping! :rolleyes:

[Third EYe]

if you can move it, and there is little or no swelling, it's not broken.

[Kathleen]

if you can move it, and there is little or no swelling, it's not broken.


That's not necessarily true, 3rdEye... When I fractured my wrist, it didn't swell up much at all. Plus, I could move it, but it hurt -- just like with what eta is saying.

I'm most concerned with the fact that you say your hand looks like it's "twisted" out of place a bit. I would highly suggest going and getting it x-rayed. Really. As I stated earlier, better safe than sorry. It may not be broken, but as s_m said, one of those tiny little bones could have been displaced, and that would make your hands do all sorts of strange things.

Question: Any numbness or tingling in your fingers or hand?

[eta_carinae]

Question: Any numbness or tingling in your fingers or hand?

A little tingly-ness in the fingers. Especially if I squeeze the tips a little. The other hand doesn't do that. Will a sprain do that? I thought it might just be because I haven't been moving my arm very much. It doesn't really hurt to move my thumb though (I read that if it hurts to move it you probably have a break).

[MediaSavant]

See...a...doctor. Period.

I broke a finger a year and a half ago and walked around thinking I just bruised it. When it finally was turning wierd colors, I finally went to the emergency room and found it was broken and I had stupidly not been treating it for a week.

Don't live with doubt. Just have someone professional look at it.

[BillFrugge]

The wrist is a complicated 'machine.'

Central to the wrist is the Carpal Tunnel. This is a path through your wrist where all of the nerves and tendons travel. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the protective barrier between the bones and these nerves has eroded.

No ne can diagnose this over the Internet, but it is my suspicion that you have pinched your nerves. This can only get worse. You need to see someone ASAP.

(Unless you're grinner. He just pulls out some duct tape and reattaches his hand...)

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV. I have, however, recieved lectures about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that were designed to help musicians avoid developing it.