Wrist fractures can take a long time to heal. During that time, you can’t do much with your hands. Knowing how to recognize the symptoms of a fracture, though, should help you know when to seek treatment before the condition worsens.
Most people with fractures experience pain and swelling in the wrist. If you can hold your wrists up to each other and see a difference in size, then you have probably fractured your wrist.
The degree of swelling and pain usually depends on the fracture’s severity. Severe fractures can cause a wrist to look deformed. Mild fractures, however, might only cause marginal swelling. Mild fractures might not even hurt unless you apply force to the wrist area.
To truly diagnose your condition, a doctor will need to take X-rays of the wrist to examine any damage that that has been inflicted on the bones.
Recovering From Wrist Fractures
Wrist fractures can take weeks to heal. During that time, a person could have limited finger motion. He or she should not lift any items that could stress the injury. Most doctors will use a split, sling, or cast to help the wrist heal and avoid stress.
Depending on the kind of work that you do, a wrist injury could make you ineffective. Some people even get wrist injuries on the job, especially if they work with construction materials and other heavy objects.
If an employer cannot accommodate an employee’s work injury, then the worker might need short-term disability while the wrist heals.