A broken wrist (also called a fractured wrist) is a very common injury and it can happen to anyone at any age, although aging individuals with thinning bones (osteoporosis) are most often at risk. We see patients for fractures caused by everything from mountain biking and snowboarding to slipping on ice or falling from a ladder. Breaks often occur when people extend a hand backwards or forwards to catch a fall. There’s even an acronym for that – FOOSH or falling on an outstretched hand.

An X-ray can usually confirm whether or not your wrist is broken or simply sprained. The most common symptoms of a fracture include severe ongoing pain, swelling near the wrist, tenderness, stiffness, numbness and an inability to move your wrist or thumb. In some cases, the fracture results in an obvious deformity such as a bent wrist. Although there are many different types of fractures, the treatment depends upon whether or not the fracture is non-displaced or displaced.

Non-displaced fracture: refers to a break in which the bones stay in their original position. These types of fractures are most often treated with a cast to keep the bones stable as they heal.

During treatment, patients need to be monitored closely with X-rays (usually every two weeks) to ensure the fracture hasn’t shifted. (If the break does shift, your doctor may recommend surgery.)

Generally, it takes six weeks for the bones to knit together before the cast is removed. After eight to ten weeks, patients can return to all of their normal activities, including more extreme sports such as snowboarding, mountain biking and rock climbing. Within three months, the wrist generally regains its full strength and within six months it should feel normal again.

Displaced fracture: refers to a break in which the bones have shifted out of place. These types of fractures often require surgery to reposition the bones so your wrist heals straight. In the vast majority of cases, surgery involves making an incision on the palm side of the wrist, aligning the bones and then fixing them in place with an ultra-thin plate secured with tiny surgical screws. Surgery typically takes about an hour to an hour and a half and doesn’t require an overnight stay. The plate won’t trigger airport security systems and is undetectable under your skin. The plate is not typically removed once the bone has healed because it’s not worth the increased health risk or added cost to the patient. Surgery follows the same general healing timeline as casting, which is six weeks to heal, three months to regain full strength and six months for the wrist to feel normal again. In extreme injuries, such as those sustained in a car accident, your wrist may always feel slightly different.

For both types of fractures, we advise that patients only use the injured hand for light activities while healing (no lifting items over five pounds) and that they take 500 mg. of vitamin C for fifty days to support soft tissue healing. Fortunately, with wrist fractures, most individuals are able to regain full use and range of motion in their  hand once the healing is complete.

Does it hurt your hand to open a jar? Or grab your car keys? You could be suffering from thumb arthritis. Thumb arthritis happens when cartilage wears away from the joint at the base of the thumb. It can cause severe pain and swelling. It can also impact strength and range of motion.

Thumb arthritis is very common – it’s one of the top three conditions we treat at Panorama Orthopedics. And for no clear reason, women are six times more likely than men to experience the condition. Because they are at greater risk than men, women should be aware of the condition and watch for signs of pain, especially if they are over 50 or post-menopausal.

Thumb arthritis can be caused by an injury to the base of the thumb, a fracture, or dislocation of the joint. It can also be caused by rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. In most cases, the cause of arthritis is unknown.

What are the treatment options? If you’re experiencing discomfort in your hand or thumb, the first step is to talk to your primary care doctor. He or she can assess your pain and adjust any medication you may be on if needed. From there, your doctor may place your hand in a splint, or prescribe anti-inflammatory medication or physical therapy.

Injections and surgery. If these defenses do not work, it may be time to visit a hand specialist. This doctor may recommend a clinical steroid injection in the joint or joints that are in pain. These injections are low-risk and can provide pain relief for up to three to six months.

A final option for how to treat thumb arthritis is surgery. While there are many different surgical interventions, most involve removing the tiny bone that is causing the inflammation. People who undergo surgery often report pain relief, along with improved strength and range of motion.