How Do I Know If I Have a Sprain or Fracture in My Wrist?

You don’t even think about it: If you’re unsteady on your feet or about to fall, you throw out your hand to brace yourself. This is one of the most common ways in which people injure their wrists.

About 450,000 wrist fractures occur in the United States each year — and these numbers don’t reflect the high number of wrist sprains, which are also common injuries.

If you’re struggling with wrist pain and you want to figure out whether you’re dealing with a sprain or fracture, you’ve come to the right place. The team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine has a good deal of combined experience in wrist injuries, and here’s what we want you to know.

Sprains vs. fractures

Some basic understanding of the differences between wrist injuries is an important place to start. This brief guide explains the mechanics of the two most common wrist injuries — sprains and fractures.

Fractures

In short, fractures are breaks in bones. Where this gets a little more complex is with joints like the wrist.

Your wrist contains a network of bones that includes your radius and ulna, which are your primary forearm bones, and eight smaller carpal bones in your hand. A broken wrist can technically include fractures in any of these 10 bones, though they mostly occur in the radius.

Sprains

A sprain anywhere in your body occurs when connective tissues called ligaments are stretched or torn. These tissues join bone to bone to allow movement and stability in your joints. Given the high number of bones involved in your wrist joints, there are a correspondingly high number of ligaments that connect all of these hard tissues.

Signs of wrist sprains and fractures

Barring a severe fracture in which bones are sticking out, it can be tricky to figure out whether you’re dealing with a wrist sprain or wrist fracture. Any deformity in which you can see that bone is out of place is likely a fracture, but many fractures are non-displaced — there’s a break, but the bones remain in position.

With non-displaced wrist fractures and wrist sprains, symptoms are very similar and include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Tenderness
• Bruising
• Warmth

As a general rule of thumb, fractures tend to have more severe symptoms, but a severe sprain can feel worse than a mild fracture, so the degree of damage matters.

Another indicator is what you experienced during the injury. If you felt a pop in your wrist, this might indicate a sprain; a break comes with immediate pain that can flare with certain movements.

The importance of a correct diagnosis

We can’t stress enough how important it is to come in for a proper evaluation of your wrist injury. Sprains and fractures can be tricky to identify, and advanced imaging is critical for setting you on the right treatment path.

Once we review your symptoms, perform an exam, and get imaging, we can determine what’s going on in your wrist and what steps to take next. This can include anything from casting and bracing to surgical repair.

For expert care of your wrist injury, please contact New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine in New Braunfels, Texas, today. Call our office at 830-341-1386 or request an appointment online.