Signs and Symptoms
– Swelling
– Heat/warmth
– Pain
– Discoloration
– Limited ability to move the joint
– Deformity
Seeking Medical Care
If you have severe pain, deformity, numbness, or are unable to move your wrist, you should call your doctor for an immediate appointment, go to an urgent care clinic, or go to a hospital’s emergency department.
If there is no deformity and the pain is manageable with over-the-counter pain medication, you may want to wait 12-24 hours before deciding whether to call the doctor. If symptoms persist after a day, see a doctor.
If you have an obvious deformity, numbness, or severe pain, you need medical attention.
If there is an obvious deformity or severe swelling, there may be a broken bone that needs to be moved back into its normal position.
There also can be a dislocation where the bones are no longer in the correct position, although they are not broken.
Wrist Injury Treatment
When you have fallen and injured your wrist, it is important to rest your arm.
If there is an obvious deformity of the wrist or numbness in the hand, you should lay your wrist across a soft pillow and seek medical attention immediately.
If there is no obvious deformity and you are not in severe pain, you may want to take some acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) and wait to see how the wrist feels. Again, a soft pillow is a good temporary splint.
Apply ice to the area. Do not put ice directly on your skin. You can wrap a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel to create an icepack.
If pain or other symptoms do not go away within a day, you should see a doctor.
Wrist injuries, whether a sprain or a bone fracture, can be painful. As a patient heals, it’s important to maintain a range of motion in the wrist.
That’s why physical therapists and doctors alike recommend several types of wrist rehabilitation exercises patients can perform as they heal from a wrist injury. Always consult a reliable physical therapist, like the ones from Fort Lee Physical Therapy.
Send us a message today or call us for more detailed information on how we can help you treat your injuries.