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Wrist Sprain
Question
Dear TAI Experts:
I injured my wrist two months ago when I fell off my bike and landed directly on my wrist. I had one x-ray which was clear while under evaluation, although they suspected a scaphoid fracture, and I was informed it was sprained. However, if I move my wrist up and down (as if I was shaking hands from my wrist), the movement causes a loud, hollow clicking sound and the joint feels slightly less stable when making that movement. Should I get my wrist evaluated by a physician again? What sort of injury could this be and what can I do to prevent long term damage?
Answer
Without doing an examination I can’t comment on your specific condition, but I can make some general comments. When falling on one’s wrist it is possible to fracture the scaphoid. If the fracture is slight, the initial x-ray may not show the fracture. However, after several weeks, once the bone begins to heal it will show up on an x-ray, which is why they often take another x-ray several weeks after the initial injury. For this reason I recommend you see your physician for an examination to rule out a fracture. “Clicking” with wrist movement and a feeling of instability can be the result of joints moving more than normal due to stretched and injured ligaments (what holds the joints together). The ligaments in the wrist can take a long time to heal because they don’t have a good blood supply compared to other tissues. A physical therapist can design a program to increase wrist stability through strengthening the muscles that stabilize the wrist, by using modalities such as ultrasound to stimulate healing of the injured tissues, and by using techniques to make sure other joints above and below the wrist are moving correctly. Again, I recommend you see a physical therapist or physician for a complete examination.
Amy Temes, PT, DPT
Wrist Sprain
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