Damage to wrist, wrist joints, cartilage, ligaments, and system of carpal bones, tendons, and nerves. The general category of wrist injury may be divided into sprains, strains, dislocations, fractures, ligamentous instability, and scaphoid (carpal bone) injury. May be due to external trauma (eg, sports, occupational, or motor vehicle accident), overload, or overuse. A number of wrist injuries can occur in occupations utilizing high-torque power equipment. Characterized by wrist pain, swelling, limited range of motion, weak grip (inability to bear weight), joint stiffness, and wrist deformity. More severe wrist injuries, including crush or puncture wound, animal bite, open fracture, blood vessel laceration, and hand / wrist amputation, can be life-threatening.

Management includes icing, splinting, pain management for sprains and strains and minor injuries, reduction of dislocation, and treatment of fractures ranging from casting to surgery. Resources for opioid prescribing guidelines, as well as nonopioid alternatives, can be found here.

Failure to diagnose and treat promptly issues such as entrapped nerves and tendons, lacerated blood vessels, and hemorrhage can lead to complications such as avascular necrosis, loss of functionality, and irreversible damage (permanent disability).

Related topics: intersection syndrome, lunate dislocation, pisiform fracture, progressive avascular necrosis of lunate, scaphoid fracture, scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse, scapholunate advanced collapse, avascular necrosis of scaphoid, wrist arthritis