Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Taking care of your wrist when sprained
• Part 2 of 3: Caring for your moderately sprained wrist
• Part 3 of 3: Medical Assistance
• Tips
• A warning

When the wrist is stretched, the ligaments that connect the small bones of the wrist are damaged. Most often, the scaphoid-lunate ligament, which connects the scaphoid and lunate bones, is damaged. A wrist sprain can be of varying severity, depending on the extent of the sprain or tear of the ligaments. The severity of the sprain also determines whether it can be treated at home or whether you should still see a doctor.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Taking care of your wrist when sprained

1. 1 Be patient and rest your wrist. A mild wrist sprain often occurs as a result of repetitive actions of the same type or excessive stress on the joint when falling onto an outstretched arm. If you believe that the same type of actions led to damage, refrain from them for a while. Talk to your boss and ask to be transferred to another type of work for about a week. If stretching is related to exercise, you may be exercising too hard or in poor physical condition - in which case, consult a personal trainer.
   • Generally, a mild wrist sprain is classified as a Grade 1 sprain. This means that the ligaments are not very stretched.
   • A first-degree wrist sprain is usually accompanied by symptoms such as tolerable pain, mild inflammation and slight swelling, and some decrease in wrist mobility and / or strength.
2. 2 Apply ice to your wrist. Ice compresses are quite effective in treating almost all minor injuries to muscles, ligaments and tendons, including a sprained wrist. Apply ice to the most damaged area of ​​your wrist to reduce swelling and pain. Ice should be applied for 10-15 minutes every 2-3 hours for a couple of days. Then, as pain and swelling decrease, you can do it less often.
   • To relieve inflammation, you can apply a compress by pressing ice to your wrist with an elastic bandage. However, do not tighten the bandage too tight, or you will severely impede blood circulation, which can exacerbate damage to the palm and wrist.
   • Be sure to wrap the ice pack or cooling gel in a thin towel to avoid freezing your skin.
3. 3 Provide wrist support. Bandage your wrist with an elastic bandage or brace, or put on a simple neoprene brace. Thus, you will not only support the joint and be able to apply ice compresses to it, but, most importantly, you will achieve a psychological effect - the bandage will constantly remind you to take care of your injured wrist.
   • Bandage the arm from the knuckles to the middle of the forearm so that adjacent loops overlap.
   • The bandage, bandage and neoprene retainer should fit snugly to the arm, but at the same time not impede blood circulation - make sure that the hand does not turn blue and you do not feel cold or tingling in it.
4. 4 Do light wrist stretching exercises. After the pain and inflammation have subsided, do light stretching exercises if you feel a stiff wrist. When stretched slightly, these exercises are beneficial because they release tension, improve circulation, and increase flexibility.Stretch for about 30 seconds 3-5 times a day until you regain mobility in your wrist.
   • Stretching the wrist can be done while simultaneously adopting the "prayer pose," in which the arms are bent at the elbows and both palms are folded together in front of the face. Squeeze your palms by raising your elbows until you feel sufficient tensile tension in the injured wrist. If necessary, consult your doctor, trainer, or physical therapist about exercise.
   • It is helpful to apply a warm, moist compress to your wrist before stretching to give your ligaments and tendons extra flexibility.

Part 2 of 3: Caring for your moderately sprained wrist

1. 1 Take over-the-counter medications. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin can help relieve severe pain and inflammation in the wrist for a short time. Please be aware that these drugs may have adverse effects on the stomach, kidneys and liver, so they should not be taken for more than 2 weeks in a row. Do not give aspirin to children under the age of 18.
   • If you have a medical condition, are already taking other medications, or are allergic to some medications, consult your doctor before taking any new medications.
   • Instead of taking oral medications, you can rub a pain relieving ointment or gel directly into your injured wrist.
   • Keep your injured wrist in an elevated position to reduce swelling.
   • A moderate wrist sprain is usually classified as a Grade 2 sprain. It is accompanied by symptoms such as quite severe pain, inflammation, and often bruising due to ruptured ligaments.
   • A Grade 2 wrist sprain is associated with greater instability and weakness of the injured palm compared to a Grade 1 sprain.
2. 2 Apply cold compresses often. A moderate grade 2 wrist sprain is accompanied by more (but not excessive) swelling due to rupture of individual ligament fibers. In view of this, more frequent ice compresses are needed, in addition to taking anti-inflammatory drugs. The sooner you start applying cold compresses to a Grade 2 stretch, the better - this will narrow the blood vessels and thus limit the blood flow to the damaged area and its swelling. For more severe sprains, ice should be applied for 10-15 minutes once an hour for the first 1-2 days. Then, as pain and swelling decrease, you can do it less often.
   • If you don't have ice or gel packs on hand, you can use packs of frozen vegetables from the freezer - especially small ones like peas or corn.
3. 3 Use a splint or bandage. Since a Grade 2 sprain is associated with greater instability and weakness, stronger wrist restraint will be required. In this case, the psychological role of a splint or bandage fades into the background, since their main function is to limit mobility (fixation) and provide sufficient support for the injured wrist.
   • Talk to your doctor about the correct splint or bandage.
   • Make sure your wrist is in a neutral position before applying a splint or brace.
   • Grade 2 sprains over 1–2 weeks may require a firm fixation with a bandage or splint. After removing this fixation, rigidity and a decrease in the range of motion are possible.
4. 4 Plan the recovery process. After a few weeks, a Grade 2 wrist sprain will begin to heal and may need to be done to restore the mobility and strength of the injured wrist. You can do it yourself or contact a physiotherapist. A physical therapist will teach you specific exercises that aim to strengthen your wrist and arm.
   • To strengthen your wrist after healing, try squeezing the ball. Extend your hand, palm up, and squeeze a rubber ball with your fingers for 30 seconds (a racquet ball works well).Repeat the exercise 10–20 times a day.
   • Exercises such as lifting small weights, bowling, playing badminton, and gardening (weeding, etc.) can also help strengthen the wrist. Do not engage in such activities without first consulting your doctor or physical therapist.

Part 3 of 3: Medical Assistance

1. 1 See a doctor. In the event of a serious injury to the wrist, which is accompanied by severe pain, swelling, bruising and / or loss of hand movement, you should immediately go to the clinic or emergency room so that you can get an accurate diagnosis. A Grade 3 wrist sprain causes severe damage to the ligaments and requires surgery to treat it. Your doctor will also check to see if you have a bone fracture or misalignment, inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout), carpal tunnel syndrome, infection, or acute tendinitis.
   • To make an accurate diagnosis, your doctor may order an x-ray, a bone scan, or a nerve conduction study. In addition, your doctor may refer you to a blood test to rule out the possibility of rheumatoid arthritis or gout.
   • You should also consult a doctor if, after 2 weeks of treatment at home, the symptoms have not gone away or worsened.
   • A bone fracture is also often accompanied by symptoms such as severe swelling, bruising, increased sensitivity, and deformation. A fall on the arm or a sports injury can lead to a fracture.
   • Children are more likely to have wrist fractures than sprains.
2. 2 See a chiropractor or osteopath. These joint specialists can restore normal mobility and function to the vertebral and peripheral joints, including the wrist. If the sprain is mainly caused by compression or slight displacement of the wrist bone, a chiropractor or osteopath may be able to manipulate or reduce the bones to relieve pressure from the injured joint. Often during manipulation, clicking and crackling sounds can be heard.
   • Although you may experience significant relief and restoration of wrist range of motion after a single treatment, more results usually require multiple treatments.
   • Bone reduction is not useful for fractures, infections, or inflammatory arthritis.
3. 3 Talk to your doctor about wrist injections. Injection of a steroid into or near a ligament, tendon, or joint can quickly relieve inflammation and restore painless wrist mobility. Cortisone injections are only prescribed for severe or chronic wrist sprains. In this case, drugs such as prednisone, dexamethasone and triamcinolone are most often used.
   • Side effects of corticosteroid injections include infection, bleeding, weakening of the tendons, localized muscle atrophy, and nerve irritation and damage.
   • If corticosteroid injections have failed, surgery may be required.
4. 4 Talk to your doctor about wrist surgery. For chronic wrist pain, surgery is a last resort and should only be resorted to if non-invasive methods have failed. However, for severe grade 3 sprains, surgery may be necessary to repair severely damaged ligaments. In wrist surgery, the torn ligaments are reattached to the carpal bone, sometimes with rod or plate implants.
   • After wrist surgery, healing takes 6–8 weeks, although it may take several months for the wrist to fully regain normal range of motion and strength.
   • After wrist surgery, complications such as local infection, an allergic reaction to anesthesia, nerve damage, paralysis, and chronic swelling and pain can occur.

Tips

• If you are injured again or are experiencing severe symptoms, it is best to see a doctor.
• Insufficient treatment of ligament injuries can lead to chronic wrist sprains and ultimately arthritis.
• A sprained wrist can result from a fall, so be careful when walking on slippery ground.
• The risk of a sprained wrist is great when skateboarding, so be sure to wear wrist braces.

A warning

• See your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: rapidly worsening wrist pain, paralysis or numbness in the palm or hand, an unusual wrist angle, high fever, unexplained sudden weight loss.