What Is Wrist Sprain? How to Treat It?

What Is Wrist Sprain? How to Treat It?
September 26, 2019

 

For all athletes, a wrist sprain is a prevalent injury. An athlete may lose balance temporarily with a sprain. While falling or slipping, we automatically stick to our hands for support. However, once your hand reaches the floor, the impact force pivots it back to your forearm. It can extend the ligaments that are a little too far between the wrist and the bones. It may result in full or tiny ligament rupture and needs immediate attention from sports medicine experts in OKC.

Reasons for Wrist Sprain

  • Hit on wrist

  • Extreme pressure or twisted wrist

This is common in basketball players, baseball players, skaters, skiers, gymnasts, divers, skateboarders, etc.

It can happen to anyone accidentally who falls or gets a hit on the wrist.

Symptoms of Wrist Sprain

You will get pain, swelling, a feeling of popping on the wrist, tenderness, bruising, weakness, etc.

Diagnosis

After checking your symptoms, your doctor will ask you to discuss how you wound your wrist. Provide as much information as possible. Have you fallen or turned your wrist? When you wounded it, in what position was your wrist? If you are an athlete, your physician might want your trainer or coach to be an eyewitness account of your injury. Your doctor will also review your medical history, in particular, any prior injuries to the hand, neck, or forearm.

If you have a serious wrist sprain or a fractured bone in the past, your doctor may ask for x-rays of your wrist. Your doctor may order extra tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scanning if these seem normal but the symptoms are severe and persistent. The doctor can do a type of minor procedure called arthroscopy for inspections of wrist ligaments for signs of damage in some people, especially competitor sportsmen with moderate or severe wrist injuries.

Prevention

Wear protective devices supporting the wrist to avoid sport-related wrist sprains. Snowboarders and inline skaters, in particular, should safeguard their hands using braces. Platform divers can wear protection ribbons or wraps that restrict wrist sprain.

Choose a ski pole with a low-profile grip of finger grooves to avoid wrist sprains associated with skiing. Furthermore, grip ski poles during an accident without straps and drop poles.

Treatment For Wrist Sprain

  • Rest your joint

  • Put ice on the injured area to reduce swelling

  • Compress the area with a bandage

  • Elevate the area

For wrist sprain prevention and treatment, contact Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management for sports medicine experts in OKC.

**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship.

Darryl D. Robinson, MD

Medical Director

Dr. Darryl Robinson, a Richmond, Virginia native, earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to receive his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1995. Commissioned into the U.S. Army the same year, Dr. Robinson completed his internship at Walter Reed and served as a General Medical Officer at Fort Stewart, Georgia. He left active duty in 1998 and remained in the reserves through 2004. After completing his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a fellowship in Pain Medicine, Dr. Robinson joined Oklahoma Sports Science and Orthopedics in 2002. He has since been recognized for delivering comprehensive, cutting-edge care for pain conditions. In 2012, he was named one of the region's top physicians by Castle Connolly. Frustrated by the limitations of conventional pain treatments, he expanded his approach to include wellness-based therapies focused on nutrition, hormone optimization, and regenerative medicine. He later became a Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Also in 2012, Dr. Robinson was honored as one of the first "Pink Tie Guys" by the Susan G. Komen foundation in Oklahoma, recognizing his advocacy for women's health.
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