Broken Wrist Recovery Time – How Long Does It Take To Recover?

A Guide To Broken Wrist Recovery Time

A broken bone can make life very difficult, whether you’re dealing with pain, protecting it from further injury, and trying to get on with your daily life while you recover. This can be made even more difficult with a broken wrist. We use our hands for almost everything we do, and if one of our wrists is immobilised in a cast, even simple tasks can become extremely difficult. Cooking a meal, buttoning up a shirt, and even showering can become the most complicated process. Not to mention you would have to take a long break from playing sports or exercising in order to let it heal. That’s why reducing the length of time it takes to recover is so important.

Broken wrist recovery time guide

Broken wrist recovery time guide

A broken wrist is defined by a break in the one or more of the bones that make up the wrist joint. This type of injury can be tricky to deal with and requires immediate medical attention to ensure effective healing. Failure to treat a broken wrist quick enough could result in the bones not setting correctly, which could cause a loss of the full use of your wrist. This could also happen if your wrist is not given adequate time to recover, or if the correct measures are not followed to allow correct healing.

In this guide we will outline common broken wrist recovery times, we will look over some of the wrist fracture types, and discuss some helpful broken wrist recovery tips, such as exercises you can do at home. This guide will also cover some the many treatments available for broken wrists, as well as pain management for what can at times be a very painful injury. You could also qualify for free orthopaedic treatment and physiotherapy, which could be a great aid in your recovery. Contact us today for more information on 020 3870 4868 or alternatively you can fill out our handy contact form to have us call you back.

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What Is A Broken Wrist?

A wrist is classed as broken when one or more of the bones in the joint have been fractured and no longer hold together. Knowing the difference between a broken wrist and a fractured wrist can be difficult, so it is always safe to assume it is broken until a medical professional tells you otherwise. Common broken wrist signs can include:

  • dull to severe pain in or around your wrist and hand
  • swelling, and bruising in the area around the wrist
  • a fractured wrist bone may protrude through the skin.
  • the wrist may be bent at an odd angle
  • you find it difficult to move or control your wrist or hand

Typical causes of broken wrists are usually through a heavy impact on the palm, wrist or arm that fractures or shatters the bones in the wrist. These can include trying to catch yourself in a fall, if you have been involved in a car accident where the wrist impacts the steering wheel, or even when playing a contact sport such as rugby or in line skating.

Wrist fractures can be divided up into different classifications depending on which bones have been fractured, and in what way, for example:

  • Simple: with a clean break to one of the bones the make up the wrist
  • Compound: where a fractured wrist bone punctures or damages the skin
  • Greenstick: This classification is for broken wrists associated with children
  • Comminuted: where the bone shatters into several pieces, usually caused by a heavy impact to the wrist bones, like that of a car accident.

Our guide to broken wrists provides more information on what exactly a broken wrist is and provides all the information you need on the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment of a broken or fractured wrist.

How Long Is My Broken Wrist Recovery Time?

The recovery time for a broken wrist depends on the severity of the break, if surgery was required, or if the break was caused by osteoporosis (which could require extensive treatment). The severity of the break is determined by the cause of the break, like heavy impact in a fall, or in sports, and which bones in the joint were damaged. As mentioned, different types of fractures are categorised by the bones that are damaged, and different breaks may require different treatment to heal.

The most common type of broken wrist is called a scaphoid fracture, which can take between 6 and 12 weeks to recover. Common treatment for this type of break is a cast, and surgery is not usually necessary. Another common type is a Colles’ Fracture. This type of injury can sometimes require repositioning the bones of the wrist under anaesthetic or even through surgery. It is then usually immobilised by surgical pins and a cast while it heals. Broken wrist recovery time after surgery can vary, depending on the success of the operation, possible risks of infection, etc.

Recovery times for any kind of break can be improved through broken wrist physiotherapy, the use of a brace or splint, and through exercises you can do at home. Every person’s experience is different, with some reaching full recovery in a matter of months, and others reporting that their broken wrist still hurts after a year. This guide contains more information on the many ways you can help shorten your broken wrist recovery timeline.

What Steps Should I Take In Order To Help My Broken Wrist Recovery Time?

The first most important step is to seek immediate medical attention if you suspect you have broken your wrist. This is important not just to ensure correct healing, but also because some breaks can cause damage to nerves, blood vessels or tendons, all of which require immediate medical intervention. As mentioned, broken wrist treatment depends entirely on the type of break.

Regardless of the type of break, in the time between the accident and when you manage to get medical attention, there are some things you can do to prevent further injury. These can be summarised in the RICE procedure. This means Rest your broken wrist and avoid moving it at all, Ice the area with a cold compress or covered bag of frozen peas, apply Compression to your wrist in the form of a bandage, Elevate your wrist above your heart to reduce swelling. After that your medical professional would take over and proceed with different measures to treat your broken wrist.

Breaks that need repositioning can sometimes lead to surgery to ensure the joint is perfectly realigned. Clean fractures that do not need realigning can usually be treated simply by immobilisation to prevent further injury. Other breaks that are caused by osteoporosis or that damage nerves or tendons will usually require surgery, as well as further treatment or continued surgical intervention.

You can further reduce fractured wrist recovery time after wearing a cast or being immobilised by doing broken wrist exercises, physiotherapy, and wearing appropriate supports, such as a fractured wrist brace or splint. Simple things such as elevation, not using your wrist too soon and taking medicine to ease pain and swelling can also greatly improve the healing process.

You may also be eligible to receive free physiotherapy and orthopaedic treatment while you are recovering, and this could be highly beneficial in reducing how long it takes to heal a broken wrist. Contact our advisors today to find out about other treatment options that may be available to you.

Broken Wrist Pain Management

There are many things you can do to help prevent your broken wrist pain getting worse. Some of these measures can be taken along with medication prescribed by your doctor, but it is important that you follow your doctor’s advice on taking medication and managing pain.

Using a broken wrist splint or brace is not only good for preventing further injury but they can also help in reducing pain, as the joint cannot freely move while it is still healing. Similarly, splints or supports such as a sling can help elevate the joint and can aid in reducing swelling. Another aid for swelling includes cold compresses applied to the area to help reduce the swelling and pain it causes.

In the later stages of recovery, completing light or gentle exercises could also help reduce stiffness, promote efficient blood flow in the area and aid the overall healing process.

Elevation For A Fractured Wrist

A common symptom of a broken wrist is swelling, and how long it takes to go down depends on how soon you take measures to address it. One very effective way of managing swelling is elevation.

If you elevate your wrist to a position higher than your heart, you can help to encourage blood to flow back towards your heart, instead of rushing to the effected area. This reduces swelling on your wrist, reduces pain in the area, and promotes healing.

There are many ways you could elevate your wrist, and these include up on a pillow while sleeping, or sitting on the couch. Slings are also designed to help elevate the position of your wrist while you’re moving around.

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Support For A Wrist Fracture 

When you first break your wrist, one of the most important things for your doctor to do is immobilise the joint. Immobilisation helps to prevent the broken bones from moving out of place, which could otherwise prevent correct healing, or even cause more serious injuries.

The apparatus used to immobilise your wrist is often referred to as a support, as it supports the joint and helps to keep it in place. Some of these supports can include a plaster or fibre glass cast, and a splint. A cast is a sturdier support for a broken bone but can take longer to apply and must be completely replaced if they become loose or damaged as swelling reduces. A splint is also known as a half cast, are much quicker to apply, and can be loosened or tightened depending on the patient’s needs.

It is important to ensure that you take care of your support, and not allow it to become wet or damaged while you are healing. It is also important to be aware of excessive pain in your broken wrist while in a cast or splint. You should also be aware of further swelling, discolouration or numbness in your fingers while wearing a support, as this could be a sign of further infection, nerve damage or loss of circulation. You should notify your doctor immediately if you notice any of those symptoms, as urgent treatment may be required.

Braces For A Broken Wrist

After your cast or splint has been removed, you may want to further support your wrist as it continues to heal. Fractured wrist braces can be very useful in reducing possible further damage or pain to a recovering wrist. Depending on your needs there are different types of brace available. For example, they can come in low, medium or high levels of support, ranging from light sprains that need compression to more serious breaks that still require further immobilisation and support. Some of these include:

  • Sturdy wrist straps that fully immobilise the thumb and wrist
  • Less restrictive supports that allow some movement to the wrist but protect certain wrist bones
  • Adjustable wrist straps that can support you while you play sports
  • There is also a softer strap that provides compression and support to the wrist and thumb, but still allows the full range of movement.

Different straps can be made of different material, for example neoprene or cloth. Make sure that the material sufficiently supports your wrist according to what you need, and is not too loose, soft or hard. It is important that you get the right brace for your level of recovery and ensure that you are not putting any unnecessary strain on your broken wrist.

Your doctor should be able to advise you if you are unsure. Just like with your initial support cast or splint, be aware of any changes in your fingers, wrist or arm while wearing a brace. Changes like this could indicate that the brace is too tight, or not providing the right support for you.

Physiotherapy For A Broken Wrist

The wrist joint contains a total of 10 bones, is surrounded by a network of blood vessels and nerves, and through a range of tendons and muscles, it is the connecting point between the arm and the hand. These bones, muscles, tendons, nerves and blood vessels all work together in providing a very wide and complicated range of movement to the wrist, hand and fingers. For this reason, when you injure or break your wrist, it may not only affect the joint itself, but also your fingers, grip strength, tendons in your arm, etc. As a result, there is a high possibility that you will need physiotherapy to ensure that you regain your full range of movement and the use of your wrist.

Physiotherapy is usually administered by a qualified physiotherapist. They can help guide you through exercises that could help to restore any lost strength and mobility from the injury or healing process. Physiotherapists can also help educate you on further exercises you might be able to do at home, as well as check that your injury is healing correctly. To see if you might qualify to receive free physiotherapy while you recover, contact us today.

Broken Wrist Recovery Time Statistics

Every person’s body heals differently, and healing times can vary depending on the extent of your injury. However, to give you an idea of how long your wrist may take to heal we have included some general broken wrist recovery time statistics taken from these East Sussex NHS Healthcare leaflet:

  • 4 to 6 weeks for the bone to fuse together
  • 8 to 12 weeks for it to become as strong as it was before
  • 12 months to completely regain full use of your wrist

Exercises To Do At Home

Following initial physiotherapy sessions with your physiotherapist, you might want to continue with some exercises at home to continue to aid your recovery. We have included some typical broken wrist exercises here that may help you. These exercises should be done only when you have reached a certain stage of recovery, and you should check with your doctor before you begin performing your own exercises at home.

It is recommended that you repeat each of these movements ten times each:

  • With your elbow and forearm flat on a table, and hand hanging over an edge, raise your hand up and down
  • Place your palm and forearms on a table, then flip your hand over to the back, and then return to your palm again
  • With your palm and forearm flat on a table, tilt your hand from side to side in a slow waving motion
  • With your palm facing the ceiling, raise your thumb up towards the ceiling then back down towards the ground
  • With your palm facing the ceiling, fold your thumb across the middle of your palm, then back out to the side as far as it can go
  • Start with your hand open wide, all fingers outstretched, then move your thumb to touch the tip of your index finger. Return your thumb to its starting position, then repeat with the rest of your fingers
  • From an open-handed position, make a tight fist, then return to the open position. If it is difficult to make your knuckles reach the 90-degree position, you can also use your other hand to help

These exercises are designed to help strengthen and stretch all the tendons and muscles that surround the wrist joint. They can also help restore any grip strength lost while your hand was immobilised. There are more intense exercises that could help continue to build up the strength of your wrist as it recovers. These usually include using light weights, exercise bands or a hand exerciser and doing similar movements to those outlined above. See below in the additional information section for more guides on recovery exercises to do at home.

Follow-Ups For Fractured Wrist Recovery

Following a broken wrist, once you have received medical attention, and gone through the process of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, your doctor will usually want to arrange follow up appointments for you. These appointments are used by your doctor to check on the progress of your healing, and to make sure that there are no further issues with your wrist.

These appointments could consist of physical examinations to ascertain the alignment of your wrist bones, and to determine if you have regained your full range of movement. The physical examination would usually involve your doctor palpating the area, which would allow him to feel the position of bones, pins or plates in your wrist. A follow up appointment could also include X-Rays or CT scans of a broken wrist that had a plate and screws inserted, to ensure the bones have set appropriately. Once your doctor feels you have made sufficient progress, they will no longer have to schedule further follow up appointments with you.

You Could Qualify For Free Treatment With Us

If you have suffered from a broken wrist, you could qualify for free medical care with one of our experts that operate in your area. This care could include free physiotherapy aftercare, or even a free professional assessment of the broken bone report you receive from your doctor. We could confirm in minutes, so for more information and to see if you qualify, contact The Health Experts today by clicking here  or call us on 020 3870 4868.

Additional Information

We hope that this guide has given you all the information you need to help reduce the length of time it takes to recover from a broken wrist and make your experience less difficult. To give you further assistance we have included some additional links that you may find useful.

Broken Wrists – A guide outlining the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of a broken wrist.

A Guide To Physiotherapy And Its Uses – why it helps your recovery and healing time.

Fractured scaphoid injury guide – An guide covering scaphoid fractures.

Guidelines On Wrist Exercises – For those who want to do hand exercises while wearing a cast.

The Health Experts – For free medical advice from a UK based provider.

More Information On What To Do With A Broken Wrist – An NHS article with tips on when to seek medical advice.

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