Plastic Surgery for Wrist Fractures
Let’s face it, when you think about plastic surgery, most people do not consider helping to fix broken bones or joints, but at Clark Plastic & Hand Surgery, that is just one of the many options that we have to meet our patient’s needs.
The wrist is a very complex joint that is made up of several different bones, including tiny bones (called carpals) at the base of the wrist. The wrist also contains a large number of tendons and muscles that pass across it that control all of the fine movements of your fingers and hands.
A break in the wrist is generally immediately accompanied by pain, bruising, swelling, or deformity in the wrist. Due to the complex nature of the wrist, a break is frequently accompanied with other damage to the tendons or ligaments that run throughout the wrist and hand.
Schedule a Consultation
Diagnosing a Wrist Fracture
Because there is so much happening in the wrist, it is critical to gain a full understanding of the damage that has occurred. Your doctor will likely prescribe some type of imaging depending on your injury. This imaging can include x-rays, an MRI, or a CT scan to ensure that all of the damage is identified and understood.
Treatment
When your medical team determines the best course of action for your treatment, they must take into account the location, severity, and stability of the wrist. One of the first treatment options that we will weigh is always if we can achieve a complete and healthy recovery without the need for surgery.
Many wrist fractures can be splinted, and through immobilization and then physical therapy, the body can properly heal and strengthen the joint again. However, when these options are not enough, your team at Clark Plastic & Hand Surgery have the knowledge and tools to ensure that you receive the best care available. We will discuss the reasons that we feel that surgery is necessary and describe the steps that we feel are necessary to facilitate a full recovery for you.
We strive to make sure that our patients are involved with the treatment process, so we try to clearly explain the process, and we regularly welcome any questions or concerns that you may have. We want to make sure that the treatment we describe is truly what you want too.
While the wrist surgery can vary greatly from patient to patient, a typical wrist surgery involves moving broken bones into the proper location so that they can heal, making sure that tendons and ligaments are free from damage and can be allowed to properly heal, and ensuring that there is no potential for additional injury or infection.
Recovery
The recovery from a wrist injury or broken wrist can vary widely for each patient. These factors can depend on the initial extent of the injury, but also how seriously a patient takes their own role in the recovery process. Patients who are active in physical therapy, wear the appropriate splints and take the proper medication often see an increased recovery rate than those who do not.
However, many of our patients generally feel that their wrist has healed very well, and they can resume light activity within a few months. As the wrist continues to get stronger, they can resume more of their normal activities.
Overview
If you believe that you have a broken wrist, or have been diagnosed with a broken wrist, contact
Clark Plastic & Hand Surgery today. Our talented staff can help with the diagnosis and make sure to lay out a clear treatment plan for your recovery today!
