When does a wrist fracture require surgery?

If your broken wrist is more complicated than just breaking the end of the radius, you’ll likely need surgery to repair it. If the radius was broken higher up on the bone or if you broke both the radius and ulna, it may not heal on its own.

Is Colles fracture serious?

A Colles fracture is a very painful and serious injury. Go to your nearest emergency department if you suspect you have any type of wrist fracture. Colles fractures usually occur after a fall on an outstretched hand.

Do radial fractures need surgery?

Distal radius fractures may be treated effectively by wearing a supportive cast or splint. For severe distal radius fractures, surgery may be necessary. Distal radius fracture repair with volar plate is a surgical procedure that uses metal implants, or plates, to help stabilize fractures in the radius near the wrist.

What is the most common method of reduction for a Colles fracture?

A very commonly used method of closed reduction is manual traction (MT). An assistant provides counter-traction while the operator provides traction and manipulates the bone fragments into position.

Will I need wrist surgery?

In the majority of cases, surgery isn’t necessary for wrist fractures. Your doctor may be able to reset the fracture, put a splint and then a cast on your wrist, and wait for the bones to heal. Regular X-rays will be performed to make sure your wrist is healing as it should.

Is wrist surgery risky?

Risks of this wrist surgery can include but are not limited to: Infection. Damage to nerves, tendons or cartilage. Stiffness or loss of joint motion.

What is the commonest complication of Colles fracture?

Complications include 1-3: malunion resulting in dinner fork deformity. median nerve palsy and post-traumatic carpal tunnel syndrome. reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

Are Colles fractures common?

Colles’ fractures (fractures of the distal radius) are extremely common. They occur more frequently in women than in men. They are the most common fractures in women in the United States and Northern Europe up to the age of 75 years, with a lifetime risk of ∼15%.

What is Colles fracture?

A Colles fracture is a break in the radius close to the wrist. It was named for the surgeon who first described it. Typically, the break is located about an inch (2.5 centimeters) below where the bone joins the wrist. A Colles fracture is a common fracture that happens more often in women than men.

How successful is wrist surgery?

Their published findings showed that all seven patients were free of pain and had returned to work. On average these individuals recovered 92% of their range of motion and 98% of their maximal grip strength in the affected wrist, when compared with the uninjured wrist. Complications were minimal.

How common is a Colles fracture?

About 15% of people have a Colles’ fracture at some point in time. They occur more commonly in young adults and older people than in children and middle-aged adults. Women are more frequently affected than men. The fracture is named after Abraham Colles who described it in 1814.

Can a wrist fracture heal without surgery?

Non-surgical Treatment for Hand Fracture and Wrist Fracture Some fractures, like distal radius fractures (before the wrist), can be treated without surgery if the bone fragments are minimally displaced and remain in close connection.

Where does a Colles fracture happen?

A Colles’ wrist fracture occurs when the radius bone in your forearm breaks . It’s also known as a distal radius fracture, transverse wrist fracture, or a dinner-fork deformity of the wrist. It’s named after Abraham Colles, who wrote a paper on this type of fracture in 1814. Your radius is the larger of the two main bones in your forearm.

Can I play tennis after a Colles fracture?

Dr. James Chen answered. After it heals: If a colles fracture has healed in adequate alignment, a patient can expect to return to full function including playing tennis.

Are fractures treated surgically or nonsurgically?

Historically, most acute displaced midshaft clavicular fractures were treated nonsurgically. However, the outcomes of nonsurgical treatment have recently been thought to be not as good as expected in the past, and the trend is to treat these fractures surgically.

Do all fractures require surgery?

Not all fibula fractures will require surgery. The size of the fracture, location, and most importantly the stability of the fracture will determine if surgery is necessary. A small hairline fracture or a small avulsion fracture will generally not require surgery.