A fall forward is the main cause of a hand or wrist fracture; this is because, generally, as soon as we feel that we are about to fall, we put our hands forward to protect the face.
“It is a valid and advisable protective mechanism”, underlined Dr. Luciana Marzella, specialist in Hand Surgery in Humanitas, guest in Buongiorno benessere on Rai Uno.
“The most frequent fractures are those affecting the wrist and the most common are those of the distal radius; there are other types of fractures, but they are less frequent and most interesting to sportsmen,” explained the specialist.
When should I go to First Aid?
“If the pain is not excessive after the fall, you can apply some ice and leave your wrist at rest, thus overcoming the acute phase.
If the pain persists, your wrist swells and you are unable to move, you must go to First Aid. First, however, it is advisable to temporarily immobilize the wrist, for example by placing your hand and wrist on a shoe box (or other rigid cardboard support), cover the upper part of the wrist with a cloth and fasten with adhesive tape or tape,” the specialist recommends.
How is the diagnosis made?
“In First Aid, the patient will undergo an X-ray that could confirm the presence of a wrist fracture. If the physician sees fit, the patient will be treated with a CT scan; this is usually indicated when the fracture affects the portion of the joint.
Sometimes surgery is necessary and Dr. Marzella has also shown how to use a special tool that allows both to reduce the fracture when it is broken down, but especially to perform an intraoperative arthroscopy to observe the wrist from all aspects. In some cases, in fact, there may be associated ligamentous lesions (not visible in the X-ray) that are essential to recognize to avoid the risk of damage, even irreversible, due to a degeneration of the wrist,” concluded Dr. Marzella.
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