Diagnosis
How We Can Help You for Wrist Fracture
Our doctors have the expertise and experience needed to precisely diagnose and treat all forms of wrist fractures, the condition where one or more bones in your wrist break or crack.
We deliver world-class care to help relieve symptoms, which may include pain, swelling, and difficulty moving your wrist or hand. Our goal is to help you regain normal movement in your wrist and return to your everyday activities as quickly and safely as possible.
Working closely with physical therapists and other specialists, our world-class orthopaedic surgeons develop a care plan personalized to your condition and unique needs. Our team offers complete treatment options but always emphasizes the least invasive approach appropriate for you. Completely noninvasive treatment such as a cast or physical therapy may be effective in some cases. If needed, we also offer the full range of surgical procedures, from the common to the most complex.
In addition, as a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have opportunities to join research studies of new treatment approaches not yet available anywhere else.
What We Offer You for a Fractured Wrist
- Specialized expertise from one of the world’s leading programs focused on diagnosing and treating all cases of broken wrists and other orthopaedic conditions.
- Team-based treatment planning that brings together highly experienced specialists who create a comprehensive care plan personalized to your unique needs.
- Advanced treatment options, always emphasizing the least invasive approaches possible but also providing state-of-the-art surgery whenever needed.
- Full support that includes care planning and follow-up, focused on healing your wrist and helping you resume your normal activities.
- Clinical trial opportunities to join research studies of new innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of wrist fractures.
- Ease of access to highly trained specialists conveniently located close to where you work or live.
Treatment for Wrist Fracture
At Stanford, our orthopaedic doctors have expert training to treat all forms of wrist fractures, from minor breaks to the most severe injuries. Your doctor will recommend a treatment plan that considers the type of injury and where a break occurs.
Our wrist fracture treatment often includes a combination of casting and physical therapy. Sometimes, our orthopaedic specialists may perform surgery to carefully place bones back in the correct position, allowing for optimal healing.
When we care for broken wrist injuries, our main treatment goal is to realign all affected bones in the least invasive way. Our caring physical therapy and rehabilitative team is here to help you regain strength and function in your arm as you recover.
Stanford’s orthopaedic experts care for minor to severe wrist fractures, with world-class expertise and compassion.
Nonsurgical Treatment
Surgery
Our orthopaedic specialists evaluate the location and severity of a fracture, among other factors, when considering the right treatment options for you. For minor fractures, a cast can support your wrist while it heals.
Casting
For certain fractures, such as those in which the bones don’t move much, your doctor may recommend wearing a plaster cast for a number of weeks. A cast helps broken bones stay in the correct position while they heal.
If a fracture has caused your bones to move only slightly out of place, your doctor may choose to gently move the bones into the correct position without surgery. This procedure is called a closed reduction. If you need a closed reduction, we typically do it before putting the cast on.
Physical therapy
As your wrist heals from a fracture, it may feel stiff. Our physical therapy and rehabilitative team guides you in exercises that help strengthen your muscles and improve your range of motion. These exercises can make it easier to use your wrist, in activities such as writing, in the weeks and months after a fracture.
Sometimes, more serious or complicated fractures require surgery to realign or stabilize your bones. At Stanford, our orthopaedic surgeons are highly trained to perform intricate procedures to treat the most complex fractures. With skills in minimally invasive and open techniques, we always choose the least invasive procedure that fits your needs.
To surgically repair wrist fractures, our doctors use the latest techniques to carefully place bones back into their natural position. This procedure is called an open reduction.
Sometimes, our specialists use metal tools, such as pins, screws, or plates, to hold fractured bones in place. These items help your bones heal correctly by acting as an internal cast.
Your doctor may perform a bone graft, in rare cases, to reconstruct parts of a bone that are crushed beyond repair. In bone graft surgery, doctors rebuild the fractured area using healthy bone tissue from your ribs or another part of your body.
Our orthopaedic specialists evaluate the location and severity of a fracture, among other factors, when considering the right treatment options for you. For minor fractures, a cast can support your wrist while it heals.
Casting
For certain fractures, such as those in which the bones don’t move much, your doctor may recommend wearing a plaster cast for a number of weeks. A cast helps broken bones stay in the correct position while they heal.
If a fracture has caused your bones to move only slightly out of place, your doctor may choose to gently move the bones into the correct position without surgery. This procedure is called a closed reduction. If you need a closed reduction, we typically do it before putting the cast on.
Physical therapy
As your wrist heals from a fracture, it may feel stiff. Our physical therapy and rehabilitative team guides you in exercises that help strengthen your muscles and improve your range of motion. These exercises can make it easier to use your wrist, in activities such as writing, in the weeks and months after a fracture.
close Nonsurgical Treatment
Sometimes, more serious or complicated fractures require surgery to realign or stabilize your bones. At Stanford, our orthopaedic surgeons are highly trained to perform intricate procedures to treat the most complex fractures. With skills in minimally invasive and open techniques, we always choose the least invasive procedure that fits your needs.
To surgically repair wrist fractures, our doctors use the latest techniques to carefully place bones back into their natural position. This procedure is called an open reduction.
Sometimes, our specialists use metal tools, such as pins, screws, or plates, to hold fractured bones in place. These items help your bones heal correctly by acting as an internal cast.
Your doctor may perform a bone graft, in rare cases, to reconstruct parts of a bone that are crushed beyond repair. In bone graft surgery, doctors rebuild the fractured area using healthy bone tissue from your ribs or another part of your body.
close Surgery
INTERESTED IN AN ONLINE SECOND OPINION?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may be eligible to participate in open clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.