A fractured wrist?

Question

This is follwing up to my last question, about my sprained wrist. It has been 3 days now and the pain has not gone away. I am have ALOT of trouble trying to get my mom to take me to a doctor. She is convinced nothing is wrong because there is little swelling and no bruises. can my wrist be fractured even though it is not noticable? and any suggestions on how to convince my mom? THANK YOU!

im 13 and im concerned because I play volleyball.

Answer 1

you certainly can have a fracture without any visible deformity. you can have a "non-displaced" or a hairline fracture where the bone is broken but the pieces haven't shifted so you don't see any gross deformity. with the amount of pain and swelling that you still have after 3 days, one should be concerned. at 13, your growth plates around your wrist are still open so you may have injured them as well.

the best way to convince your mom to help you to seek some medical attention is to let her know that a hairline or non-displaced fracture is easy to treat (with a cast), however, if the fractured pieces move (doesn't happen that easily, but the potential exists) you may need surgery.

a simple xray and exam will provide a lot of answers, and appropriate course of action. btw, i am an orthopedic surgeon.
good luck

Answer 2

You should have your arm x-rayed. Yes, it's possible it's fractured. I broke my right forearm about 8 months ago and the fracture was not visible on x-ray until about 4 days after I broke it (it was a hairline fracture). I knew it was broken when it happened but I had to see a doctor for confirmation.

Are you having numbness and tingling in that hand? Can you bend your wrist or fingers? There doesn't have to be a bruise for there to be a fracture. There doesn't have to be a lot of swelling either.

A sprain can be quite painful and feel like a fracture. A sprain can take a couple of weeks to heal. However, if there is a fracture, you risk doing more damage to your wrist and hand without proper treatment. A simple x-ray will tell you which one it is.

Tell your mom what I just told you. I'm an EMT...I've seen a lot of fractures in every part of the body. Getting an x-ray won't hurt you. It's better to know for sure. In the meantime, keep your wrist immobilized and apply ice for pain relief.

Answer 3

Your wrist should definitely be looked at. My 14 year old daughter was at the bottom of a cheerleading stunt gone bad. We thought she just sprained or twisted her wrist, but after about 4 days the pain became worse. I took her to the doctor who did an xray and it didn't show any breaks, but he wanted us to see an orthopedist to be sure. When we went to the orthopedist 3 days after that, a break in the scaphoid bone did show up and she was in a cast for 6 weeks. When they took the cast off, she still had alot of pain so they sent us for an MRI. The MRI showed a partially torn ligament. 4 more weeks in the cast. She is now 4 weeks into 2 x's a week physical therapy with probably 4 more weeks to go.

My daughter had no bruising and no swelling at all and the pain wasn't even that bad the first few days. Better safe than sorry. Tell your mom to take you to the doctor.

Answer 4

hi.
~There doesnt need to be a whole lot of swelling for a fracture, but there usually is some swelling.

~Lay your arm across a flat surface: A desk of the kitchen table. Lay your forearm flat, with your palm facing up.
~Lift your fingers... Does this hurt?
~Lift your palm....Does this hurt? How much does it hurt and where?
~Next, lay you arm the other way, so the palm of your hand is flat on the table.
~How far can you lift your hand, keeping your wrist flat on the table?
~*~ If you have pain at the wrist or top of the hand, or up the forearm, you need to go to the doctor.

Like I said, there isnt always bruising associated with fractures. How old are you? Do you have someone who can bring you to see a doctor? An adult, like an Aunty or some body? You should really have your wrist and hand looked at.
~♥~