Duration of healing
The duration of complete healing depends on the extent of the fracture. As a rule, however, fractures of the scaphoid and the carpal bones as a whole heal particularly slowly due to often poor blood supply. The location of the fracture in the scaphoid also determines the healing time.
As a result, especially in conservative treatment, immobilization in a plaster cast is required for up to 12 weeks. If half of the scaphoid is affected, which is closer to the wrist, immobilization in a cast is particularly long. In the case of fractures further down the wrist, 6 weeks may be sufficient.
On average, loading is possible again after 10 weeks. Follow-up treatment with further immobilization is advantageous, however. Complete healing with maximum resilience is often only achieved again after half a year.
If a conservative therapy does not bring the desired success after many weeks, the fracture must be treated by surgery. After the bone components have been fixed in place with screws, it takes another 10-12 weeks for the fracture to heal again. At least one X-ray should be taken every 6 weeks to monitor the progress of the therapy.
