How long does the healing take?

Depending on the type of fracture and the chosen treatment, the time until complete healing and until the hand is fully usable again varies. Due to the rather poor blood circulation of the wrist, healing is expected to be rather slow, in about 10% of cases even a so-called pseudarthrosis, i.e. a false joint along the fracture site, develops. Therefore it is very important not to put too much weight on the hand too early or to perform shearing movements.

In general, a period of 4 to 10 weeks can be expected. If the fracture has been treated surgically, for example with a screw, the time to healing is usually shorter (6 – 8 weeks) than if a plaster cast is worn. Metal removal is also not necessary with a screw; only with inserted wires must metal removal surgery be performed after 4 to 6 weeks.

OP

An operation is always performed when: The advantages of surgical therapy are, for example, faster loading, greater stability and a lower risk of false joints. In most cases, the operation can be minimally invasive, i.e. with small incisions in the operating area. Only if there are several fragments, for example, is open surgery with fixation performed.

The affected carpal bones are stabilized with one or more small screws; if there is a fracture with many fragments, wires can also be used. These may have to be removed again later in a metal removal procedure. The post-operative treatment after the operation differs depending on the surgeon.

In some cases a plaster cast is recommended for 2-4 weeks after the operation, but this is usually not necessary. The scaphoid bone (Os scaphoideum) is most frequently affected by a carpal fracture, usually this injury is caused by a fall on the outstretched hand. An injury to the carpal bones is manifested, for example, by pain and swelling in the wrist area, a pressure pain between thumb and index finger (tabatiere) and sometimes pain when the thumb is compressed.

If the fracture is not displaced, it can be treated with a plaster cast or splint without surgery. If the fragments are displaced, surgery is the best choice.Because the carpal bones, especially the scaphoid, are relatively poorly supplied with blood, healing takes longer than with other bones and there is a risk that the fracture will not heal properly. This article may also be of interest to you in this regard: Physiotherapy after a bone fracture

The break edges are not optimally positioned on top of each other
Have fragments detached
In individual cases, if several carpal bones are affected