Treatment of a wrist contusion
A contusion is primarily treated conservatively. As a first measure the so-called “PECH” rule should be applied. Here, P stands for pause, so that those affected should immediately stop straining the wrist or pause the activity during which a bruise has occurred.
It is then important to cool the wrist. In relation to the PECH rule, the E stands for ice. The cold causes the blood vessels to contract, reducing the amount of fluid or blood leaking from the vessels and thus preventing or limiting the occurrence of swelling and bruising.
The application of a compressive, elastic bandage has the same effect as ice application. Here, the compression (C stands for compression) also causes a narrowing of the vessels, so that even in this case, possible swelling and bruising can be prevented. Finally, a bruised wrist should always be elevated.
In most cases, it is sufficient to bend the arm at the elbow joint or to put the hand up with a pillow while sleeping. Besides the PECH rule, pain therapy plays an important role in the treatment of a bruised wrist. With the help of painkillers such as ibuprofen, the pain can often be relieved quickly.
Analgesics can also be applied in ointment form directly to the painful area on the wrist. Overall, early freedom from pain has a positive effect on the healing process. You can learn more about pain-relieving medications here: NSAID In general, it is important to protect the wrist for a sufficiently long time, i.e. not to move much and not to put too much strain on it.
A wrist-stabilizing bandage or bandage can therefore be a useful aid in the treatment of a bruised wrist. After a few days the ice application can be replaced by a heat therapy. Local application of heat improves the blood circulation, so that inflammation infiltrates are removed more quickly and the wrist is supplied with more blood, allowing it to regenerate more quickly.
If the conservative treatment approaches mentioned so far are not effective, it may be necessary to operate in special cases. In general, however, an indication for surgery is rarely given. This is the case, for example, when nerves are involved and their injury may be irreversible. In addition, surgery may be useful if relief is necessary due to severe bruising or extreme swelling to prevent compartment syndrome.
