Wrist Sprain Surgery
Overview
If you recently fell on your hand or experienced an injury that caused your wrist to bend or twist forcefully, you may have a wrist sprain. Your ligaments (strong, fibrous tissues) connect your bones. They assist your body by keeping your bones in their place and stabilize your joints. A sprain can occur if you have a tiny tear in your ligament, if they’re overstretched, or if they’re completely torn from the bone. Additionally, you may experience pain, bruising, swelling, a popping sound, or a warm feeling in your wrist. Orlando Hand Surgery Associates can help relieve your pain by repairing your ligaments and reattaching them to your bone with our wrist sprain surgery.
How to Prepare for Surgery
You won’t be able to eat the day you have surgery. You should be able to continue drinking water as normal. Just avoid drinking other beverages, like soda, juice, or milk. We may also ask that you quit taking certain medications like aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs a few days before surgery. Make sure we know what medications you take regularly. Plan to wear loose-fitting clothes that are easy to change into after surgery.
Procedure
Depending on the severity of your injury, we may choose to do a minimally invasive surgery (arthroscopically) or open surgery. Both are outpatient surgeries which means you will be able to return home after you wake up.
- Arthroscopically. During this surgery, we make a few small incisions and insert a tiny camera and tiny tools.
- Open Surgery. If you have a severe injury, like a torn ligament, for example, we may choose to perform an open surgery which will give us a better view of the injury. This surgery would involve reconnecting the ligament to the bone or using a tendon graft. A tendon graft is a piece of tendon taken from somewhere else in your body. We will use a tendon graft to reconstruct the injured piece.
Recovery
After surgery, you will wake up with a splint or cast on your wrist. This helps to minimize movement and stabilize your wrist. Then you will be asked to complete physical training to regain your strength and flexibility. While your ligaments typically recover within eight to 12 weeks. Overall you can expect a complete recovery after six to 12 months.
Efficacy
Your ligament is reattached to the bone, as a result, provides enough space for movement.
Complications
Possible complications include infection, blood loss, and nerve damage as with any surgery.
Outlook
Surgery and physical therapy normally fix the pain and discomfort associated with the wrist.