Wrist Fractures & Auto Accidents

If you’ve recently sustained a wrist injury in a Pennsylvania auto accident, you may be wondering what recovery will be like for you. Your recovery will surely depend on your personal traits, such as your level of fitness and any preexisting conditions, as well as the type and severity of your wrist injury. Bucks County Personal injury lawyer Michael L. Saile, Jr. provides some insight on the typical recovery for wrist fractures.

Distal Radius Fractures: This type of fracture may also be known as a Colles fracture, and is one of the most common fractures that occur as a result of the direct trauma of an auto accident. The treatment of the personal injury will depend on the severity of the fracture and whether it is displaced, or the two bone fragments are no longer aligned, or nondisplaced, which means despite the fracture, the bone has remained aligned. If the fracture is nondisplaced, it will require some sort of brace and pain medication. Recovery from a displaced wrist fracture is more complicated because it may involve surgery, which will extend recovery time.

Scaphoid Fractures: The scaphoid bone is located within the wrist joint and is very difficult to break without extreme force, which is often present in Bucks County auto accidents. It is very important to receive medical attention if you feel wrist pain following an accident in the Philadelphia area, because many injuries, including scaphoid fractures, may not heal properly and result in long-term medical issues. A nondisplaced scaphoid fracture will usually benefit from immobilization with the help of a plaster cast, but a displaced fracture may require surgery to stabilize the bone. The recovery process may last up to three months.

Hamate Hook Fractures: This type of wrist fracture is another which can easily occur with the extreme forces present in a Philadelphia area auto accident. Treatment is similar to the wrist injuries above, and surgery may be necessary.
As with any auto accident injury, if you believe you’ve sustained a wrist fracture, you should seek treatment form a medical professional as soon as possible. It is important to consult with your doctor on a treatment and recovery plan for your specific wrist fracture. It is also important to consider all of your less-invasive options before resorting to surgical means.