The difference between a wrist fracture and a sprain

In daily activities, due to some minor negligence or failure to take protective measures during exercise, it is very easy to cause damage to the human skeleton and cause ligament sprains, fractures and other problems. Fractures not only affect people's daily activities, but are also accompanied by intense pain. If not treated in time, they may even cause bacterial infection and inflammation at the fracture site. But there are still many people who cannot distinguish between fractures and sprains, so what is the specific difference between wrist fractures and sprains?

Teach you how to quickly distinguish between wrist fracture and sprain from four aspects.

Different definitions

Wrist fractures are caused by continuous or partial breaks in the phalangeal structure of the wrist. They can occur in any group. Most wrist fractures only occur in a certain part of the body. Sprains are usually caused by external forces, which cause the wrist joint to move beyond the normal range, causing damage to the ligament tissue inside and outside the joint. Wrist sprains can occur in multiple parts at the same time.

Different performance

Wrist fractures mostly occur in middle-aged and elderly people. As they age, various organs in the body begin to age. If the palm of the hand touches the ground first after falling without paying attention, it is easy to cause a fracture. Fractures mostly occur two centimeters at the distal end of the radius near the joint and are extremely painful. Sprains mainly cause pain and swelling in the injured area, and joint movement will also be restricted.

Recovery time varies

The biggest difference between fracture and sprain is that fracture injures the bones. As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. Therefore, compared with sprain, fracture is more serious and the recovery time is relatively long, which may be as short as three or four months or as long as a year and a half. Sprain is different. A minor sprain can heal in dozens of days, and a severe one can fully recover in several months.

Different treatment methods

Once a fracture occurs, correct rehabilitation training is crucial. When the fracture is basically healed, you can practice some wrist flexion and extension as well as wrist flexion and extension resistance activities. Increase the difficulty of the exercises after a period of time. At the same time, you should pay special attention to your diet. It is forbidden to eat spicy and irritating foods, and ensure a balanced and reasonable combination of nutrition. In case of sprain, you should try to apply ice packs within 48 hours, and then apply heat with hot towels. When the pain is relatively relieved, do some light restorative exercises appropriately, and you will recover in a few days.

The above is the difference between wrist fractures and sprains. I believe that after understanding it, everyone will have a new understanding of fractures and sprains. They are different in definition and manifestation. Depending on the severity of the injury, the recovery time is also different. Therefore, when dealing with these two injuries, you should distinguish them and then choose the corresponding method to deal with them.