How long does it take for a sprained hand ligament to heal?

It is well known that the parts of the body most prone to ligament sprains are the waist and legs, because the range and amplitude of motion of these two parts are very large when exercising or dancing. If the range of motion is not appropriate when using the hands, the accident of hand ligament sprain may occur. Hand ligament sprains can also be very uncomfortable and affect the normal mobility of the hand. What recovery methods should be adopted at this time?

1. For ligament sprain, it is recommended to follow the doctor's advice and use Panax notoginseng injury medicine tablets and chlorzoxazone tablets for treatment.

2. It is recommended to use Shenjindan capsules, Sanqishangyao tablets, Hongyao aerosol, and Yunnan Baiyao.

3. For ligament injuries at the wrist, you can apply external plasters, and you can promote recovery through hot compresses and massage. If the pain is obvious, you can take diclofenac sodium sustained-release capsules to relieve the pain, and you can use sodium aescinate tablets to reduce swelling. In addition, you can take Chinese patent medicines that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. If the ligament injury is severe, external fixation with plaster or even surgical repair may be required.

Types of wrist ligament sprains

1. Ligament rupture

It is usually because during activities, movements beyond the range of joint movement are made, resulting in passive traction of the relevant ligaments and causing tearing or complete rupture. Ligament ruptures are often accompanied by sprains and fractures.

2. Ligament sprain

Ligament sprain refers to damage to the soft tissues of the limb joints or body (such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, etc.) without fractures, dislocations, skin and flesh damage, etc. The main clinical manifestations are pain and swelling at the injured site and limited joint movement, which often occur in the waist, ankle, knee, shoulder, wrist, elbow and hip.

3. Ligament contusion

Generally, redness and swelling occur because the movements during activities are beyond the range of joint movement, and the degree of ligament injury is not serious.

What to do if your wrist ligament is sprained

Ligaments are tissues that connect two bones. Ligament (Latin Ligamenta, singular Ligamentum) is a flexible, fibrous, dense connective tissue. It attaches to the movable part of the bone but limits its range of motion to prevent injury. In the past, it was generally believed that only athletes with high demands on sports function needed active surgical repair after ligament injury, while others could be treated conservatively. However, the results of long-term follow-up have shown that even when non-manual laborers suffer ligament injuries, people are increasingly inclined to actively carry out early repair.

After a sprain of the joint ligament, there will be local swelling, pain, tenderness, and a cyanotic area may be seen if there is subcutaneous bleeding. It is very important to treat joint ligament sprains correctly in the early stages. Because ligament tissue is not easy to regenerate and recover, if it is not treated properly or misdiagnosed and turns into a chronic disease, it may leave functional impairment and be prone to sprain again in the future.

After an acute injury occurs, activities should be stopped immediately to reduce bleeding. Immediately flush the injured area with cold water or apply ice to the affected area to stop the bleeding. Then cover with a bandage and apply pressure to prevent swelling. Complete ligament rupture or suspected concurrent fracture.

After applying the pressure bandage, you must consult a doctor for further examination and treatment. After 24 to 48 hours, the internal bleeding in the injured area has stopped. You can then use a warm towel or massage to reduce swelling and promote blood absorption.

When applying warm compress, the temperature should not be too high, the time should not be too long, and the massage should not be too heavy, so as not to aggravate exudation, edema or rebleeding.

In order to promote the recovery of joint function, attention should be paid to the combination of movement and stillness, and early activities should be carried out without any pain.

After basic recovery, strength exercises should be done on the muscles around the joints to improve the relative stability of the joints.

If the wrist sprain is a minor injury, there is generally no obvious swelling and mild pain, and pain only occurs when the wrist joint is moved in a large range.

If the wrist sprain is severe, the wrist will be swollen and painful, and the wrist joint cannot be moved or the pain will be aggravated when moving. During the examination, if the wrist joint is flexed forcefully and pain occurs on the dorsal side, it means that the dorsal wrist ligament and wrist extensor tendon are damaged; otherwise, it means that the palmar wrist ligament or wrist flexor tendon is damaged. If the wrist joint is tilted toward the ulnar side with force and pain occurs in the radial styloid process, it is a radial collateral ligament injury; otherwise, it is an ulnar collateral ligament injury. If there is pain in all directions of wrist movement and the movement is significantly restricted, it indicates a complex injury of ligaments, tendons, etc. There is tenderness at the site of injury or abnormal changes in muscle tissue can be felt. Wrist injuries should be treated promptly to prevent ischemic necrosis of the scaphoid and lunate bones.

A sprain is a painful symptom caused by an acute strain of muscles or ligaments. It is recommended that you apply cold compresses to relieve your edema and pain.