We all have tumbled on the ground due to slip, trip, or missed steps, and attempted to brace ourselves with our hands and bent wrists. When we encounter any such situation and feel intense wrist pain, we panic thinking whether it is a sprain or a fracture? An incorrect diagnosis can lead to extended recovery time. And sometimes, it becomes even worse than how it was at the beginning. A wrongly treated wrist injury can cause chronic pain, stiffness, and arthritis. Thus, according to any Wrist Specialist in Dallas, Texas, correct diagnosis and proper treatment is necessary.
What Is the Difference Between Sprain and Fracture?
Sprains and fractures show the same symptoms, confusing the patient in diagnosing the cause of the pain. In both injuries, the patient suffers from bruising, severe pain in the wrist while moving, or even swelling. But anatomically, a fracture is the breakage of a bone, while spraining is an overstretching or sometimes tearing of ligament within the wrist. Only a Hand Doctor in Dallas can make the definitive diagnosis and set a comprehensive treatment method distinguishing the symptoms between the two:
Tingling or Numbness
A wrist fracture can damage your nerves and blood vessels, and lead to a tingling feeling or numbness in hand and the fingers. If you can feel such numbness or tingle, you must seek medical attention immediately from Occupational Therapy in Dallas TX. Due to affected nerves and blood vessels, you can have a loss of blood flow to the joints, and that may have long-term consequences.
Range of Motion
A fracture is not noticeable with open eyes, yet it may force your wrist bones out of line, and it can also limit the range of motion of your wrist. On the other hand, a wrist sprain may be painful but not necessarily limiting your range of motion.
Deformity or Unnatural Bend On The Wrist
Generally, these symptoms are strong evidence that the condition is much more severe, and you need to immediately seek medical attention from a wrist specialist in Dallas, Texas. It would help if you saw a doctor even when your broken bone has punctured the skin.
However, due to smaller sizes of the wrist bones, mostly, the fractures are invisible. The most common fracture of the wrist is the scaphoid, which rarely shows any crookedness. In a nutshell, wrist fractures are often misdiagnosed as sprains.
When To See A Wrist Specialist in Dallas, Texas
If you feel unbearable pain on your wrist and suspect a fracture, you must immediately show it to a hand doctor in Dallas without trying any remedy. Immediate and proper diagnosis and care will help you recover from a sprain or even a fracture.
North Texas Hand Center has a team of qualified and veteran hand doctors in Dallas, and you can call us at 940-442-6760 to book an appointment right away.