2 min read • October 20, 2022
Posted in
By Parth Patel
Although you can play through a minor wrist sprain, it is still highly recommended to consult a sports medicine physician to evaluate the extent of the wrist injury before doing so.
A sprained wrist is one of the most common sports injuries and occurs when the ligaments of the wrist are forced beyond their limits resulting in a stretched or torn ligament.
The most common cause of a sprained wrist is falling on an outstretched hand. This is because the hand is placed in a vulnerable position. Falling on an outstretched hand results in a majority of the body weight begin balanced on a joint, the wrist, which is not meant to bear such weight. As a result, the wrist may be hyperextend as a result of the additional load resulting in stretching or tearing of the one or more of the ligaments that give stability to the wrist. Other common causes include overuse injuries resulting in inflammation of the ligament itself.
The key symptoms of a sprained wrist are similar to those that occur in response to strains in other places in the body. There may be redness, swelling, and increased tenderness of the affected area. There is also the possibility of clicking and popping of the wrist as the injured ligament may come into contact with bone that it otherwise would not be in contact with were it not injured.
Due to both the commonality of sprained wrists as well as numerous degrees of varying severity, wrist sprains are graded.
A grade one sprain is the most minor of the three with the involved ligament being stretched but not torn.
A grade two sprain is moderate in severity with the involved ligament being only a partial tear.
A grade three sprain is the most severe with the involved ligament being completely torn.
As wrist sprains are a soft tissue injury, they are generally diagnosed using MRI imaging. However, X-ray imaging is also recommend to ensure that the carpal bones of the wrist are intact.
Depending on the severity of sprain, treatment is varied. It is important to use R.I.C.E (rest, icing, compression, and elevation) to reduce the swelling as well as inflammation. If the ligament is stretched but not torn, it is likely that a physician will recommend rest, to allow the tissue to heal on its own. More severe tears, however, may require surgical intervention to ensure proper healing.
Athletes are primarily the most at risk for a sprained wrist. This includes wrist injuries due to hyperextension as well as overuse injuries. Athletes in sports such as soccer, basketball, and football where there is rapid movement as well as body to body contact between players are most prone to a sprained wrist. This is because this type of body contact at higher movement speed can cause falls leading to a sprained wrist. Athletes in sports such as tennis are also at risk for a sprained wrist for a different reason however. Tennis involves a lot of wrist movement to maneuver the tennis racket and overtime, this may lead to inflammation of the wrist ligaments themselves resulting in a wrist sprain.
There are many ways to prevent a sprained wrist. This includes first being mindful of how you fall to prevent hyperextension as well as monitoring your wrist while playing sports and giving adequate rest to your wrists when playing sports that involve a lot of wrist movement such as tennis. Additionally, you can decrease your chances of a wrist injury in general even if you have a fall but strengthening the ligaments involved.
Resistance training is a great way to strengthen your wrists. First, it is important to know which motions the wrist can normally due. This will clue you in on what motions you could then add resistance to allowing for increased wrist strength. It is important to train your wrists in flexion, extension, pronation, supination, as well as radial and ulnar deviation. Resistance can be provided via weights or resistance bands.
There may be limitations in what wrist exercises can be done as a result of the pain. Thus, it is essential to hold off on applying resistance till the pain subsides to a more manageable degree. In the meantime, during the natural healing process, stretches may provide substantial benefit. These include taking the wrist into flexion, extension, pronation, supination, as well as radial and ulnar deviation slowly and only as far as is pain free. These stretches can be repeated throughout the day. As the pain subsides, you can slowly bring in forms of resistance such as small weights or resistance bands to build back your wrist strength.
Wrist sprains can heal with varying timelines depending on the treatment as depending on the severity of the sprain, the treatment modality differs. For minor sprains, nonsurgical healing accompanied with supportive care such as resting and icing will result in a shorter healing time while more for severe sprains, surgery may be necessary resulting in a longer healing time. Generally, nonsurgical treatment takes less than a month to be fully recovered however surgical interventions may take at least two months for the ligament itself to heal and at least six months in total to have full wrist strength. It may also help to immobilize the wrist as much as possible and continue playing if the sprain is minor but make sure to consult with a medical professional before returning to sports.
Wrist sprains are a very common injury, especially so for athletes. However, there are many ways to reduce the likelihood of such an injury as well as ways to ensure that when the athlete is back to playing, they are just as strong if not stronger resulting in a lower future likelihood of injury. Additionally, it is important to be patient as despite what may seem like a relatively minor injury, not allowing enough recovery time may result in the issue resurfacing further impacting an athlete’s playing ability.
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