Orthopedist Questions Wrist Fracture Treatment

Fractured wrist

I'm not sure if I fractured my wrist or not and I'm trying to keep from going to the doctor as much as possible due to my pregnancy.

Female | 27 years old
Medications: Prenatals
Conditions: I'm 7 months pregnant

9 Answers

You can go to an urgent care or your orthopedic doctor and get an x-ray when they do the x-rays they will shield the baby with a lead shield so you don’t have to worry about the x-rays
Go to the doctor and get an x-ray because if it's out of place it may need to be set. They will cover you and the baby with a lead shield so neither of you will get any radiation. At 7 months, it wouldn't hurt the baby even if they didn't cover you with a lead shield, so don't worry about it. Hope it helps!
Go see a doctor and get an x-ray. At 7 months the risks of getting an x-ray to the development of your baby are pretty much gone, that was in the first trimester when it's the nervous system and internal organs were forming. On top of that, they'll cover your belly with lead to protect the baby. If you have a fractured wrist and it heals wrong you could have chronic pain, and then how easy will it be to carry your baby? Knowing what's wrong and then deciding how to go about treating it are 2 different things. Not all fractured wrists require surgery.
Do you have an Orthopaedic doctor that you can see? Most wrist fractures can be treated without surgery ( cast or fracture brace) ; majority of these fractures heal in 6 weeks . A simple X-ray is all that’s needed, and they will protect the fetus by covering you with a lead shield. Not to worry as you are in your final trimester for the pregnancy.
For the time being Apply ice and keep the wrist elevated when you are sitting, etc
Dr. Mudano
Hello and good evening. Thanks for sharing your wrist issue with the FATD community.

Did you have a traumatic event? Usually strong forces of shear, torsion, impact, and/or distraction can cause a fracture or a break to a bone. Bones have two unique properties that clinically become evident when they are fractured. The fascia covering the non-joint surfaces of bones is called the periosteum. There are many nerves within it. When the bone is fractured there is a lot of pain that slowly worsens over the first 2-3 days after fracture. Number two: bones at every vascular (a lot of blood and blood flow). When they break there is a lot of internal bleeding. This leads to progressive swelling and black-and-blue bruising by 3-5 days after a fracture.

So, if there has been a lot of progressive and unrelenting pain coupled with bruising, swelling and stiffness, then there is a good chance there was a fracture.

An X-ray will help determine the ‘if and how bad’. And will also dictate treatment.

I hope this helps and that you do not have a fracture.
You should still go see your doctor. They can cover you with a lead apron during the xray so your baby is not exposed to radiation.
You will require an x-ray to determine if you have fractured your wrist.
You can tell a lot from the physical exam, but the only true way to tell is to take an X-ray. We would shield your abdomen with lead to prevent any of the beams from going to your abdomen.
Unfortunately the only way to know if it is broken is an x-ray. You do have about 2 weeks before the bones get set enough that they need to be rebroken, so you can wait 1 week and see if it gets better. If not, you should get an x-ray.