🕡 👒 🚻 Wrist injury: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment 🏊 🥋 🏨

The most active parts of the body in humans are the hands. The wrist connects the wrist and forearm, and is constantly in motion, so joint bruises often occur. Since the wrist consists of a large number of small bones, it is difficult to identify which lesion occurred: a fracture, a tendon, a dislocation or a bruise of the joint. To prevent the consequences and loss of mobility of the wrist, immediately after its damage, seek medical help and start treatment in a timely manner.

Pathogenesis of injury

Wrist bruise (code S60 according to the international classifier of diseases) occurs when a moving object with kinetic energy acts. Fabrics have different resistance to such effects. Loose fiber and soft muscle are most susceptible to damage, less - fascia, tendons, dermis and ligaments. Tissues occur in the tissues, stretching, and some areas are crushed. Small vessels are damaged, blood is poured into the muscles and subcutaneous fat, forming hemorrhages (bruises). An aseptic inflammation occurs, the volume of fluid in the interstitial space increases, swelling forms.

In case of a wrist injury (in ICD-10, as already mentioned, it is assigned the code S60), with damage to larger vessels and heavy bleeding, hematomas form that fill the limited cavities with blood. With bruises, not only surface tissues, but also internal structures are sometimes damaged: cartilage, joint capsule and synovial membrane. Blood cells that enter the joint cavity disintegrate and are absorbed into the tissues surrounding it and cartilage. As a result, they lose their elasticity, which can subsequently lead to synovitis and arthritic changes.

Wrist bruise

The most common injury is a wrist injury (ICD-10 code - S60). In this case, there are restrictions on joint mobility and severe pain. One of the frequent provocative factors of injury is a fall. Due to the loss of balance, the individual, in order to facilitate a collision with the ground, involuntarily puts up his hands and rests on them with his whole body. You can be injured after hitting the palms. In this case, soft tissue is injured, which are pressed to the bones. The risk group includes children and the elderly, that is, people whose coordination of movements is impaired, as well as athletes involved in speed skating and skiing, weightlifting and martial arts.

Bruising symptoms

A severe bruise of the wrist joint (according to ICD-10 - S60) is always accompanied by pain, but unlike a fracture, in which there is increasing pain and loss of functionality, there is no complete restriction of the mobility of the wrist. There are three degrees of bruised wrist, which have the following symptoms:

Light - characterized by mild pain, a small hematoma, while the joint has no deformation and mobility is not limited.
Medium - there is a noticeable pain associated with the load. Medium-sized bruising and minor mobility restrictions appear.
Severe - painful pulsation, redness of the skin, large hematoma are felt in the brush.

When providing first aid in case of wrist injury (according to ICD-10 - S60), it is necessary:

In case of skin damage, treat the wound with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or Riciniol emulsion, which will reduce swelling and anesthetize the damaged joint.
Immobilize the hand. For these purposes, use a medical or elastic bandage, applying a fixing bandage to the damaged area. The brush should be lifted and hung on a scarf.
Apply cold to a sore spot using an ice pack or frozen product. Keep cold for no more than twenty minutes. Take a break for a quarter of an hour and repeat the procedure again, and so on several times.
Severe pain can be relieved by taking analgesics.
The victim should be escorted to the emergency room, where he will be provided with the necessary assistance.

Diagnosis with bruises

When a wrist joint is injured (ICD code - S60), the following procedures are necessary:

Survey of the patient - the doctor during a conversation with the patient reveals the circumstances of damage to the joint, listens to complaints. In addition, it finds out whether first aid was provided.
Visual inspection - when examining the site of damage, palpation is performed, the amplitude of active and passive movements is determined, painful sensations, redness, abrasions, hematomas are noted.
Radiography is prescribed - this is the most accessible and informative technique for examining a wrist injury. The picture allows you to determine the position of the joint, to exclude or confirm dislocation and fracture. Radiography often makes it possible to plan treatment tactics.
If soft tissue is damaged, CT or MRI are prescribed, as well as ultrasound to clarify the diagnosis.
Arthroscopy is the best option for diagnosis, when the doctor can conduct a visual examination of the internal structures of the joints.

After all examinations and clarification of the diagnosis, the patient is prescribed appropriate therapy.

Wrist injury

Treatment should be started immediately after injury and diagnosis. Timely measures will relieve pain, accelerate healing and prevent adverse effects. To do this, you need:

Medications To treat a damaged joint, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are used in the form of ointments: Heparin, Ortofen, Venolife, Diclofenac, Lyoton.
They are applied at least three times a day on the damaged area with a thin layer and lightly rubbed. For intense pain inside, analgesics are prescribed: Baralgin, Analgin, Ketonal.
Means for eliminating hematomas - "Badyaga", "Comfrey".
The use of a bandage. For fixation, it is possible to use an elastic bandage and other orthopedic devices, which, depending on the injury, are used from three to ten days.
Two days after a wrist injury, thermal procedures are used for treatment. For this, a special heat-saving bandage is suitable. The product is good in that, in addition to restricting movements, it warms, massages the limb, relieves swelling, improves blood circulation and enhances the effect of therapeutic ointments.
For heat treatment, you can apply a tissue bag to the wrist joint with salt heated in a frying pan, an heating pad or make paraffin baths. The procedure is performed twice a day.
Warm baths. Add sea or table salt to the water and warm your wrist at a temperature not exceeding 38 degrees.
Physiotherapy. With a bruise of the left wrist joint, as well as the right one, the use of exercise therapy is possible. Helps prevent muscle atrophy, normalize tendon function, improve blood circulation complex exercises.
Massage. With the help of massage movements, the mobility and working capacity of the hand are restored, pain is relieved, blood circulation improves, and therefore tissue nutrition. Massage begins with the tips of the fingers to the wrist, making light stroking and rubbing.
The application of an elastic bandage to the joint.
Load limitation. With a bruise of the right wrist joint (according to ICD 10 code S60), writing and drawing should be abandoned for some time. Athletes are advised to stop training, and musicians engage in professional activities until full recovery. In addition, a sore arm should be protected from weight lifting. If the recommendations of the doctors are not followed, undesirable consequences are possible.

Treatment with folk remedies

To relieve symptoms of wrist injury, the following folk remedies are used at home:

For warming compresses, infusions of oregano, calamus, hemlock, burdock, coltsfoot are used. To prepare them, take a tablespoon of crushed dry plants, pour a glass of vodka and insist for five days in a dark place.
Wrap a sore spot with fresh cabbage or plantain leaves.
Effective baths and lotions, prepared independently using decoctions of medicinal herbs: St. John's wort, lavender and chamomile.

Complications after bruises

After an injury to the wrist joint, the following complications are recorded:

Contusion of the palmar surface - causes concussion of the ulnar and median nerve. In this area, they are located close to the surface of the dermis. In this case, shooting pain occurs in the phalanges and their sensitivity is disturbed. They hardly begin to move, and the brush takes the form of a clawed paw. In some cases, surgical intervention is required to dissect the carpal ligaments.
Sudek's syndrome - occurs with severe trauma or incorrect treatment. The development of trophic vascular disorders. The wrist and wrist joint become very swollen, the skin surface is cool and shiny, bluish in color, and the nails are brittle and thin. An X-ray examination reveals osteoporosis in the pictures. For its treatment, complex therapy is used, using painkillers, vitamin complexes, vascular agents, muscle relaxants, acupuncture, physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy.

Sprain of the wrist

A wound to the ligaments of the wrist joint is most often the result of injury during sports, less often - a fall on the street or at home. The consequences can be serious problems up to the development of deforming osteoarthrosis. Sprain of the wrist provokes severe pain and stiffness of movements. These inconveniences cause difficulty in performing daily work. Symptoms of a wrist sprain are:

redness of the damaged area;
swelling;
spilled pain of medium intensity. On palpation, it intensifies;
increase in volume;
bruising is possible;
restriction of movement in the joint.

If you experience pain, you need to contact the emergency room, the doctor will conduct an examination and send to an x-ray, which exclude bone fractures and rupture of ligaments. When sprained,

Create peace for the hand: limit movement in the joint to four weeks, do not tolerate severity, with severe pain, cast. With a bruise of the left wrist joint (according to ICD - S60), all necessary functions will have to be temporarily performed by the right hand.
Apply cold - use a heating pad or ice pack to relieve puffiness. Hold for 20 minutes, take a break for a third of an hour and repeat the procedure until the ice melts completely.
General anesthesia - take Pentalgin for three days.
Local anesthesia - apply analgesic ointments to the affected area. You can use the cream "Dolgit".
Wear an orthosis on a sore joint or bandage it with an elastic bandage.

Bruises of the upper extremities in children

Often the cause of injury to the wrist joint in babies is a fall from a swing, a bicycle, from a stroller, from a feeding chair. In older children, outdoor games and sports lead to injuries. Soft tissue bruising is always the result of a fall or shock. The child screams in pain and stops moving his hand, leaving it slightly bent along the body. Characteristic symptoms of injury:

strong pain;
redness of the skin;
swelling;
possibly the appearance of a bruise;
limitation of mobility of the hand.

For first aid, the child must:

Treat existing skin lesions with hydrogen peroxide;
Make a fixing bandage on the wrist and hand. It is better to raise the hand, bending it at the elbow;
Apply cold to the damaged area for seven minutes, then repeat the procedure after a 15-minute break. For cooling, you can use ice wrapped in a towel.

After providing assistance, the child must be shown to the trauma doctor. He will find out the cause of the pain, if necessary, prescribe radiography and treatment.

Physiotherapy and hydrotherapy in the treatment of wrist joint

The conducted studies show that the use of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, various ointments, massages, exercise therapy in the early stages of treatment helps to quickly restore injured tissues, reduce or completely eliminate pain, swelling and restore working ability. In most cases, a bruise of the wrist joint (disease code S60) disrupts microcirculation and tissue metabolism. In the treatment of bruises and injuries, the most commonly used are:

Electrophoresis - the introduction of drugs using electric current through the dermis and mucous membranes. Using electrophoresis, they achieve an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, absorbable, antibacterial and tissue regeneration-stimulating effect. To increase the permeability before electrophoresis, warming up procedures are performed. Sometimes solutions are used that contain several drugs that enhance each other's action.
Diadynamic currents (DDT) - use different frequencies with short and long periods. With their help, drugs are introduced, and wave currents have an analgesic effect.
Sinusoidal modulated currents (SMT) - have a high frequency and penetrate deep into the tissue, has anti-edematous, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Magnetotherapy - an alternating magnetic field of low frequency has a beneficial effect on biological fluids, reducing swelling and pain.
Inductotherapy - an alternating magnetic field of high frequency penetrates deep into the tissue up to eight centimeters and promotes metabolic processes in them.
UHF-therapy is an alternating electric current of ultra-high frequency, which is used to accelerate metabolic processes and tissue regeneration.
Ultrasound - mechanical vibrations accelerate the regeneration process, have anti-inflammatory effects, reduce swelling and relieve pain.

Wrist Bandage

For people who perform many operations with one hand after a bruise of the right wrist or left joint, for some time, doctors are advised to wear a bandage. To do this, use the model B.Well rehab W-244. It is universal, it is possible to adjust the level of fixation. A bandage is used to limit the movement of the hand, as a result, painful sensations decrease, swelling subsides. The compression ratio is adjusted independently, according to the sensations, and the loop, which is fixed on the thumb, does not allow it to move. Developers are constantly collaborating with doctors, traumatologists, orthopedists, rehabilitologists and neurologists, improving the model.

Conclusion

Wrist bruise is the most common hand injury. The disease is accompanied by severe pain and impaired mobility of the limb. For quick restoration of the brush, it is necessary to provide first aid in time and correctly, to carry out qualified treatment using drugs, folk remedies, physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy.

Every wrist injury should be treated. With the help of modern rehabilitation measures, any consequences of injuries are minimized. The main thing is to contact a doctor in a timely manner for qualified assistance.

Wrist injury: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment