Broken Wrist Lawyers: How a California Attorney Can Help
A broken, or fractured, wrist can be a painful and behavior-altering event. A wrist break can be caused by a fall, slip or trip, or by a higher impact accident such as a car or motorcycle crash. Like other bone breaks, the pain, treatment and recovery from a broken wrist depends on the severity and location of the break. Without immediate attention, a broken wrist can have serious long-term consequences. This site is designed help you learn more about your broken wrist injury. If you or a family member has suffered a broken wrist as a result of an accident in California, please contact an experienced attorney. Call 1-800-ALAWPRO toll-free now for your free consultation.

Broken Wrist Anatomy
The wrist is a joint connecting the arm and hand, which has the ability to rotate, straighten and bend. Any of the bones comprising the wrist can be broken. Your wrist is formed where the following bones meet, surrounded by ligaments and muscle fibers:

• Radius: The inner (thumb-side) bone of the lower arm (forearm), the radius is the bone most commonly broken in a wrist fracture.
• Ulna: the outer (pinky-side) bone of the forearm
• Carpal Bones of the Hand: The 8 carpal bones are called the capitate, hamate, lunate, pisiform, scaphoid (navicular), trapezium, trapezoid, and triquetrum. The scaphoid, located at your thumb base, is the carpal bone most frequently hurt, usually in fall.

Wrist Break Causes
There are many events that can result in a broken wrist; however, one of the most common causes of wrist fractures is falling. A broken wrist fall can be the result of a slipping on a poorly maintained surface, a construction accident, such as falling off a ladder, or a bicycle accident. Following please find some causes associated with breaking a wrist:

• Falling, Slipping or Tripping on an outstretched hand
• Motor Vehicle Accidents, such as a car, bus, truck, motorcycle, or pedestrian-related crash
• Work-Related Accidents
• Certain Sports-Activities

Risk factors for wrist breaks include osteoporosis or calcium deficiencies, which are more common in the elderly.

Fractured Wrist Symptoms
Here is a list of symptoms which can signal that broke your wrist:

• Swelling of the area
• Pain which is more severe with an attempt to squeeze or grip
• Heat in the affected area
• Tenderness
• Bruising or Discoloration
• Limited range of motion or ability to move the wrist, fingers or thumb
• Stiffness
• Numbness
• Deformity

Do not attempt to self-diagnose a fractured wrist, as the amount of pain or limited ability may not be a determinant in whether or not the wrist has broken.

Broken Wrist Injury Types
There are many kinds of fractures which can characterize a broken wrist. Here are a few ways a fracture can occur:

• Open (Compound) Fracture: The broken bone cuts through the skin in an open fracture. This is the most severe kind of break and is a serious, potentially fatal, type of injury.*
• Closed Fracture: When the bone has broken, but not pierced through the skin
• Comminuted Break: A bone break resulting in more than two broken pieces*
• Displaced Fracture: When the bones have broken and are no longer aligned*
• Colles' Fracture: The most common type of wrist fracture, occurring when the radius bone is broken at the wrist.

*Open, Comminuted and Displaced fractures often require surgery.

Wrist Sprains and Strains:

• A wrist sprain occurs when there is injury to the ligaments surrounding the bones with no bone break.
• A wrist strain is a tear in the muscles adjoining the wrist without a bone break.

Broken Wrist Treatment and Diagnosis
As with most bone breaks in the extremities, diagnosis of a broken wrist often requires a view of the inside through an X-ray, MRI or CT scan. These interventions can also help identify what kind of fracture has taken place.

Treatment of wrist fractures varies depending on the location and severity of the break. In more severe cases, surgery is often required, lengthening the recovery process. Treatment for a broken wrist can include:

• Immobilization of the wrist by wearing a splint, cast, or brace
• Surgery to remove bone fragments or to align the wrist, including implantation of plates, wires or screws
• Rehabilitation to improve range of motion, muscle regeneration and stiffness
• Medications, in addition to or in lieu of more invasive procedures, including pain relievers or anti-inflammatories

Wrist Fracture Complications
It is not common for a broken wrist to result in complications, but those that occur after a severe trauma such as a car accident or a high-impact fall have a greater incidence of long-term problems. Getting immediate treatment can also stave off broken wrist complications, which include:

• Poor Healing, especially when carpal bones are broken
• Chronic or Ongoing Pain, Disability or Stiffness
• Bone Infection, especially in open fractures
• Blood Vessel or Nerve Damage
• Compartment Syndrome, especially from motorcycle or car crashes
• Osteoarthritis

Broke your wrist in an accident in California? If so, please call the Law Offices of Greenberg & Rudman LLP now for a confidential initial consultation. Our Law Team has more than 50 years experience in helping the injured. Let us fight for you and seek the justice you deserve during this painful time. Call 1-800-ALAWPRO (1-800-252-9776) now. Help is on the way.