Treatment for Scaphoid Fracture

What is scaphoid bone fracture?

Scaphoid bone is one of the 8 minor bones that together coinstitute our “carpal bones” of wrist (carpal scaphoid fracture). moreover there are 2 rows of bones:

Scaphoid is nearer to the forearm (proximal row) and the other closer to the hand (distal row). The scaphoid bone is exclusive in that it links the two rows together. This puts scaphoid at still further risk for injury. That is why scaphoid is identified to be one of the most commonly fractured bone in the carpal part. Scaphoid can be severe or minor (hairline) depending on the collision.

70% of Carpal fractures are Scaphoid Waist Fracture, 20% are at the proximal pole and 10% at distal pole

Scaphoid Fractures occur generally when someone falls on an out-delayed hand. At first it hurts, but this pain can go away very shortly (in a matter of days or even weeks). Typically there are no bruises or distortion and swelling if occurs is nominal.

Symptoms of Scaphoid Fracture

The symptoms of a scaphoid fracture are pain in the thumb area of the wrist, swelling induced complexity in enthralling objects.

Now since there is no visible irregularity, at times this injury is confused as sprained wrist, causing stoppage in appropriate treatment (because this sort of fracture may or may not be noticeable in an x-ray report). In many cases, the victim realizes that he/she has a scaphoid fracture until months or years later than an accident.

Identification of Scaphoid Fractures

Scaphoid fracture can be identified by using wrist x-rays. And if it’s a non-displaced fracture, x-rays can prove unhelpful results and as mentioned before it can therefore be mistaken as “sprain.” Thus if a victim has compassion just above scaphoid bone (it’s located in the void at the wrist’s thumb side also known as “snuffbox”), it have got to be taken as a scaphoid fracture.

An X-ray report few days later might then show a clearer picture. It has been found that in few cases, MRI scan, CT scan, or bone scan may be used to identify an acute scaphoid fracture.  Please note down that CT scan and MRI are suggested to examine displacement fractures and relationship. Patient ought to remain splinted until a concrete analysis is done to stop movement of a potential fractured body part.

Scaphoid fracture treatment

If a fracture is non-displaced, it can be healed by cast immobilization that generally covers the forearm, hand, and thumb. This immobilization can sometimes also contain elbow in the initial immobilization stage.

Scaphoid fracture curative time

Healing time of scaphoid fracture (treated in a cast) can take any time limit from 6 to 10 weeks or may be even extra time. The cause for this is that blood supply to bone can be different and troubled by fracture condition. Such condition usually hampers natural fracture healing procedure of our body.

Part of the subject matter bone might even get worse and eventually die after fracture since of lack of supply of blood (chiefly in the proximal 3^rd of the bone, it’s the part nearby to the forearm. Fracture is in this area (or if it’s badly displaced, surgery is much likely to be necessary.

Scaphoid fracture surgery

In Scaphoid surgery, a screw or pins are fit to calm down the fracture. At times, it is works as a bone attach to support bone healing process.  Scaphoid surgery (to put a screw)  is necessary in non-displaced cases to evade prolonged casting.

Complications & Classification of Scaphoid fracture

• Non union Scaphoid Fracture: If a scaphoid fracture goes unrecognized or disused; with no proper treatment, it could not heal. As mentioned above, poor blood supply is main reason for slow healing. Over a phase of time, unusual motion and fall down of the bone fragments can cause misalignment in the wrist and finally take shape of arthritis. Surgery can be applied, if this is diagnosed before it develops into arthritis.
• Complication due to Avascular necrosis: It has been seen in many cases that some part of scaphoid dies since of poor blood supply, causing collapse of the bone and arthritis eventually.  Fracture in proximal 1/3^rd of bone (the one that’s closest to your forearm) has nearly all probability of getting into this kind of complication.  Same as the non-union complication: if bone situation has not reached to arthritis level, surgery is able to be completed to stabilize fracture and re-establish blood circulation.
• Complication due to Post-traumatic arthritis: If arthritis has already taken shape, salvage-type surgery steps can be taken, for example, remove degenerated bone or partial or even total fusion of wrist joint.

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