Broken Wrist in Depth
AKA: Colles Fracture

Common Signs & Symptoms
Pain	Swelling	Stiffness	Weakness	Instability	Locking

Injury in Brief

Injury in Depth

TOP SELLING PRODUCTS for Colles Fracture

PhysioRoom.com Instant Ice Pack

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Tenscare Touch TENS Machine

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Easy to use dual channel digital TENS machine for effective pain relief featuring seven preset programmes. Just stick on the...

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Aircast StabilAir Wrist Orthosis

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A lightweight, water resistant brace for use following a broken wrist or wrist surgery. ...
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Broken Wrist Injury Explained

A broken wrist is common following a fall on an outstretched hand. A Colles fracture is a fracture of the Radius bone of the forearm, just above the wrist (a Scaphoid fracture is the other common type of wrist fracture). Symptoms include a great deal of wrist pain, a "dinner fork" deformity, wrist swelling and an inability to use the wrist and hand. The term Colles fracture originated with the Dublin doctor Abraham Colles, who first described this common type of wrist fracture in 1814.

Falls that cause wrist fractures are common during snowboarding. The natural response to a fall is to stretch out a hand to break the fall, and falls tend to occur more often in beginners. For this reason a broken wrist is a relatively common feature, with around 100,000 wrist fractures worldwide among snowboarders each year.

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Broken Wrist Signs & Symptoms

As you would imagine with a fracture, there is a great deal of wrist pain. The aforementioned 'dinner fork' deformity is usually present, together with wrist swelling and, as a result of the fracture, an inability to use the wrist and hand. In most Colles fractures the patient will hold the affected wrist towards their body in an effort to protect it. Diagnosis is confirmed by an x-ray.

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Broken Wrist Treatment

What you can do

	Consult a sports injury expert
	Apply cold therapy to relieve pain
	Wear a removable wrist support for protection
	Regain dexterity with therapeutic putty
	Relieve wrist stiffness with hand therapy balls
	Improve hand & grip strength with resistance exercises
	Use a bone healing system to speed up broken bone healing

If a fracture of the wrist is suspected, the patient should be taken to an accident and emergency department without delay. Ice Packs may be helpful to relieve pain.

If a Colles fracture is confirmed on x-ray, the initial treatment will be supervised by the doctor in the emergency department. If the two fragments of broken bone are shown to be close together, and well aligned, the treatment is simply to immobilise the wrist in a cast for 6 weeks. For the first 72 hours after the injury the wrist should be elevated to reduce swelling.

However, if the x-ray shows that the two fragments of bone are displaced away from each other, or not well aligned, then the emergency department doctor will have to manipulate the fragments back into position. This procedure is done under anaesthetic and once the bone has been repositioned, the forearm and wrist will be immobilised in a plaster for 6 weeks. The wrist should be x-rayed again after 2 weeks to make sure that the bone is still well aligned. Depending on the preference of the treating doctor it may be possible to use a Removable Cast from two or three weeks so long as the x-ray shows that the bone is healing well.

Removable Wrist Supports provide the same degree of protection as a conventional plaster, but are much lighter and therefore more comfortable to wear. The fact that they can be removed allows washing of the wrist region, making it much more hygienic than a conventional plaster which allows the user to keep the skin in good condition.

Rehabilitation begins immediately by maintaining the range of movement in the shoulder, fingers and thumb, on the side of the affected wrist. This prevents secondary stiffness in these areas and helps to resolve swelling in the wrist. Assuming that there are no complications with healing, the plaster can usually be removed after 6 weeks, if the doctor is satisfied that the bone has united and healed itself. At this stage more active rehabilitation can be undertaken.

Exercises in warm water are helpful to improve the hydration of the skin if it was encased in a plaster of paris. These also encourage the patient to gently begin moving the wrist in all directions, relieving stiffness. Exercises using Therapeutic Putty, Hand Therapy Balls and Finger & Grip Strengtheners can add strength to the muscles around the wrist and resolve wrist swelling. In the period following the removal of the plaster it may be helpful to wear a Wrist Support when not doing the exercises.

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Broken Wrist Prevention

Snowboarders should wear wrist guards as they significantly reduce the incidence of wrist injuries during falls. These are available from all good ski shops.

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Vulkan Neoprene Wrist Strap

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A high quality neoprene wrist support, ideal for use during sports. It features an adjustable Velcro strap to provide custom...

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PhysioRoom.com Wrist Support (with splint)

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NEW!Superb value adjustable wrist support with lightweight, plastic...
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Aircast A2 Wrist Brace with Thumb Spica

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Adjustable, lightweight and removable wrist/thumb brace that can also be used as a protective cast....
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Vulkan Neoprene Wrist Support

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A high quality neoprene wrist support that covers the palm of the hand. Provides excellent...
(1 review)

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FREE Vulkan Bottle with this item on orders > £50

Mueller Wrist Brace (with splint)

£20.99 inc VAT

Perfect for providing support following a broken or sprained wrist. This lightweight wrist brace features an aluminium splint and...

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FREE Drinks Bottle with this item on orders > £50

FREE Quench Gum with this item on orders > £50

Aircast StabilAir Wrist Orthosis

£56.99 inc VAT

A lightweight, water resistant brace for use following a broken wrist or wrist surgery. ...
(1 review)

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Vulkan Silicon Wrist Support

£18.06 inc VAT Was £20.99 Save £2.93 (14%)

Silicon lined wrist support providing extra compression for wrist injury treatment and sports use. The warmth and compression...

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FREE Vulkan Bottle with this item on orders > £50

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Faster Bone Healing

Smith & Nephew Exogen Express Bone Healing System

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RECOVER FASTER!Portable bone healing system that speeds up fracture healing - to 38% faster than normal bone...

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Ice Packs & Cold Therapy

PhysioRoom.com Instant Ice Pack

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SAVE UP TO 75%!A mouldable pack that becomes an instant ice pack, without the need...
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Aircast Hand & Wrist Cryo/Cuff with Cooler

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Ultimate hand & wrist ice therapy; provides 6 hours continuous cold and compression to minimise bleeding, swelling and pain. ...

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Pain Relief

Mentholatum Deep Relief Gel

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Deep Relief dual action gel with ibuprofen is a clear, non-sticky and non-greasy gel with a mild,...
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Tenscare Touch TENS Machine

£22.99 inc VAT Was £40.99 Save £18.00 (44%)

Easy to use dual channel digital TENS machine for effective pain relief featuring seven preset programmes. Just stick on the...

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Home Rehabilitation Kit

Therapeutic Putty (85g tub)

£7.99 inc VAT

Therapeutic putty for strengthening the hand and wrist, as well as improving fine motor skills....

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Hand Therapy Ball

£10.03 inc VAT Was £11.99 Save £1.96 (16%)

Extra firm squeezable balls for strengthening the hand and wrist. Colour coded according to level of resistance....

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Digiflex Finger & Grip Strengthener

£24.99 inc VAT

Ergonomically designed finger and grip strengthening device, with individual spring resistance for finger which allows...

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Broken Wrist in Depth
AKA: Colles Fracture

TOP SELLING PRODUCTS for Colles Fracture

PhysioRoom.com Instant Ice Pack

Tenscare Touch TENS Machine

Aircast StabilAir Wrist Orthosis

Broken Wrist Injury Explained

Broken Wrist Signs & Symptoms