We’ve all done it. Whether you’re walking down the driveway to get the mail, or stepping out of the car, it’s nearly impossible to avoid taking a spill on the ice during the winter months. And aside from a bruised behind, the most common casualty is that to your wrist or hand in an attempt to break your fall.

Dr. David Rehak from the Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation (http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_14_1_2.htm) explains the proper way to fall in order to avoid wrist and hand injury.

“The wrist is often fractured during a fall on an outstretched arm. In this position, the arm remains straight and the wrist takes the full force of the fall. A physician should examine a person with severe wrist pain after a fall, and x-rays should be taken to rule out a fracture. While the two bones in the forearm, the radius and the ulna, are the most likely to fracture, it is also possible that the small bone in the wrist just behind the base of the thumb, the scaphoid bone, can fracture. A scaphoid fracture is difficult to find even with x-rays because the fracture line is very fine. If wrist pain persists after a negative x-ray, then the wrist should be x-rayed again about 10 days after injury. By then, the healing process causes the fracture line to widen, making it more visible. If left untreated, a scaphoid fracture can lead to chronic pain in the wrist and the inability to extend the wrist backward.
Prevention is the best protection against winter injuries. Being in shape and having the proper equipment can help to reduce injuries, but learning how to fall correctly and safely can be your best bet for preventing injury.“

If you’ve got wrist pain from a fall, be sure to check out KT Tape to ease your pain and ask an expert how to tape your specific injury.

Filed under: Wrist sprain | January 29, 2010
Tags :broken wrist , Dr. David Rehak , falling , Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation , ice , KT Tape , wrist