If you experience any of the above symptoms after a fall or traumatic injury to the hand or upper arm, you should consult an orthopedist or sports medicine doctor with expertise in hand injuries. What kind of doctor should I see for a scaphoid fracture? Wrist pain associated with gripping the hand or lifting objects.Bruising or swelling of the wrist after a fall or impact.What are the symptoms of a scaphoid fracture? People who fracture the scaphoid often assume they have only sprained the wrist, since the symptoms are similar. The area around the scaphoid may not be noticeably swollen, and the fracture does not always cause severe pain.įor these reasons, this injury is often ignored or overlooked, and this can have significant consequences for future health. Unlike breaks in the long bones that connect to the wrist (such as the radius), a broken scaphoid is unlikely to display a visible, misshapen deformity in the wrist. Scaphoid fractures are quite common, but they can be difficult to detect.
This is a frequent injury among snowboarders and active children who participate in sports. The most common injury of the scaphoid is a fracture (break), usually caused when a person falls with the hand stretched out to brace him or herself (a natural reaction). It is key to the correct functioning of the wrist. The scaphoid coordinates the motion and position of all of the other wrist bones. This bone, shaped similar to that of a cashew nut or kidney bean, is located between the base of the thumb and the radius bone of the forearm. The scaphoid (or carpal navicular) is one of the eight small bones of the wrist joint. Scaphoid Injuries and Conditions (Wrist Injuries)