What is the most common mechanism of injury for a scaphoid fracture?
The scaphoid is the most commonly fractured carpal bone in the wrist, implicated approximately 60% of the time. The most common mechanism of injury leading to a scaphoid fracture is a fall on an outstretched hand (FOOSH), causing a hyperextension force on the wrist.
Which location of the scaphoid is most prone to injury?
About 80 percent of scaphoid fractures happen at the waist, 20 percent at the proximal pole, and 10 percent at the distal pole. The site of the fracture affects how it will heal. Fractures in the distal pole and waist usually heal quickly because they have a good blood supply.
What happens if you don’t treat a scaphoid fracture?
If a Scaphoid fracture does not heal, it is called a Scaphoid Fracture Non-union. If left untreated, the part of the Scaphoid that interacts with the Radius may die, which can lead to painful arthritis in the wrist, developing months to years after the initial injury.
What happens when you break your scaphoid bone?
Scaphoid fractures usually cause pain and swelling in the anatomic snuffbox and on the thumb side of the wrist. The pain may be severe when you move your thumb or wrist, or when you try to pinch or grasp something. Unless your wrist is deformed, it might not be obvious that your scaphoid bone is broken.
Why is injury of scaphoid clinically significant?
Scaphoid fractures are significant because a delay in diagnosis can lead to a variety of adverse outcomes that include nonunion, delayed union, decreased grip strength, decreased range of motion, and osteoarthritis of the radiocarpal joint.
What does a broken scaphoid feel like?
Symptoms. Scaphoid fractures usually cause pain and swelling in the anatomic snuffbox and on the thumb side of the wrist. The pain may be severe when you move your thumb or wrist, or when you try to pinch or grasp something. Unless your wrist is deformed, it might not be obvious that your scaphoid bone is broken.
How painful is a scaphoid fracture?
Is a scaphoid fracture serious?
A scaphoid fracture can lead to wrist osteoarthritis, especially if the fracture is untreated and does not heal correctly. This is called “nonunion.” Severe cases of this kind of osteoarthritis can lead to an incorrect alignment of wrist bones in what is called scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse (SNAC).
Can scaphoid fracture be seen on xray?
Special scaphoid view X-rays taken with your hand and wrist in a certain position may help to show up a scaphoid fracture. However, about 2 in every 10 scaphoid fractures may not be seen on X-ray at first. In some cases, a scaphoid fracture will not show up on an X-ray until around 10-14 days after the initial injury.
What percentage of scaphoid fractures require surgery?
To summarize our results, we estimated the incidence of scaphoid fractures as 10.6 per 100,000 person-years. Of 8923 closed scaphoid fractures, 29 and 71% were treated surgically and with casting, respectively.
Is surgery required for a scaphoid fracture?
Scaphoid fractures are a type of broken wrist. They happen when you break your scaphoid bone — a small bone near the base of your thumb. You might need surgery, but even if you do, you should make a full recovery. People usually need around three months to heal from a scaphoid fracture.