Wrist Sprains
Wrist sprains are about as common as ankle sprains, but because ankle sprains lead to such visible limping, wrist sprains are not nearly given as much attention. After all, those who have never suffered from any wrist sprains most likely cannot envision the limitations these kinds of injuries place on the sufferers or the amount of time it takes to heal completely. As the healing progresses, work that requires the use of hands goes exceedingly slow and in some cases may even lead to the sufferer being unable of continuing on with the work they are trained to do. What makes matters worse is if the injuries sustained to the wrists were not experienced within the confines of the job, but perhaps during extracurricular activities. In such cases the odds of the patient seeking out medical help right away rather than waiting until later on is greatly diminished.
As patients work on overcoming wrist sprains, they oftentimes must rely on splints, tape, and other aides to help the wrists heal without aggravating the ligaments that were damaged during the motion that caused the spraining. Doctors may also prescribe physical or occupational therapy, depending on the severity of the sprain, the way the patients are responding to treatments, and also the length of time that is projected to healing. If the time period between wrist sprains and healing is prolonged beyond the expectation of the physician, there may also be a chance that surgery is needed to repair the damaged ligaments. It is usually a good idea to get two or three opinions before submitting to surgery. This ensures that all other avenues have been explored.
These kinds of wrist sprains are rare, but they do occur and they can disable a person for a prolonged period of time. The problem in these instances may be traced back to the notion that wrist sprains are considered simple enough injuries, but the patients forget that – simple or not – they are by no stretch of the imagination minor ones. Failure to heed a doctor’s warnings, the need to go back to work, the inability to adjust to different working conditions that are designed to easy the pain experienced because of the wrist sprains, and of course also the failure of the patient to take seriously the importance placed on certain wrist exercises by the doctor all contribute to the slow healing and sometimes painful recuperation period.