Broken Wrist
A broken wrist is a break or crack in one or more of the bones of your wrist. Commonly, these injuries occur when people fall and try to brace themselves or land hard on an outstretched hand. You could be at a higher risk if you have a condition like osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) or participate in sports with high impact.

Treating a broken wrist is important, otherwise, bones might heal improperly and result in pain and poor range of motion. Early treatment decreases pain and stiffness.

Signs and Symptoms

1. Severe pain that might worsen when gripping or squeezing or moving your hand or wrist
2. Swelling
3. Tenderness
4. Bruising
5. Obvious deformity, such as a bent wrist

Broken Hand
The hand is made up of a complex framework of bones and muscles. Fracturing just one of these bones can compromise the function of the hand.

There can be different variations of a fracture, including:

1. Stable fracture, when the bone pieces are aligned
2. Unstable fracture, when there are bone fragments that have shifted
3. Comminuted fracture, when the bone is shattered into many pieces
4. Open (compound) fracture, when a bone fragment breaks through the skin. This raises the risk of infection. Immediate treatment is required for an open fracture.

Signs and Symptoms

1. Pain and stiffness
2. Difficulty moving the hand, wrist and/or fingers
3. Redness and/or swelling
4. Deformities such as a crooked finger (less common)

Treatment
Medical evaluation and x-rays are usually needed for your doctor to diagnose the fracture and determine the treatment. Depending on the type of fracture, your physician will recommend the best treatment option.

A splint or cast may be used to treat a stable fracture Some unstable fractures, in which the bone has moved, may need to be set and then held in place with wires or pins. This is done without surgery. More serious fractures may need surgery to set the bone and hold the bone fragments together with pins, plates or screws.