Sprained wrist
A wrist ligament injury from stretching or tearing.
A sprained wrist happens when the ligaments inside the wrist joint get stretched or torn. It’s often called a twisted or pulled wrist. This injury is common in sports and after falling onto an outstretched hand. The damage can range from a mild stretch to a complete tear of the ligament.
**Signs and symptoms** Typical signs include pain, weakness, bruising, swelling, and less ability to move the wrist. Pain usually gets worse when moving the hand or putting weight on it. In serious cases, a popping sensation at the moment of injury may occur, which can point to a grade 3 sprain. Because symptoms can look like other wrist injuries, such as fractures, an X-ray is often needed to rule out other problems and confirm the diagnosis.
**Cause** Wrist sprains happen when a sudden force stretches or tears the wrist ligaments. The most common cause is falling and using the hand to break the fall, which forces the wrist to bend backward (hyperextend) or twist hard. This is frequent in sports like cycling, gymnastics, basketball, and skateboarding, but it can happen to anyone. Repeated heavy loading of the wrist over time, as in weightlifting, can also raise the risk—especially if the wrist moves beyond its normal range. A sprain can come on suddenly or build up from repeated stress. In jobs where workers repeatedly strain their wrists without enough rest, the ligaments can weaken, making sprains more likely. Car accidents with airbag deployment that force the wrists to bend can also cause sprains.
**Diagnosis** A healthcare professional will ask about symptoms and what caused the injury. A physical exam checks for pain, wrist instability, and range of motion to gauge how bad the sprain is. Imaging tests like X-rays, MRI scans, ultrasound, or diagnostic arthroscopy may be used to confirm the diagnosis. X-rays can’t show ligaments directly, but they can check if the wrist bones are aligned properly—misalignment can hint at a ligament injury. An arthrogram uses a special dye injected into the wrist joint to make the joints and ligaments show up better on images. Wrist sprains can be confused with wrist strains because the pain feels similar, but sprains involve ligaments, while strains involve muscles or tendons. A thorough physical exam helps a doctor tell them apart.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Orthopedics, Sports medicine, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Family medicine
- Symptoms
- Swelling, bruising, pain
- Diagnosis
- Physical examination
- Differential
- Wrist fracture, Carpel tunnel syndrome
- Treatment
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Causes
- Overstretching or tearing of wrist ligaments, commonly due to falls or sports injuries
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Wrist sprains occur when traumatic forces stretch or tear the ligaments of the wrist. The most common causes are falls in which a person attempts to use their hand to break their fall and the wrist absorbs the impact, causing the wrist to bend backwards (hyperextend) or twist forcefully. Such incidents are common in sports-related activities like cycling, gymnastics, basketball and skateboarding, but can occur in anyone. Chronic, repetitive, and heavy loading of the wrist in sports may also increase the risks of sprains.
Reader's Guide
Wrist sprains are common injuries, most prominently among athletes and those engaged in physically demanding activities in occupational settings. Data from the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance Program found wrist sprains were among the most frequently reported severe hand and wrist injuries, accounting for roughly one in seven such injuries. Treatment increasingly emphasizes functional treatment based on load or activity management. The traditional RICE protocol has limited evidence supporting its effectiveness, and some experts caution against icing as it may delay healing. With treatment, early symptom improvements may be observed within days, but untreated ligament sprains may result in arthritis over time.
Did You Know?
- A sprained wrist is also called a twisted wrist or pulled wrist.
- Wrist sprains can be confused with wrist strains; sprains involve ligaments, strains involve muscles or tendons.
- X-rays cannot see ligaments but can confirm whether wrist bones line up properly to indicate ligament injury.
- In a scapholunate ligament injury, returning to activity before the wrist is fully healed can result in chronic wrist instability.
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