What is scaphoid fracture?

A scaphoid (navicular

navicular

The calcification process occurs at a variety of different times in life depending on the bone. An accessory navicular is an extra bone that is on the inner center arch of the foot. Up to 2.5 percent of individuals are born with the accessory navicular. Throughout early childhood, this condition is not noticed.

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Ortho-pinion - What Is an Accessory Navicular - AAOS

) fracture is a break in one of the small bones of the wrist. This type of fracture occurs most often after a fall onto an outstretched hand.

Is 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).

How long does it take for a scaphoid fracture to heal?

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.

How do you treat a fractured scaphoid?

The fracture is treated by putting the wrist in a long cast that covers the thumb and a little bit of elbow. Fracture near the forearm. If the scaphoid breaks from the middle or near the forearm, the recovery becomes more difficult. That's because these parts of the scaphoid bone have a low blood supply.

Will a scaphoid fracture heal on its own?

Due to the sensitive nature of the bone involved in this particular fracture, it cannot be left to heal on its own, and it is unadvisable to take this tack. It is important to see a doctor as soon as possible if you feel you may be suffering from a scaphoid fracture.

Scaphoid Fractures - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Does a scaphoid fracture need a cast?

Whether your treatment is surgical or nonsurgical, you may be required to wear a cast or splint for up to 6 months or until your fracture has healed. Unlike most other fractures, scaphoid fractures tend to heal slowly.

What is the fastest way to heal a scaphoid fracture?

The Road to Recovery

The best ways to support the health of your scaphoid bone after a fracture include: Immobilizing the area until your physician says it is okay to reintroduce movements and strengthening exercises. Using a cast or brace to help reinforce your efforts at immobilizing the scaphoid bone.

Is it easy to break your scaphoid?

The scaphoid's position on the side of your wrist and relatively large size make it vulnerable to injury and fracture. In fact, it's the most frequently fractured carpal bone, accounting for about 70 percent of carpal fractures. The scaphoid has three parts: proximal pole: the end closest to your thumb.

What happens if a scaphoid fracture is left untreated?

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.

Is a splint as good as a cast?

When there's swelling, splints are a better choice than casts because they are easy to loosen, if needed. Health care providers usually replace a splint with a cast on a broken bone after the swelling goes down. The cast will provide more protection while a broken bone heals.

What type of cast is used for a scaphoid fracture?

Fractures of the scaphoid bone in the wrist are among the most common broken bone injuries. Traditionally, they have been healed by immobilising the wrist in a plaster cast but over the last two decades, surgeons have increasingly fixed the injury in surgery, by putting a small screw across the break.

How do you know if your scaphoid is fractured?

There are several different diagnostic modalities to detect a scaphoid fracture. These include conventional radiographs, computed tomography (CT scans), magnetic resonance examination, bone scintigraphy and sonograms.

What is the most common complication of scaphoid fracture?

Nonunion - This is the most likely complication arising from missed scaphoid fractures. The risk is higher in those that are very displaced or have associated carpal fractures. These will generally require operative intervention with screw fixation.

How do you wrap a scaphoid fracture?

Place a short piece of white tape over the scaphoid tubercle around the radial half of the wrist, ending at the central aspect of the dorsal wrist. Place a second piece of white tape over the pisiform, wrapped around the ulnar half of the wrist to end slightly overlapping the first piece.

Can scaphoid heal in 4 weeks?

“This paper certainly outlines the difficulty in generalizing our treatment of the scaphoid and confirms that there is a subset of nondisplaced fractures that have a likelihood to heal within 4 weeks,” he said.

Is scaphoid hand or wrist?

The scaphoid is one of eight small bones that make up the “carpal bones” of the wrist. It connects two rows of these bones - the proximal row (closer to the forearm) and the distal row (closer to the hand). This connection puts it at extra risk for injury (Figure 1).

How do I strengthen my scaphoid bone?

What percentage of scaphoid fractures need 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.

Do you need to wear a sling for a scaphoid fracture?

If you have or suspect you have fractured your scaphoid you should go to your nearest accident and emergency department. You may find it useful to support your arm in an arm sling. To help with your pain and reduce and control any swelling, you should apply ice to the wrist.

Will a CT scan show a scaphoid fracture?

CT is an accurate and reliable source of imaging to diagnose scaphoid fractures and has been shown to be more sensitive than bone scintigraphy (sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predicted value of CT is 100% compared to 78%, 90%, 78% and 90%, respectively, for bone scintigraphy).

What does the scaphoid bone look like?

The word "scaphoid" comes from the Greek term for "boat." The scaphoid bone resembles a boat with its relatively long, curved shape. The scaphoid bone can most easily be identified when your thumb is held in a "hitch-hiking" position. It is located at the base of the hollow made by the thumb tendons.

Should thumb be immobilized with scaphoid fracture?

In conclusion, this study demonstrated that, for nondisplaced scaphoid waist fractures, wrist immobilization is crucial to limiting fracture displacement. However, immobilization of the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint does not contribute to fracture stability under physiologic loading.

Can scaphoid heal with cast?

Dr Wolfe points out, “Despite the advances of surgical treatment of scaphoid fractures, casting remains a safe, effective, and viable option for nondisplaced fractures.” Technique: A properly applied cast provides close to a 100% rate of healing for nondisplaced fractures when treated within a few days of injury.

What are 3 things you should not do while splinting?

Splint and skin care

Never stick items under your splint to scratch the skin. Do not use oils or lotions near your splint. If the skin becomes red or sore around the edge of the splint, you may pad the edges with a soft material, such as moleskin, or use tape to cover the edges.