Scaphoid: You've got one, and I hurt mine.
I fell on my wrist Monday. After snowboarding for 11 years and not a broken bone in my body, I thought I was about due for one. Fortunately, the initial x-rays came back negative (they always do!). Protocol is to come back after 5 weeks to make sure there's no fracture. I guess this means no snowboarding until then...right!
For the medical nerds, the scaphoid (or hand navicular) is a cashew-shaped bone that is found in the wrist. If you do a thumbs up you can feel it at the bottom of that pit, that's formed by those two tendons. I can wait while you try it on yourself...found it? OK, good. Back to Scaphoid talk.
It's particularly susceptible to fractures when people try to catch their falls with outstretched hands (like I did). Men between the ages of 20-30 are the most common to get this injury (like me). There can be a lot of swelling or none at all, and many people dismiss the pain as just "a really bad sprain" (like what I thought). Although it's a small bone, it doesn't get the attention in needs and deserves from the body's blood supply which means it's: a) difficult to heal and b)takes a very long time. This can lead to casts and hardware (and even bone grafts if part of the bone dies- avascular necrosis). What a stinker. I guess the whole point of this entry is just to show off cool x-ray pictures of my wrist. Take THAT HIPPA...One more note- this episode allowed for me to use the Ossur Form-Fit wrist splint and the Chattanooga ColPacs. Both are really great products!
(Scaphoid hi-lighted)
(Unaltered X-Ray)
(Multiple views)
For the medical nerds, the scaphoid (or hand navicular) is a cashew-shaped bone that is found in the wrist. If you do a thumbs up you can feel it at the bottom of that pit, that's formed by those two tendons. I can wait while you try it on yourself...found it? OK, good. Back to Scaphoid talk.
It's particularly susceptible to fractures when people try to catch their falls with outstretched hands (like I did). Men between the ages of 20-30 are the most common to get this injury (like me). There can be a lot of swelling or none at all, and many people dismiss the pain as just "a really bad sprain" (like what I thought). Although it's a small bone, it doesn't get the attention in needs and deserves from the body's blood supply which means it's: a) difficult to heal and b)takes a very long time. This can lead to casts and hardware (and even bone grafts if part of the bone dies- avascular necrosis). What a stinker. I guess the whole point of this entry is just to show off cool x-ray pictures of my wrist. Take THAT HIPPA...One more note- this episode allowed for me to use the Ossur Form-Fit wrist splint and the Chattanooga ColPacs. Both are really great products!
(Scaphoid hi-lighted)
(Unaltered X-Ray)
(Multiple views)
Labels: insurance, Pain Management and Relief, Scaphoid, snowboarding, Sprained Wirsts, the sports medicine store
posted by JAMES at
10:23 AM
0 Comments
