How do you know if your wrist is broken?

It would hurt a lot, maybe even throb. Also, you wouldn’t be able to move it. Hope it’s not broken.

You should be able to rotate your wrist in a full circle. If you can’t move it all the way around, you should have it x-rayed. I broke my wrist a few years ago. I was able to move it forward but not backwards.

If you’re wondering whether your wrist is broken or not, you’re not in enough pain, and it’s probably not.

@cwilbur not true. When I broke my wrist I went around for half a day believing that it was just bruised or sprained.

Hairline fractures may not be particularly painful but require medical attention nonetheless.

I agree that you should have alot of pain, but if you are good with pain and have a high tollerance then you may not know. My mother broke her wrist once bowling and didnt know it was broken for two weeks. I would go get a xray to be on the safe side. Even if its not broken it could be fractured.

use the xray webapp! ;)

You go to your doctor, get an x-ray, and they will tell you whether it’s broken or not. Do not take chances.

In my case, I slipped and put my hand out reflexively to catch myself. I was on a hill, facing downhill and so landed on hand w. more force than normal on a fall on level ground. The wrist and forearm swelled, became distorted, purple and really painful within 5 seconds. It was very clear. A cast for 6 weeks and PT for two months. But this was the distal end of the ulna and more than just a hairline.

You would barely have been able to type the question if it was…

omfgTALIjustIMDu has the best answer. Get it xrayed! That is the only way to tell for sure.

i have the same question my wrist feels tingly and it’s bruised i can’t move it at all

i was thinking the same thing my wrists swollen and it hurts like hell! and i cant move it at all!

Look for deformity and discoloration also.

i feel alot of pain in my wrist and it happend when a foot ball flew tawards my head and i blocked with my hand

I went to bdo and stacked it massively. Scab on my chin and everything. Now scared my wrist is broken but I cbf to go to hospital

@Meals; What do you mean? “bdo and stacked it massively”? “cbf”?

idk if my wrist is broken i can go back but not forward its swollen

Firstly, you are not always in a lot of pain, and there isn’t always a lot of swelling with a bone break. It depends on the break and it depends on the person’s pain threshold.

I broke my wrist years ago during gymnastics, yet carried on, although it was very painful. It was only the following morning when what I assumed was just some bruising or a bad sprain, had become a swelling like a golf ball and dark bruising. I went to the hospital and it was broken.

On another occasion, I broke my wrist and had very little swelling but lots of pain. I couldn’t move it at all. It was broken.

I do have a high threshold for pain but nonetheless, you can generally tell when you have broken a bone.

The only option you have is to visit your hospital and have an xray performed. If it is not broken but causing you a lot of pain, they will strap it for you – probably with a splint until the pain/swelling eases and you are able to move it more.

when i move my hand back i feel a tightness

I don’t remember how I damaged both wrists, I have a rough idea as I was on the front of a mates bicycle as he was peddling, he said the floor dissappeared and I fell infront of him, he fell on me, another friend on a bicycle fell on him, bicycles included… did I mention we were all drunk.

I assume I landed hands first although as I say, I can’t remember, anyhow… this happened a week ago, since then I haven’t been able to lift heavy objects with either hand and my right hand is ok when I bend it back but hurts when I bend it forward. My left hand seems to be healing on its own which is odd as it was preliminarily the worse of the two.

I’m guessing it is a sprain as this involves over extension of a ligament, so when I try to move the wrist in the direction I assume it was stretched in.. I begin to feel pain.

After reading these statements I will visit the doc in the morning.

Best advice is to visit your local hospital and get it checked over, anything that feels out of the ordinary is not worth risking serious injury, especially if its an apendage you depend on. There are 8 tiny bones in the hand, all connected by tiny ligaments, bend your hand forward and lightly press on the area above the wrist, if you feel pain of any kind visit your local Hospital. At worst, if you don’t do anything, your hand will recover on its own but will never be the same and you will sustain a permanent deformaty. Don’t question the condition nor self diagnose it, GET IT CHECKED. My injury resulted in a sprained right wrist and my left is ok.

Ok so today I was roller skating and i fell on my butt and stuck my hand out to break my fall. Right after I was zoned out for about 10 minutes, and the only thing I could feel was my wrist throbbing. It looks almost the same as my other wrist. Is it broken?

I’m having the same problem too. I think I sprained my wrist but i’m not sure if it’s broken or sprained. I can’t move my wrist up or down without having a sharp pain. It even effects my fingers just by moving them. Which is why it’s hard for me to type, so i’m using my other hand. I can hardly hold something without the sharp pain feeling. I should probably go to the doctor’s and get an x-ray. What can they do for a broken wrist anyway? Do you think it’s broken or just really badly sprained?