- 3 Blackberry Court, Walnut Tree, Milton Keynes, MK7 7PB
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A wrist sprain is when the strong ligaments that support the wrist get over stretched, over used or forcibly stretched or bent such as in a fall to the outstretched hand or when playing a ball sport such as netball or basketball.
The most common cause of wrist sprain is a fall onto the outstretched hand as people slip and put their hand out to break the fall. An impact or blow could sprain your wrist as could a twisting injury or catching a ball awkwardly.
A sprained wrist will be painful to move and might be swollen or bruised. It will feel tender and you might have heard a pop or felt a tearing sensation at the time of the injury.
A thorough physical examination of the wrist and hand by a trained health professional such as a physio or Sport & Exercise Medicine Doctor will usually determine the extent of the injury and what treatment would be suitable. It may be necessary to have an X -ray to rule out any fracture. The ligament injury may be graded from one to three which is a way of describing how badly the ligament is stretched, torn or ruptured.
Initially the best treatment is rest, ice, compression and elevation. Apply cold packs for a few minutes at a time, strap the wrist to make it more comfortable and keep the wrist elevated. If this does not settle down quickly then we advise that you book in to see one of our physios for a full examination and treatment if necessary.
The time taken to recover will depend on the severity of the injury. It usually takes at least 2-4 weeks to recover from a mild sprain and up to six months if the ligament has been torn badly.
In the first 48 hours we would recommend rest, ice and compression with a bandage and anti inflammatory painkillers if necessary. If the pain and swelling does not improve within a week we suggest you seek advice from one of our Blackberry Clinic physiotherapists, osteopaths or chiropractors who can provide further treatment . If necessary they will refer you to one of our doctors to consider further investigations such as x-ray, MRI or ultrasound scan to exclude fracture or damage to the tendons or ligaments.
Following treatment at Blackberry Clinic, Milton Keynes my back pain improved and I could play for my country again
Just wanted to say please pass my thanks to my osteopath, I came yesterday with terrible back and shoulder pain and today I am pain free, am well delighted as had a day planned with friends was worried I wouldn’t enjoy, please pass my thanks onto her.
After a course of Prolotherapy my back pain has gone and I live a normal life. I can’t thank Dr Petrides enough for giving me back my quality of life
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lorena has changed my life. Four months ago, having been diagnosed as having “severe, acute and chronic” disc degeneration I genuinely thought I was facing a life of disability (I am 49).
Lorena has re-taught me how to move my body and how to think about what muscles I engage to a point that I am now running, swimming and doing pilates again and have almost full flexibility in my spine. It almost feels like Lorena can see through your skin to your muscles, so profound is her understanding of how the body moves.
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