How to Heal a Sprained Wrist Fast?

Wrist pain is a common problem affecting 10% of the population. Wrist pain presents itself through a combination of symptoms depending on the primary cause.

Nerve compression, repetitive hand movement, wrist dislocation, and underlying medical conditions are some reasons for wrist pain, with the most popular cause being a sprained wrist.

A sprain is an injury to the ligaments within a joint. The wrist, a complex joint at the end of the forearm, connects the two arm bones, called the radius and ulna, to the five bones of the fingers. These eight carpal bones and three joints work together, enabling stabilization, flexion, and extension.

A sprained wrist restricts hand movements and causes pain. If you’re wondering how to heal a sprained wrist fast, let’s discover the best at-home treatment methods.

What Are the Symptoms of a Sprained Wrist?

Wrist sprains cause pain when you put pressure on the joint. The overstretching or tearing of the ligaments makes things worse. Wrist sprains are classified into three grades.

Grade one sprain has mildly overstretched ligaments without joint instability, while grade three has completely ruptured ligaments accompanied by severe joint instability and pain.

Here are some other symptoms of a sprained wrist.

• Swelling
• Bruising
• Tenderness
• Warmth around the wrist
• Difficulty making a fist
• Radiating pain in the forearm
• Restricted movement
• Numbness in the hand and fingers

How Long Does a Sprained Wrist Take To Heal?

Wrist sprains with overstretched ligaments or with tiny tears to the ligaments heal within two to ten weeks. However, more serious injuries with broken ligaments take a long time to heal.

Grade two injuries with tearing of the ligament recover in about four to six weeks as they restrict movement. Grade three injuries with severe wrist sprains take two to four months to heal. If the ligaments are completely torn, the symptoms also take a long time to subside.

How to Heal a Sprained Wrist Fast?

Here are the numerous ways of healing a sprained wrist.

1. Apply Cold Compresses

Using cold packs reduces inflammation and pain. If you experience acute wrist pain due to grade one injury to the ligaments, use an ice pack over the affected area.

Apply the ice pack for 15-20 minutes every three to four hours to numb the pain. The cold from the compresses constricts the blood vessels, decreasing the swelling and preventing tissue damage.

2. Wrap the Wrist

If you’re thinking about how to heal a sprained wrist fast, your first thought should be supporting the affected ligaments.

When you provide support to the ligaments through compression, the injury does not worsen. Instead, the wrap relieves excessive pressure from the wrist. This also limits the swelling and provides support to the wrist ligaments.

3. Take Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers

OTC pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen relieve temporary pain and inflammation of the wrist.

These medications also reduce side effects such as restricted movement, swelling, muscular tension, and wrist pain, which promotes a faster recovery.

4. Perform Gentle Exercises

You can slowly bend and straighten the wrist. Try side-to-side movements. Make a fist and release it. These practices, with minimal stress on the wrist muscles and ligaments, relieve stiffness and improve wrist mobility.

If you experience pain while performing gentle exercises, stop immediately and seek medical attention. You can also consult a physical therapist for joint mobilization exercises.

5. Avoid Strenuous Activities

Initially, you should avoid all the activities that strain your wrist further. For example, avoid lifting weights and focus on wrist ergonomics.

During daily activities, you should keep your wrist in a neutral position. Activities that further strain the wrist slow down the recovery and cause more pain and stiffness.

6. Use a Cast or Splint

Using a cast or splint to the initial injury keeps the wrist immobile. This prevents the wrist pain from getting worse.

The splint keeps the wrist in one place, so it also prevents further damage. However, you should only do this for a short time, as splints can make your wrist more stiff, resulting in muscle weakness.

Factors Affecting the Healing Time of Wrist Sprains

Certain factors affect the healing period of wrist sprains. While some injuries heal within one week, others may take up to three months. Therefore, you should understand the factors that affect the healing time of wrist sprains for a speedy recovery.

One of the most important factors in wrist healing is carpal stability. Carpal stability refers to the stability of the intra-articular and intracapsular carpal ligaments, which are the primary wrist stabilizers. Any damage to these ligaments delays healing.

If your sprained wrist is accompanied by symptoms such as tenderness deep within the joint, severe joint instability, persistent and intense pain, and restricted movement, you should immediately seek treatment.

Other factors that affect the healing time include the severity of the sprain. Grade one sprains heal faster than grade three sprains.

The treatment methods for grade one sprains are gentle exercises, hot and cold therapy, and non-prescription pain relievers, while more serious injuries are treated with splints, casts, and surgery.

Medical conditions such as arthritis also impact the recovery time. Such autoimmune disorders with impaired bone healing delay the recovery period.

Other factors influencing recovery time are your treatment options. For example, splints may cause more stiffness in some cases where gentle exercises could work better.

How to Prevent a Sprained Wrist?

Since most wrist sprains are caused by accidental falls, they are hard to prevent. However, making an active effort to exercise safely, practicing good body mechanics, and wearing protective gear when lifting heavy objects can prevent a sprained wrist.

If your wrist feels weak or hurts, you should not continue with strenuous activities such as playing sports. Always give your body the time to recover after intense activities to prevent further damage.

If you frequently work out at the gym, you should warm up before working out. Following some safety tips also prevents a sprained wrist.

• Make your workstation clutter-free.
• Purchase a wrist-rest for your keyboard.
• Use proper tools and equipment for lifting heavy objects.
• If you have an increased risk of falls, use a cane while walking.

Wrap Up

Wrist pain is quite common due to several causes, including sprained ligaments, strained muscles, and joint instability. If you can self-identify the causes, you can manage the condition better at home.

While the first line of treatment is applying an ice pack to numb the pain, you should still look out for other symptoms and consult a doctor.

Do not push through the pain until it gets worse. For persistent pain that lasts more than three weeks, immediately consult a general physician or a doctor for physiotherapy and surgical interventions.