Comprehensive Guide to Wrist Surgery: Types, Procedures, and Recovery

The wrist is one area of the body that is almost always constantly in motion- it helps you type, write, paint, chop stuff, prepare food and what not. Every time you use your hand for something, the wrist is involved in some or the other form- like pulling, pushing, lifting, rotation etc. and the wrist joint displays exceptional movement and dexterity. The wrist can however get affected if you get it injured or have a bad fall or break some bone in it. It can also get affected if there is repetitive strain on it – in the form of motions that are performed many times in a day. The wear and tear accumulates over years and can cause the joint to get brittle and weak. Wrist surgeries are normally only recommended when all other options of pain and joint management have stopped working. 

Types of Wrist Issues

Some well known and pretty common conditions that affect the wrist include- 

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) – The median nerve which passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist gets compressed and can be super painful and hard to manage. Wrist surgery to decompress the nerve may be a good idea if you are not doing well with other non-surgical treatments. 
• Fractures of the wrist- If the scaphoid bone or radius breaks, then surgery becomes necessary. Our specialists perform scaphoid fracture surgery using minimally invasive methods, which provide better outcomes and reduce recovery time substantially. Wrist plate surgery (volar plate fixation) is also performed in some other cases, when the radius gets fractured and plates need to be screwed into place, so that the bones can then heal properly. The plates are then removed after some time. 
• For arthritis and tendonitis- Inflammatory conditions of the joints and tendons can lead to bad pain, stiffness and poor joint mobility. 
• Injuries to ligaments in the wrist can also be very painful and require careful treatment. 
• Ganglion cysts

Surgical Procedures for Wrist Issues

There are many different procedures used by doctors to help relieve your symptoms. Some of them have been explained in detail, below-

• Wrist Fracture Surgery can involve 3 types– internal fixation, external fixation and bone grafting respectively. This surgery is recommended when there is a break in the scaphoid bone or the distal radius. 

• Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery – to decompress the median nerve. It can be done using minimally invasive, endoscopic surgery or using open surgery methods too. Minimally invasive surgery is better as it promises quicker healing and better outcomes. 

• Arthroscopic Wrist Surgery – Minimally invasive surgeries to repair ligaments, cartilage, remove inflamed synovial tissue or repair the triangular fibrocartilage complex after serious injuries work well in most cases. 

• Arthrodesis of Wrist or Wrist Fusion– This method is only done when joint replacement is not a viable option. The bones of the wrist are fused, using plates, screws and rods, in place of the joint itself. This means normal movement will no longer be present and this is normally only done in severely arthritic patients. 

• Arthroplasty or wrist replacement surgery is done when any severe injury occurs or if a person has a major degenerative condition. The affected wrist joint is removed and then replaced with an artificial implant. 

• Ganglion cysts are benign, fluid filled sacs in the wrist area. If there are too many of them or one is too large, it can cause a lot of pain. Cyst removal is then recommended. 

• Ligament tears and ruptured tendons can also be repaired – either using sutures or grafts from the patient’s own body. 

Recovery from Wrist Surgery

Recovery depends on how severe your condition was and what sort of procedure was used to deal with it. As mentioned, minimally invasive procedures mean lesser recovery times and lower risk of developing complications. The incisions are also much smaller, so there is not much scarring either. The recovery phase after getting wrist surgery done can be divided into different parts-

• You will be asked to rest and to keep the wrist immobile using a splint, cast or brace, which will need to be worn for a long period of time. 
• Pain medications, ice therapy and physical therapy come next- to help improve joint function, strength and mobility. 
• You can slowly return to your daily routine but you should not lift anything too heavy or perform any high impact movements for a while. 

In general, wrist pain and related issues get way better after proper treatment. 

At SBJI,  we have some of the best orthopedic surgeons specializing in hand and wrist injury management in Hyderabad. We understand that getting surgery done is a major decision. While most surgeries these days can be done using minimally invasive methods, at times, it may not be feasible. Your doctor will examine you and then come up with a treatment plan that will work for you in the long run. Even if it involves open surgery, don’t worry. You will heal a little later than usual, but recovery and being pain free take priority, rather than who heals faster right?