Scaphoid fractures are serious. The scaphoid is a small bone in the wrist that sits near the thumb and is essential for full function and range of motion in the wrist. If it is injured or broken with a delayed diagnosis and treatment, this can increase the risk of osteoarthritis or lead to permanent injury that is potentially life changing.
At InjuryLawyers4U, our expert solicitors are experienced in helping clients claim for scaphoid injuries. Whether you’ve suffered your injury at work, in public, or the symptoms have worsened as a result of misdiagnosis, we can help you claim the compensation you deserve.
Scaphoid Fractures explained
The wrist joint in your hand is made up of several small bones including one known as the scaphoid. This bone is essential for the wrist to function properly, and can easily be broken, especially in cases where a person trips and reaches their hands out to break the fall and prevent damage. This puts severe pressure on the wrist joint and often results in a scaphoid bone fracture.
There are many different types of accident or scenario in which a scaphoid bone fracture can occur. The most common are:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Sporting accidents, especially in contact sports such as rugby
- Warehouse accidents due to poor signposting or health and safety implementation
- Cyclist colliding with another vehicle
- Workplace accidents
Because of the sheer number of bones in the wrist, a scaphoid bone fracture is tricky for medical professionals to identify even when the patient is referred for an X-Ray. The fracture may be very small, or the angle the hand was positioned when the X-Ray was taken may not have been ideal for detecting it.
What are the symptoms of a scaphoid fracture?
Of course, if you’re not a qualified doctor or medical professional, it’s hard to identify if the injury you’ve suffered is a fractured scaphoid without the advice of somebody in the field. However, there are a number of signs that may indicate this type of injury:
- Pain and swollen area around the injury
- Noticeable flare in pain when moving the thumb or wrist
- Deformity of the wrist
- Noticeable pain when trying to grip objects
While it is difficult to identify a scaphoid bone fracture, if you trip over and use your hand to break your fall, pain and sensitivity under the thumb are common indicators that your injury is a scaphoid fracture. If untreated, you may notice the pain subside temporarily but return significantly when moving your wrist or lifting objects. In other cases, the pain from the injury may intensify over time rather than heal when untreated, which can lead to degenerative arthritis in the wrist.
Usually, the correct treatment for this kind of fracture requires putting the wrist in plaster for anywhere from a month to 12 weeks. If this fails to heal the fracture, it may be that surgery is necessary to move the bone into the correct position. Typically, the recovery period is around three months for this kind of injury.
Why InjuryLawyers4U?
Wherever you suffered a scaphoid bone fracture, nobody deserves to have their life turned upside down by another person or organisation’s dereliction of duty – least of all when the injury is compounded by a misdiagnosis or general negligence of a medical professional.
Accidents such as this can result in time off work for treatment and recovery, loss of earnings, and in the worst cases can lead to permanent pain and limited movement . Our commitment is to help you win the compensation you deserve to the best of our ability. Here’s why we’re best placed to fight your case:
If you or somebody you know has suffered a scaphoid fracture, get in touch with our injury claim experts and we will help. We operate a no win no fee policy, which means you don’t pay any upfront costs, and we’ll let you know right away if we think you have a case that’s likely to be successful.
Contact us by phone on 0800 221 8888, or if you’d prefer, fill in the contact form and our expert solicitors will arrange a call at a time that suits you.
