Scaphoid Fracture

A break in the small wrist bone below the thumb, often mistaken for a sprain, that heals poorly because of its blood supply and leads to arthritis if missed.

Scaphoid Fracture

A torn ligament between the small bones of the wrist, most often the scapholunate ligament, that lets the bones shift out of alignment and wear the joint.

Wrist Instability

Cuts, ruptures and overuse injuries of the tendons that bend and straighten the fingers and wrist, including mallet finger, jersey finger and tendinitis.

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Stretched or torn ligaments in the wrist, thumb and fingers, including skier thumb and jammed fingers. Most heal with splinting; complete tears may need repair.

Hand and Wrist Ligament Sprains

Cuts, crush injuries and stretch injuries to the nerves of the hand and arm, causing numbness and weakness. Timing matters because nerves recover slowly and only when repaired early.

Nerve Injuries of the Hand and Arm

A finger or thumb joint knocked out of place, usually by a ball or a fall. Reduced promptly, then protected so the ligaments heal and the joint stays stable.

Finger and Thumb Dislocations

A tear of the cartilage and ligament complex on the small-finger side of the wrist, causing pain with twisting and weight bearing. From a fall or from years of load.

TFCC Tear

Hand differences present from birth, from trigger thumb and extra or joined fingers to underdeveloped thumbs. Evaluated early, treated when it improves function.

Congenital Hand Conditions

Elbow · Hand and Upper Extremity

Complex Upper Extremity Trauma

Severe injuries of the hand, wrist, forearm and elbow: open fractures, crush and saw injuries, combined bone, tendon and nerve damage, and injuries that need reconstruction.

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

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Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330

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What it is

Scaphoid Fracture

The scaphoid is a peanut-shaped bone on the thumb side of the wrist.

It has a tenuous blood supply that enters from one end, so fractures, especially near the far end, can lose circulation and fail to heal.It is the most commonly fractured wrist bone and the most commonly missed.

Treated by

Toby Johnson, MD, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. JohnsonHand and Upper Extremity

M. Shane Frazier, DO, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. FrazierHand and Upper Extremity

Travis Peterson, DO, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. PetersonHand and Upper Extremity

or call801-640-0000

Scaphoid Fracture

Symptoms

Pain and tenderness in the anatomic snuffbox, the hollow at the base of the thumb on the back of the wrist, after a fall on the outstretched hand. Swelling, and pain gripping or pinching.Often mild enough that patients wait weeks, calling it a sprain.

Common signs

Snuffbox tenderness

Pain gripping or pinching

Swelling on the thumb side

A sprain that will not settle

See us sooner if

Still tender 2 weeks after a fall

Normal X-ray but tender wrist

Scaphoid Fracture

Causes

A fall onto an outstretched hand with the wrist bent back: skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling, basketball, or a slip on ice.Young men are most often affected.A direct blow or a punch can also fracture it.

Scaphoid Fracture

How We Diagnose It

Exam finds snuffbox tenderness.Initial X-rays miss up to one in five scaphoid fractures, so a tender wrist with normal films is splinted and re-imaged in ten to fourteen days, or sent for MRI or CT immediately.CT scan maps displacement and later confirms healing.Snowboarders and skateboarders are our most common scaphoid patients; CT confirms healing before unrestricted use. Dr. Johnson, Dr. Frazier and Dr. Peterson operate at Utah Valley Hospital and Orem Community Hospital.

Scaphoid Fracture

Treatment Options

Non-displaced fractures of the middle of the bone can heal in a cast over six to twelve weeks, though screw fixation shortens immobilization. Displaced fractures and fractures of the near end are fixed with a screw.Fractures that fail to heal are reconstructed with bone graft, sometimes vascularized, which Dr. Johnson has published on.

Your options

Non-surgical

Cast 6 to 12 weeks

Surgical

Screw fixation

Bone graft for nonunion

Scaphoid Fracture Repair

Wrist Fracture Repair

Scaphoid Fracture

Procedures That Address It

Scaphoid Fracture Repair

Wrist Fracture Repair

Scaphoid Fracture

Surgeons Who Treat It

Dr. Johnson, MD

Weill Cornell graduate, hand fellowship at Allegheny General. Twenty-one years in practice and seventeen as a collegiate team physician.

Dr. Frazier, DO

Fellowship trained in hand and upper extremity surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Seventeen years in practice. Fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Peterson, DO

Hand surgery fellowship at UMass Chan. Office-based, wide-awake carpal tunnel release. Fifteen years in practice. Speaks German.

or call801-640-0000

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

TextSend a text

Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330