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.
The scaphoid is a small wrist bone with a poor blood supply.
It breaks in falls onto the hand and is easy to miss. Because of its blood supply, it heals slowly and sometimes not at all, a nonunion.Fresh fractures that are displaced or in the proximal pole are fixed with a compression screw. Nonunions are cleaned out, grafted with bone, sometimes with its own blood supply, and fixed.
Surgery fits displaced fractures, fractures in the upper part of the bone, fractures in patients who cannot tolerate three months in a cast, and any scaphoid fracture that has not healed.Non-displaced waist fractures can heal in a cast, though screw fixation shortens the time immobilized.
Scaphoid Fracture Repair
What to Expect
Outpatient surgery under regional block or general anesthesia, thirty minutes to two hours depending on whether grafting is needed. A splint or cast afterward.Dr. Johnson has published research on vascularized flap treatment of scaphoid nonunion, among the harder problems in hand surgery.Snowboarders and skateboarders are our most common scaphoid patients; Dr. Johnson has published on the hardest version, the nonunion. Dr. Johnson, Dr. Frazier and Dr. Peterson operate at Utah Valley Hospital and Orem Community Hospital.
Scaphoid Fracture Repair
Recovery Timeline
Immobilization for two to six weeks after screw fixation of a fresh fracture, longer after grafting a nonunion.Healing is confirmed by CT scan before unrestricted use, often at three months or more.Grip strength and wrist motion recover over six months.
Milestones
Week 2 to 6Splint or cast
Month 3CT confirms healing
Month 3+Unrestricted use
Month 6Grip and motion back
Scaphoid Fracture Repair
Risks and Considerations
The main risk is failure to heal, higher with nonunions, smoking and proximal pole fractures.Hardware prominence, stiffness and arthritis over time are others.Untreated nonunion leads to predictable wrist arthritis, which is why we recommend fixing it.
Scaphoid Fracture Repair
Your Surgeons
Dr. Johnson, Dr. Frazier and Dr. Peterson perform this procedure at Utah Valley Hospital, Orem Community Hospital, American Fork Hospital and Mountain View Hospital.
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.
