Sprained Wrist: Symptoms, Causes & PT Treatment
Updated October 20261 minute read
A wrist sprain is a stretch or tear of the wrist ligaments, usually after a fall onto an outstretched hand. It causes pain, swelling, and reduced motion. Most sprains heal well with relative rest, then progressive motion and strengthening. The key safety point: a fall with tenderness right at the base of the thumb (the "anatomical snuffbox") needs an X-ray, because a scaphoid fracture can be missed and cause long-term problems if untreated.
What is a wrist sprain?
A wrist sprain is ligament injury from the wrist being forced beyond its normal range, classically when you catch a fall with your hand.
Symptoms
Common features are wrist pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness, and pain with weight-bearing (like push-ups) or gripping. Severity ranges from mild to a more significant ligament tear.
What causes it / risk factors
Falls onto an outstretched hand, sports impacts, and sudden loading are the usual causes.
How it's diagnosed
A clinician examines the ligaments and checks for bony tenderness; an X-ray is ordered when a fracture is possible (for example, snuffbox tenderness).
Physical therapy treatment
What a PT does. Your therapist confirms it's a sprain (not a fracture), controls early swelling, and restores motion, then strength. Exercises & progression (overview). Early protected motion, progressive wrist and grip strengthening, and graded return to weight-bearing and sport. Recovery timeline. Mild sprains often improve in 2–6 weeks; more significant ones take longer.
Treatment options compared
Relative rest and progressive PT are first-line. Bracing supports early recovery. A confirmed fracture (like the scaphoid) needs medical management.
Red flags
Seek prompt care / X-ray for snuffbox tenderness after a fall (possible scaphoid fracture), deformity, inability to move the wrist, or numbness/cold fingers.
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Frequently asked questions
Tenderness at the base of the thumb after a fall warrants an X-ray — scaphoid fractures are easy to miss.
Sources (5)
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Wrist Sprains. — AAOS OrthoInfo
- Hayat Z, Varacallo MA. Scaphoid Wrist Fracture. StatPearls. 2023. — StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf)
- MedlinePlus: Wrist Injuries and Disorders. — NIH/MedlinePlus
- Mallee WH, et al. Computed tomography versus magnetic resonance imaging versus bone scintigraphy for clinically suspected scaphoid fractures in patients with negative plain radiographs. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015. — Cochrane
- MedlinePlus: Sprains and Strains. — MedlinePlus
This article is for education only and isn't medical advice. Always talk to a licensed clinician about your specific situation.