Broken wrist and
hand fractures in Rockhampton
Most broken wrists, hands and fingers heal well in a cast or splint. Some need the bone put back into line or held with an implant, and a few — like a scaphoid fracture — are easy to miss and need prompt treatment to heal. Patients are seen at Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton from across Central Queensland.
When to go to the emergency department
Go to the emergency department the same day if:
- The skin is broken over the injury, or bone is showing.
- The wrist, hand or finger is obviously deformed.
- The hand or fingers turn pale, cold, white or blue.
- You suddenly lose feeling or movement in the hand or fingers.
Otherwise, a suspected scaphoid fracture or a significantly displaced hand or wrist fracture should be seen within 48 hours. GPs can phone the practice on 07 4863 6556 to arrange same-day surgeon review; the full urgency triage is on the referrer page.
The breaks we treat
"Broken wrist" and "broken hand" cover several different injuries, each with its own risks and its own best treatment. Which bone is broken, whether the pieces have shifted, and whether a joint surface is involved are what decide between a cast and an operation.
-
Broken wrist (distal radius fracture)
A break in the end of the radius, the larger forearm bone, just above the wrist — usually from a fall onto an outstretched hand, and one of the most common broken bones. Many breaks are stable or only slightly out of place and do well in a splint or cast while the bone knits; if the pieces have shifted they can often be eased back into line under local anaesthetic first. Breaks that are badly displaced, unstable, or involve the joint surface are commonly fixed with a plate on the palm side of the wrist.
-
Scaphoid fracture
A break in the small bone at the thumb side of the wrist, again usually from a fall onto the hand. It is easy to mistake for a sprain, and up to 30–40% do not show on the first X-rays, so tenderness in the hollow at the base of the thumb after a fall is treated as a possible fracture until proven otherwise. The bone has an unusual blood supply, which is why it heals slowly and why prompt treatment matters: fractures treated within four weeks of injury knit more reliably. Stable breaks are treated in a cast; displaced or slow-to-heal breaks are fixed with a buried compression screw.
-
Other wrist bone fractures
Breaks of the other small carpal bones — including the hook of the hamate, a common injury in golf and bat or racquet sports, where the handle presses hard into the palm. These are often subtle on plain X-ray and may need a CT scan to see. Treatment depends on which bone is broken and whether the break has shifted.
-
Broken hand (metacarpal fracture)
A break in one of the long bones of the palm, including the common boxer's fracture at the base of the little finger. The hand tolerates some angulation well; what it does not tolerate is twist. Even a small rotation at the break makes a finger swing across its neighbour when you make a fist — which is why the look of your fist matters more than the X-ray, and a rotated finger is the commonest reason to fix the bone.
-
Broken finger (phalangeal fracture)
Some broken fingers heal well without an operation and others need fixing soon after the injury, so prompt assessment matters. Many finger fractures join within about four weeks and most between five and nine; the finger usually takes longer to feel normal than the bone takes to heal, and hand therapy at the right stage is what restores bending and straightening.
-
Broken and dislocated middle knuckle
A fracture-dislocation of the PIP joint — the middle knuckle of the finger — where the joint surface breaks and slips out of line, usually when a ball or a fall forces the finger backwards. Because the joint surface itself is involved, getting it back into line early is what protects movement in that knuckle.
-
A fracture that has healed out of line
Sometimes a wrist fracture heals solidly but in the wrong shape — a malunion — so the joint surfaces load unevenly, causing pain, stiffness or weakness months or years later. Where the malunion itself is driving the symptoms, a corrective osteotomy can realign the bone.
From cast to surgery
Bone heals by knitting, and that needs the broken pieces held still. Treatment is chosen to hold them in a good position for as long as healing takes:
- Splint or cast. For stable breaks, or those only slightly out of place — the wrist or finger is held still while the bone knits, with repeat X-rays to confirm it stays in position.
- Putting the bone back into line. Where the pieces have shifted, they can often be eased back into position under local anaesthetic and then held in a cast.
- Surgical fixation. For breaks that are badly displaced, unstable, involve a joint surface, or leave a finger rotated — a plate, screw or wires hold the bone while it heals and usually allow earlier movement.
- Hand therapy. Throughout, to control swelling and restore movement and grip. Stiffness usually takes longer to settle than the bone takes to heal.
How a fracture consult works
Bring your referral and any X-rays or scans. The consult reviews how the injury happened, examines the hand and wrist — including the rotation check when you make a fist, and the hollow at the base of the thumb where scaphoid fractures hide — and goes through the imaging with you. It ends with a clear plan: cast or splint, further imaging, or surgery, with the timing that injury needs, written for your GP.
Hand therapy is coordinated on-site through Ruby Doolan's practice (Extend Rehabilitation), which keeps splinting and post-injury or post-operative therapy in one place. Fees, Medicare rebates and the quote process are on the fees page. Not sure it is a fracture at all? The wrist pain and hand pain guides triage the common causes.
Across Central Queensland
Patients are seen for hand and wrist fractures from Rockhampton and the wider region. Drive time and scheduling notes are on each catchment page:
Patient questions we hear most
-
Does a broken wrist always need surgery?
No. Many wrist fractures are stable or only slightly out of place and heal well in a splint or cast while the bone knits. If the pieces have shifted they can often be eased back into line under local anaesthetic and then held in a cast. Surgery is recommended when a break is badly displaced, unstable, involves the joint surface, or slips out of position in the cast — and the decision takes into account your age, your work and what you need the wrist to do.
-
How quickly should a broken wrist or hand be seen by a specialist?
Go to the emergency department the same day if the skin is broken over the injury, bone is showing, the wrist or finger is obviously deformed, or the hand or fingers turn pale, cold, white or blue or lose feeling. Otherwise, a suspected scaphoid fracture, or a significantly displaced or open hand or wrist injury, should be seen by a specialist within 48 hours — a GP can phone the practice on 07 4863 6556 to arrange same-day review. A fracture that is not settling with a cast or splint should be referred within one to two weeks.
-
Can a scaphoid fracture be missed on an X-ray?
Yes. Up to 30–40% of scaphoid fractures do not show on the first X-rays, and the swelling can be slight enough to pass for a sprain. If you have tenderness in the hollow at the base of the thumb after a fall, the wrist is usually protected in a splint and re-imaged, or a scan is arranged to confirm or exclude a fracture. Treating within four weeks of injury gives the bone the best chance of knitting.
-
How long does a broken wrist or finger take to heal?
Bone heals by knitting, and that needs the pieces held still — in a cast or splint, or with an implant. Many finger fractures join within about four weeks and most between five and nine weeks. Wrist fractures are protected for several weeks while the bone knits. In both, the stiffness and swelling take longer to settle than the bone takes to heal, which is why hand therapy is part of the treatment, not an optional extra.
-
My wrist fracture has healed but it is still painful — what can be done?
Persistent pain, stiffness or weakness after a wrist fracture can come from the bone healing in a poor position (a malunion), from injury to the ligaments or the joint between the forearm bones at the time of the fall, or from a scaphoid fracture that never healed. These are worth assessing: a malunion can be corrected with an osteotomy that realigns the bone, and an unhealed scaphoid can be fixed or grafted. A GP referral with your X-rays is the starting point.
-
Do I need a referral?
A GP referral is needed for a Medicare rebate, and most fracture patients are referred by their GP or the emergency department. Bring the referral and any X-rays or scans you have had. GPs can find the urgency triage and referral pathway on the referrer page.
Speak to the practice
about your fracture
Most patients are referred by their GP or the emergency department. Bring the referral and any imaging you have already had — the practice handles the rest.
