Wrist Dislocations
A dislocated wrist needs careful rehabilitation. Staged treatment to restore movement, strength and confidence, whether managed without surgery or after it.
- Certified Hand Therapist (CHT)
- Consultant Hand Therapist
- Hand, wrist & upper limb specialist
What are Wrist Dislocations?
Wrist dislocations are serious injuries in which one or more of the carpal bones are displaced from their normal position within the wrist joint. They typically result from high-energy trauma and are often associated with ligament tears, fractures and nerve or blood vessel injuries.
Wrist dislocations are frequently missed on initial X-ray assessment, leading to delayed diagnosis and worse outcomes. They require urgent specialist management, usually surgical, to restore normal carpal alignment. Specialist Hand Therapy is essential following reduction +/- fixation to restore wrist stability, movement and strength. Hand Therapy rehabiliation aims to prevent long-term dysfunction.
What you might notice
- Severe wrist pain and swelling immediately following injury
- Gross deformity of the wrist
- Significant restriction of wrist movement
- Numbness and tingling in the fingers
- Weakness of grip following reduction
- Wrist instability and reduced load tolerance during rehabilitation
Why it happens
- High-energy falls onto an outstretched hand: the most common mechanism
- Road traffic accidents and sporting collisions
- Industrial injuries and crush mechanisms
How it's treated
After a thorough assessment, a personalised treatment plan is built around your needs and goals.
Following closed or open reduction of the dislocation, Ms Razo provides custom, protective orthoses to maintain the wrist in the optimal position during ligament healing. Splinting is coordinated with the treating surgeon and adapted as rehabilitation progresses.
Once the wrist is sufficiently stable, a carefully graded mobilisation programme is initiated to restore forarm and wrist range of movement. The programme is designed to regain movement without compromising healing ligaments or surgical fixation.
Most significant wrist dislocations require surgical stabilisation with Kirschner wires (K-wires), ligament repair or carpal fusion. Ms Razo provides specialist post-operative rehabilitation from the earliest stage, following the surgeon's protocol and adapting the programme to the patient's progress.
Progressive upper limb, grip, and pinch is introduced as healing allows. Functional rehabilitation targets return to work, sport and daily activities. Residual instability or the development of post-traumatic wrist arthritis are monitored on an ongoing basis.
Common questions
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Most significant wrist dislocations, require surgical stabilisation to restore and maintain normal carpal alignment. Closed reduction under anaesthesia may be attempted first, but open reduction and internal fixation is frequently necessary to address associated ligament injuries and achieve stable reduction.
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Recovery from a significant wrist dislocation is prolonged. Wrist immobilisation is required immediately for a number of weeks. Full rehabilitation can last a further number of months.
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Yes. Carpal dislocations are among the most commonly missed injuries in emergency medicine. They can appear subtle on poorly positioned X-rays, and their severity is frequently underestimated. If you have ongoing wrist symptoms following a significant wrist injury that has been dismissed as a 'sprain', specialist assessment with further imaging is strongly recommended.
Related wrist conditions
Clinically reviewed by Ms Michelle Razo CHT · May 2026