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Review
. 2017 Mar;10(1):38-44.
doi: 10.1007/s12178-017-9382-y.

Scaphoid fractures in the athlete

Mark J Winston  1 , Andrew J Weiland  2
Affiliations
Review

Scaphoid fractures in the athlete

Mark J Winston et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Scaphoid fractures are a common wrist injury, especially in athletes. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for a scaphoid fracture in any patient complaining of radial-sided wrist pain after a fall on an outstretched hand. Advanced imaging, including CT and MRI scans, may be useful in diagnosis and classification of fracture patterns. Treatment varies based on the fracture location, stability of the fracture, and predictability of the fracture to heal. Treatment involves either non-operative management with a thumb spica cast or brace, or operative fixation with a headless compression screw, k-wires, or scaphoid-specific plates. Return to play is dependent on many variables, including sport, fracture union, and ability to play with cast.

Keywords: Athlete; Scaphoid fracture.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

Mark J. Winston declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Andrew J. Weiland reports personal fees from Medartis and Arthrex, outside of the submitted work.

Human and animal rights and informed consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Russe classification of scaphoid fractures. Reprinted with permission from Haisman JM, Rohde RS, Weiland AJ. Acute Fractures of the Scaphoid. An Instructional Course Lecture. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Vol 88-A. No 12. Dec 2006
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Herbert classification of scaphoid fractures. Reprinted with permission from Haisman JM, Rohde RS, Weiland AJ. Acute Fractures of the Scaphoid. An Instructional Course Lecture. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Vol 88-A. No 12. Dec 2006
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a 17-year-old female presented to primary care physician after falling on outstretched left hand during volleyball match. Radiographs read as negative and no treatment initiated. b Patient return to clinic 1 month later with continued wrist pain. MRI ordered which reveals subacute proximal pole fracture. c Repeat radiographs in orthopedic office reveal displaced proximal pole scaphoid fracture. d Internal fixation with headless compression screw. e CT scan at 10 weeks reveals fracture union. Patient cleared for all sporting activities following confirmation of healed fracture
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
a A 23-year-old soccer player who fell on left wrist and sustained a non-displaced scaphoid waste fracture. b Internal fixation with headless compression screw. Patient returned to play 1 week after surgery with short arm thumb spica during competition. c CT scan at 7 weeks post op shows union across fracture
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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