Volume 1, Case 13

Child With a Sprained Wrist
Radiology Cases in Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Volume 1, Case 13
Linton L. Yee, MD

A ten year old boy fell during a soccer game, injuring his right wrist. He reportedly tripped when trying to kick the ball and landed backwards on his outstretched right hand. After the patient complained of pain and swelling in the right wrist, ice was placed on his wrist and he was brought to the ED.

Exam: The right distal wrist is tender with mild swelling. There is point tenderness over the volar lateral aspect of the distal radius. There is a mild amount of loss of range of motion of the right wrist in flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. Deformity and ecchymosis are not present. No tenderness or deformities are present in the fingers, hand, mid and proximal forearm, elbow, humerus, shoulder, or clavicle. Full range of motion is present in the hand, elbow, and shoulder. There is no tenderness in the anatomic snuff box. Radiographs of the right wrist are taken.

View of wrist.

Wrist

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Loren Yamamoto, MD, MPH 
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
loreny@hawaii.edu