How long does a capitate fracture take to heal?

Nondisplaced triquetral body fractures and dorsal chip fractures require an average of 4 to 6 weeks to heal when immobilized appropriately. Displaced fractures of the triquetrum and avulsion fractures typically require surgical intervention and a longer time for healing.

Can you dislocate your capitate bone?

Dislocation of the capitate is called a perilunate dislocation. Perilunate dislocations are more common than lunate dislocations. These dislocations result from great force that causes the wrist to bend backward, usually a fall on an outstretched hand or an injury in a car crash.

How is Perilunate dislocation treated?

The treatment choices for perilunate and lunate dislocations are closed reduction and casting, open reduction-internal fixation-ligament repair, trapeziolunate external fixation, limited wrist arthrodesis and proximal row carpectomy.

What is capitate subluxation?

Capitate subluxation is most commonly associated with instability at the scapholunate articulation (see scaphoid shift test, p. 119), usually resulting from a fall on an outstretched hand.

Can you still move your hand if it’s broken?

If you think you might have a broken hand, see a doctor immediately, especially if you have numbness, swelling or trouble moving your fingers. A delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to poor healing, decreased range of motion and decreased grip strength.

What does a hamate fracture feel like?

The most common symptom of a fracture of the hook of the hamate is pain. Swelling, bruising, and weakness of grip are also common. The pain may be vague and difficult to reproduce, but should be found when an examiner presses directly on the hook of the hamate bone.

What happens if a dislocation goes untreated?

Since a dislocation means your bone is no longer where it should be, you should treat it as an emergency and seek medical attention as soon as possible. An untreated dislocation could cause damage to your ligaments, nerves, or blood vessels.

Which carpal is most commonly dislocated?

The most common carpal dislocations are the lunate, the lunate with a scaphoid fracture, and perilunate dislocation. Perilunate dislocations result from dislocation of the distal carpal row. Scaphoid fractures often accompany perilunate dislocation. Carpal dislocations can lead to chronic pain and wrist instability.

What is the difference between lunate and Perilunate dislocation?

A perilunate dislocation is disruption of the normal relationship between the lunate and capitate. A lunate dislocation is separation of the lunate from both the capitate and the radius. Perilunate and lunate dislocations result when great force is applied to a hyperextended wrist.

How do you test for lunate dislocation?

If the knuckle of the third metacarpal head is level with the knuckles of the second and fourth metacarpal heads, the sign is positive and indicative of a lunate dislocation. The patient should rest the involved forearm on the table. Then, ask the patient to extend the thumb so that these tendons become prominent.

What is carpal subluxation?

Post-traumatic palmar carpal subluxation is a form of carpal ligament instability that we could not find in any previous reports. We are reporting the cases of two patients who were followed for three years after such an injury.

Are there any known cases of capitate fractures?

In 1962, Adler and Shaftan12 reported on 48 cases of isolated capitate fractures. Of the 16 cases with known treatment, 14 were treated by immobilization and 2 by excision. Results were reported in only eight cases; five patients had a “good” result and three had a “poor” result.

Can a capitate dislocate in the opposite direction?

In most cases (97%), the capitate dislocates dorsally behind the lunate. In only 3% of cases, it dislocates in the opposite direction with a palmar dislocation of the head of the capitate (palmar perilunate dislocation or dorsal lunate dislocation).

Do you need surgery for a non displaced capitate fracture?

In general, conservative management is warranted for fractures that are non-displaced, fractures that display a high level of displacement require surgical fixation 1 . Like the scaphoid, there is a risk of avascular necrosis at the proximal pole given its poor vascularity due to a retrograde blood supply 1,2.

Can a capitate fracture cause post traumatic AVN?

Like the scaphoid, there is a tenuous blood supply to the proximal portion of the capitate, and so post-traumatic AVN can develop following a fracture. Typically capitate fractures are seen in combination with other wrist injuries,28 particularly scaphoid fractures. 29 The hamate is one of the larger carpal bones.