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Some fractures of the distal radius can be managed without surgery. Simple fractures with minimal displacement can be treated with immobilization in a cast. Fractures with a moderate degree of displacement that are not highly fragmented and unstable can be treated with initial manipulation to correct the displacement and then application of a cast. The usual time course for casting is somewhere between four to six weeks, depending on the pattern of the fracture, the patient’s age and underlying medical conditions, and their bone stability. After the cast is removed, there’s usually a certain amount of stiffness encountered from healing and scar formation. And therefore, hand therapy and physical therapy are prescribed in order to help mobilize the soft tissues and get people back to activity as quickly and predictably as possible. Your doctor will likely refer you to a therapist starting shortly after the cast is removed, and that therapy usually lasts for somewhere between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on how much stiffness there is and how quickly you’re able to regain function. Seeing a therapist is essential in patients who have excessive stiffness in order to restore function to their wrist and their hand.
