Wrist Fracture Surgery

During surgery, metal implants—such as screws and wires—are used to hold the scaphoid in place until the bone is fully healed.

Where your doctor makes the surgical incision, and how large it is depends on what part of the scaphoid is broken. The incision may be on the front or the back of the wrist.

Sometimes, the screw or wire can be placed in bone fragments with a small incision. In other cases, a larger incision is needed to ensure that the fragments of the scaphoid line up properly.

In cases where the bone is in more than two pieces, a bone graft may be needed to aid in healing.

A bone graft is new bone that is placed around the broken bone and is used to stimulate bone healing. It increases bone production and helps broken bones heal together into a solid bone.

This graft may be taken from your forearm bone in the same arm or, less frequently, from your hip.