Wrist Fractures in Athletes

A Literature Review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Wrist fractures are among the primary stress-related bone injuries in athletes, often caused by repetitive cycles of microtrauma within a short time frame. These injuries can progress from microfractures to stress fractures or even complete fractures, particularly in high-intensity sports. Furthermore, the wrist's complex anatomy makes diagnosis challenging in this joint. Therefore, prevention is crucial in sports, as injuries at this level can sideline athletes for months, significantly impacting their performance. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the types of wrist fractures in athletes and identify the categories of athletes most commonly affected by such fractures.                         METHODOLOGY: The descriptors used were: sports medicine, wrist injuries, athletic injuries, and orthopedics. A search on the PubMed platform yielded 43 articles, applying a filter for studies published within the last five years. Exclusion criteria included case reports, narrative reviews, or articles unrelated to the review's objective. This secondary filtering process aimed to select the most relevant studies for the systematic review. After this selection process, 15 articles were included for analysis. RESULTS: The epidemiology of wrist fractures showed a higher incidence in sports such as mountain biking, competitive fishing, swimming, and racket/paddle/bat sports. The study highlighted various types of injuries in these disciplines, including wrist, hand, shoulder, elbow, finger injuries, and bone stress. However, wrist fractures were identified as the most prevalent common injury across these sports, though not always the primary injury for each modality. Male athletes predominated in the data, with elite athletes exhibiting a higher injury rate due to increased workload and stress compared to amateurs. These findings can help identify high-risk areas and develop targeted prevention strategies. Recommendations include implementing appropriate training programs and using protective equipment to reduce different types of injuries across sports disciplines. CONCLUSION: Understanding the incidence, characteristics, and patterns of each injury in specific sports modalities provides essential insights for guiding prevention and ensuring athlete safety. The findings suggest strategies for effective injury prevention programs.