Men\'s Health Australia - 11.2018

November 2018 127

TOP THREAT:
SCAPHOID FRACTURE^

What it is:
A break in the scaphoid
bone, one of eight small
carpal bones in the wrist.
(Stick out your thumb
hitchhiker style: the
scaphoid is under that little
divot at the base of your
thumb.) Scaphoid breaks
account for about 70 per
cent of carpal fractures.

Cause:

Usually falling palm down on

an outstretched hand – an

injury that often occurs in

young men.

Treatment:
A cast or splint that
immobilises the thumb for
about six weeks can treat
most fractures, especially
close to the thumb, where
there’s good blood

circulation. If bones are

displaced, aren’t healing, or

show signs of decay due to

poor blood supply, you may

need surgery to align them

and hold them in place with

screws, pins or wires. After

undergoing surgery on both

wrists, US Open tennis

champion Juan Martin del

Potro has fought his way

back into the world Top 5.

Defence:

If you don’t want to quit the

sports most likely to break

wrists – football, soccer,

skiing, snowboarding – wear

wrist guards and/or learn

to tuck and roll.

Future-Proof Your Wrist s:

A triangular fibrocartilage

complex (TFCC) tear entails

damage to the cartilage on

the pinkie-finger side of the

wrist that supports and

cushions the carpal bones.

•ELLIPSOID

In a modified

ball-and-socket,

the rounded end

of one bone (or

multiple bones)

moves against

a shallow,

elliptical cavity

in another,

allowing a wide

range of movement.

WRIST

TYPE OF JOINT:

Ellipsoid

The wrist’s collection of bones, ligaments,

tendons and cartilage forms the body’s

most complex joint. Because it’s not weight-

bearing, it’ll likely provide problem-free

mobility for a lifetime – unless you injure it.

BROOKS KOEPKA HAD BEEN SIDELINED

BY A TORN TENDON IN HIS LEFT WRIST

BEFORE IGNITING TO WIN TWO MAJOR

CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR.

TFCC tears cause pain near

the pinkie, especially when

bending the wrist from side

to side. As with a scaphoid

fracture, it can stem from

falling on an outstretched

hand (or violently twisting

the wrist). Another cause:

the sudden binding of a

power-drill bit that spins

the drill while it’s in your

grip. Protect yourself by

upgrading to a drill with

a torque grip that lets you

grab two handles for

improved control.

Watch Out!

If an X-ray doesn’t show a

scaphoid fracture

immediately, wait. Small

breaks often don’t appear

until 10-14 days after injury,

when poor blood supply

causes bone decay that’s

more visible on a scan.

Wrist still hurting after two

weeks? X-ray it again.

DIY R EPAIR

THE BEST JOINT REPAIRS ARE THE BODY’S OWN. “TISSUES NATURALLY REPLICATE AND, THROUGH

HEALING, GET BETTER OVER TIME,” SAYS DR DARRYL D’LIMA. THAT’S WHY RESEARCHERS ARE

STUDYING WAYS TO BOOST THE BODY’S SELF-REPAIR WITH TECHNIQUES LIKE THESE:

1

PLATELET-RICH

PLASMA

Platelets in blood plasma contain

proteins called growth factors that

promote healing. In PRP therapy,

your doc draws your blood, spins

it to separate and concentrate the

platelets, and injects the

preparation into a joint. Studies

suggest it’s most effective for

chronic tendon injuries, especially

tennis elbow, but research hasn’t

conclusively shown it’s better than

existing treatments.

2

STEM

CELLS

Stem cells harvested from bone

marrow (new research is looking

into extracting them from fat)

have the potential to grow into

other types of cells. Once

programmed in the lab, they’re

put into a joint to grow new

tissues like cartilage and ligament.

The therapy has shown promise in

animal studies, and some clinics

offer it for osteoarthritis. “But the

jury is still out,” says D’Lima.

3

CARTILAGE

IMPLANTS

US authorities recently approved

a procedure called autologous

chondrocyte implantation (ACI)

that helps heal damaged cartilage

in people without osteoarthritis. A

surgeon first extracts one or two

small samples of cartilage from

your knee in the non-weight-

bearing zones. These are

processed in a lab, and the cells

are placed back into the knee

during a second operation.



ENHANCED

ACL REPAIR

In a new technique, a scaffold

loaded with a patient’s blood is

placed between the ends of a torn

ACL before they’re sutured. Called

bridge-enhanced ACL repair, or

BEAR, it stimulates healing in the

ligament and doesn’t require a

graft from elsewhere in the body.

“Good preliminary results,” says

Dr Brian Sennett.

ROCK THE JOINT