Ever since I severely sprained my wrist, I've been worried about the long term consequences to my wrist joint. Should I be?
Any kind of injury to the wrist joint can alter how the joint works. After a wrist injury, ligament damage may result in an unstable joint. Any time an injury changes the way the joint moves, even if the change is very subtle, the forces on the articular cartilage increase. It's just like a machine--if the mechanism is out of balance, it wears out faster.
Over many years, this imbalance in joint mechanics can damage the articular cartilage. Since articular cartilage cannot heal itself very well, the damage adds up. Finally, the joint can no longer compensate for the damage, and the wrist begins to hurt. Like other joint injuries, it is possible the altered joint will develop osteoarthritis.
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