What happens if my scaphoid bone does not heal?
When a scaphoid fracture fails to heal, the patient may initially get better for a while until the pieces of broken bone, which are loose inside the wrist joint, cause a deterioration of the wrist joint called traumatic arthritis. In this condition, the joint becomes painful and stiff, decreases grip strength and limits a person’s ability to carry out even moderate activities. The time required for the arthritis to develop is variable depending upon how heavily the wrist is being used. Traumatic arthritis is different from rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. This process only occurs in the injured joint and does not spread to other joints if the body.
