The most common type of wrist break is a scaphoid fracture. The scaphoid, or navicular bone, is a particularly small bone located in one of the wrist bones near to the thumb. As the bone is surrounded by articular cartilage it makes it particularly difficult to heal. A process known as bone infarction may cause the bone to crumble, destroying the wrist, if blood flow is lost to the scaphoid bone.

To break this bone takes quite an extensive force as it is well protected by cartilage, but heavy falls or violent blows to the wrist can cause the fracture. Usually the patient falls onto their hand and the fracture occurs when they extend their hand on impact. Those who play sports such as rugby and basketball are more likely to receive the injury. It is also interesting to note that men are ten times more likely to suffer from a scaphoid fracture than women. As the bone is hidden inside the ball of the wrist joint it is difficult to determine whether a scaphoid fracture is present, and it may not be detected in the first few weeks by an X-Ray.

Symptoms include pain at the base of the thumb, or the indented area of the hand known as the "anatomical snuffbox". Any kind of wrist motion, such as gripping, is painful. Swelling will usually occur at the back of the wrist and the area below the thumb.

Treatment of scaphoid wrist fractures will depend on the type of fracture, whether there is any associated ligament damage, and the severity of this ligament damage. Also considered by doctors will be the location of the fracture, since some parts of the bone statistically will heal better in a cast than others.

The intention of medical experts will be to heal the bone as soon as possible. Working jointly with a hand or wrist surgeon will ensure that the wrist is restored to full function, despite a scaphoid fracture being a complicated break.