Carpal fractures in athletes excluding the scaphoid.

A wide range of hand and wrist injuries occur in today's recreational and elite athletes and account for 3% to 9% of all sports injuries. The onus is on the physician to discriminate between injuries that can be managed with an early return to sport, and those injuries that place the athlete at risk of further injury if they are not managed aggressively from the outset. The physician and the athlete must understand the balance between safe, early return to sport, and prompt surgical treatment that prevents late disability.