Wrists carry two claim-shaping quirks: they're where the body lands (so 'braced my fall' injuries concentrate here), and they house the scaphoid. The bone whose fracture is famously invisible on first X-rays and famously expensive when missed.
Reviewed August 24, 2026 · bands map to the disclosed methodologyBased on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice. Every claim is different.
| Situation | Typical multiplier | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sprain, full recovery | 1.5–2× | Conservative care, motion restored, the landing-injury baseline. |
| Fracture with surgical fixation (distal radius, scaphoid) | 3–4× | Plates or screws, casting plus therapy, measurable residual stiffness. |
| Fusion, nonunion, or CRPS | 4–5× | Permanent motion loss or a chronic pain syndrome, with earning-capacity damages for hands-dependent work. |
These bands are the same disclosed multiplier framework used across this site (methodology). Where a specific injury lands inside it is driven by documentation, permanence, and liability clarity, not by the label on the injury.
Scaphoid fractures routinely hide from initial X-rays; the standard of care for post-fall wrist pain with snuffbox tenderness is immobilization and re-imaging or MRI. Missed, the bone's poor blood supply produces nonunion and avascular necrosis, surgery-tier problems from a 'sprain' diagnosis. For your claim: report wrist pain explicitly at the first visit and push for follow-up imaging if pain persists. The gap between 'sprain, discharged' and the eventual fracture diagnosis is exactly where adjusters insert doubt, a documented pain trail closes it.
Like the hand it serves, the wrist prices on function: rotation (turning a doorknob, a screwdriver), load-bearing (lifting, pushing up from a chair), and endurance at a keyboard. Get the specific losses and their work impact into the record, with dominance noted. If the injury happened on the job, the comp schedule treats the wrist within the arm/hand framework. Run your state's numbers, and remember comp never pays the pain-and-suffering layer a third-party claim does.
Band math: (medical bills + lost wages) × 1.5–2× for a resolved sprain, 3–4× for a surgically fixed fracture, 4–5× for fusion, nonunion, or CRPS, plus earning-capacity damages where the wrist is how you work. A $16,000 distal-radius surgery with $4,000 lost wages supports roughly $60,000–$80,000 before fault adjustments.
Go back. Persistent post-fall wrist pain with a clean first X-ray is the textbook scaphoid presentation, and repeat imaging or MRI is the standard next step. For both your health and your claim, the follow-up visit is the moment that separates a documented injury from a disputed one.
Complex regional pain syndrome: a chronic pain condition that disproportionately follows wrist fractures and surgeries. A CRPS diagnosis moves a claim to the top of the band or beyond; if pain, swelling, and skin changes outlast the injury, ask about it by name.