 [ Symptoms ] broken or sprained wrist i tripped and fell i do not know if my wrist is broken or sprained it does not hurt much if i leave it resting on my leg or even typing this but if i try to carry something like my laptop or notebook which i usually do with no problem it hurts badly also i can move it left to right with minor pain but up and down causes the same pain as holding something also i can move my thumb pretty well with barely any pain is it broken or sprained [ Disease ] the only way to make a determination if you have a sprain or a fracture is to have an x ray of your wrist there are not home self exams that could rule out a fracture simply based on symptoms you will need to see a medical provider there are many degrees of fractures and sprains and you can actually have both so an x ray is needed to offer a definitive answer