The scapholunate ligament is an important ligament in the wrist. It can be injured a number of ways, including falls onto the wrist and twisting injuries. Pain in the middle of the back of the wrist after these injuries is a warning sign. At times a tear is clear from examining the wrist with particular provocative manoeuvres. X-rays and MRI scans help confirm a tear.

Some acute or new tears can be repaired. This involves surgery opening the back or dorsal wrist, putting the wrist bones back into their normal alignment with temporary metal wires, and suturing the ligament back in place.

Many tears cause more damage to the ligament and result in the ligament not being repairable. In that case a reconstruction is needed. A reconstruction usually uses a strip of tendon from around the wrist passing through tunnels in the wrist bones to become a new ligament. This is similar to an ACL or knee reconstruction.

Ligament repair or reconstruction both have a long recovery time, often 3 to 6 months. The end result is a strong wrist but often with less movement than before the injury. It is usually not possible to do push ups on a flat palm after the injury and repair/ recon.