Can you tell the difference between a sprain and a break in the wrist an xray?

In x-rays, a break will generally show as an interruption in the cortex of the bone, with displacement or not.

A sprain generally indicates an injury to soft tissues such as ligaments, fascia or tendon, which does not show up on x-ray. Occasionally, a severe sprain may be associated with an avulsion fracture where a ligament actually pulls at its attachment to bone and "avulses". Would you like to video or text chat with me?