Broken Wrists
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Why did I remember to make such a hub?
The main reason was the fact that, during a mountain bike trip to the French Alps in July 2007, I had a big fall from a second floor balcony (no, unfortunately it was not a bike crash!). I´ve had broken both wrists, the scaphoid bone from my right hand and also some bones from my face.
Yes, it was quite a very big tumble! In fact I supose I´m lucky to still be alive!
What is a broken wrist?
When someone falls on their outstretched hand, and the wrist suffer a big impact against some hard surface, they sometimes get a "broken wrist."
The bone that is most commonly broken is called the radius.The end toward the wrist is called the distal end. The medical term for "broken bone" is fracture. Therefore, the medical term for the most common type of "broken wrist" is a distal radius fracture (in other words, the larger forearm bone is broken near the wrist).
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The scaphoid bone:
The scaphoid bone (also called the navicular bone) is one of eight carpal (wrist) bones. These small bones are the ones responsible for all the complexity and delicate movements of our hands. The carpal bones are located between the forearm and hand bones.
Before my first surgery X-rays
The scaphoid sits below the thumb, and is shaped something like a kidney bean.
The most important thing about the scaphoid bone is that it has a retrograde blood supply. This means that the blood flow originates in small vessel that enters the most distant part of the bone and flows back through the bone to give nutrition to the bone cells.
The pattern of blood supply in the scaphoid presents a problem when one sustain a scaphoid fracture. Due to the tenuous blood supply, a scaphoid fracture can sever this blood flow and stop the delivery of necessary oxygen and nutrients to the bone cells.
When this occurs, healing can be slow, and the scaphoid fracture may not heal at all.
Symptoms of a scaphoid fracture:
The symptoms of this kind of fracture are pain on the thumb side of the wrist, swelling in that area, and difficulty gripping objects. Many patients are diagnosed with a wrist sprain, when in actuality they have a broken scaphoid bone. The diagnosis is difficult because x-rays taken right after the injury may show no abnormality.
It was not a problem in my case due to the severity of the injuries. Even today after more than six months I still have pains in my right thumb whenever I grab something.
After the fall...
I had to get up by myself and go upstairs to the second floor from where I had fallen. I still don´t know where I found the strength to search for my friends help, I guess it was my love for life! Finally when I reached my friends they called for the paramedics and I was taken to the hospital right away.
Due to the severity of the bones fractures and misalignment I´ve had to be operated on right after arriving to the hospital. During this first surgery, doctors fixed both my wrists with titanium plates, screws and in the right wrist they also put an external fixation. This external equipment was applied to both the radio and forefinger bones by four screws, two in each bone.
Animated wrist fracture repair surgery
X-rays after the first surgery
The external fixation was removed after 2 months after the operation. I started physiotherapy every day at this point and immediately I am seeing good results.
A broken wrist is among the most common broken bones. In fact, wrist fractures are the most commonly broken bone in patients under 65 years of age. It´s also true that this kind of fractures sometimes can save lives, as it was in my case!
Right wrist X-rays after removing the external fixation
It only last about a week before I went to hospital again. This time to have the little spike removed because it was starting to went through my skin. Both at this time and when they remove the external fixator I had no anaesthetic agent to relief the pain. At this time I was starting to learn how to enjoy pain sensation LOL!
After removing the spike
What Can I Expect After my Bone Has Healed?
Everyone wants to know, "Can I return to all my former activities, and when?" This is a great question which also seems rather simple and straightforward, but the answer is complex. Most patients do return to all of their former activities, but what will happen in your case depends on the nature of your injury, the kind of treatment you and your surgeon decide upon, and how your body responds to the treatment. You will need to discuss your case with your doctor for the specifics of your case, but some generalizations can be made.
- Most patients have their cast taken off at about six weeks.
- Most patients will start physiotherapy, if their doctor feels it is needed, within a few days or weeks after surgery, or right after the last cast is taken off.
- Most patients will be able to resume light activities such as swimming or workout the lower body in the gym within a month or two after the cast is taken off, or after surgery.
- Most patients can resume vigorous physical activities, such as skiing or football, between three and six months after the injury.
- Almost all patients will have some stiffness in the wrist, which will generally diminish in the month or two after the cast is taken off or after surgery, and will continue to improve for at least two years.
- One should expect your recovery to take at least a year. One will still feel some pain with vigorous activities for about that long. Some residual stiffness or aches are to be expected for two years or possibly permanently, especially for high impact injuries (such as motorcycle crashes, etc.), in patients over 50, or in patients who have some osteoarthritis. However, the good news is that the stiffness is usually minor and may not affect the overall function of the arm.
Remember, these are general guidelines and may not apply to you and your fracture. Ask your doctor for specifics in your case. Your doctor knows that returning to activities is important to you.
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Conclusion so far
In my case and almost 7 months after the accident which occurred in the end of July, I had to be operated on again to remove the titanium plates from both wrists and to get my right one fixated with a new thin titanium plate to impede any movement. In order to allow the right hand to rotate they also cut the distal end from my right cubitus bone.
X-ray from right wrist after the last surgery
To be continued...
It has been very difficult not been able to work, hand write, ride my bikes and most of all doing the normal everyday tasks. One only value things when one lose them.
If you ask me, I feel like I´ve born again with everything to learn!
About my face injuries I´ll make an all new hub!
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Comments
You´re right! We always have to look at the god things instead of only think on the bad ones.
I´m glad to be here reading and writing hubs with so many interesting people!
Yes, and you have made your injury the basis for this hub, to help people with info! Great going, Funride!
Well done Hub! Knock on wood, I've never broken anything except a couple of ribs from a fall off a ladder while removing leaves from a gutter. Good luck with your next operation and a speedy recovery.
Ooh, I have the same plate in my wrist after falling off my mountain bike -_-* At least I can see which bones I broke :P
Havent broken anything so far, but the clock is now ticking! (after reading the thread)
Great read and article! thumbs up
Thoog.
Great articles , I had double fracture on my ankle and the main bone , tibula , when I was smaller dont evan want to remember walking in crouches and not to forget the cast , hopefully i was ok after six long months , now I have no problems ! Great stuff on this hub ! I must give you my x-rays to post them :))) Good luck !
Excellent hub. Pity about the voiceover on the simulated repair video. (for me, it breaks up - does that happen for everyone?).
I cracked a femur in a car crash many years ago. They inserted a titanium tube known as a G-K Nail, hammering it in from the hip end and driving in a couple of screws at the knee end to hold the bone segments together. Went through airport security, and nothing would stop the 'beep'. In the end they decided it must be the eyelets on my boots. It was six months before I remembered that I had a chunk of metal in my upper leg, and that was what was causing the beep. (:=>
Thank you all for the kind comments.
You´re right chabrenas the video it´s not perfect (voiceover and have some breaks) but it was the only one I found, sorry.
I´ll be operated again next month and after it I will update this hub.
Broken wrist's eh! Surgery is the key. along with physiotherapy. I have broken my toes loads. the only thing I hate is the pain.
Sorry to hear about this, you give a lot of good information here on a break. Thank you for sharing and hope that your recovery speeds up.
Cleanclover - Thanks for your comment, you´re right about surgery! I´m still waiting for mine.
Jewel - Thank you I´m glad you find it informative.
wow I never realized how many bones we really have in our wrists and hands. I can't even begin to imagine how that must have been and still is. I broke my shoulder in 3 places from tripping over a throw rug tho...and they do nothing for it...just a small brace and theraphy...It took a year to get almost better..still can't hook my bra in the back..so had to go to front hooked..ha ha ha sure you wanted to know that heh? A very good hub and best of everything coming up my dear G-Ma :O) hugs
Thank you dearest G-Ma. My shoulders were also injured but thankfully not broken and after this 6 months of theraphy they are much better (still can´t hook it in my back either ;) but that´s no problem for me eheheh). My advise for you is to keep on exercising your arms and shoulders so you can hook it in the back soon ;)
Oh, that's terrible! I hope to never break a bone. I don't want to go through what you did.
Hi dear Trisha, thank you for your comment. It wasn´t all that bad - it could be worst! A couple weeks after the accident I realise that I could have die with that tumble :/
I really hope that nothing bad happens to you ever! Take care.
Very well researched and well written hub. But really...OUCH! I broke my elbow once. Both bones dislocated, and I had to have surgery and pins hold it together now. I'll have to have the pins removed soon, because one has worked its way loose and is scraping a tendon. More fun in the surgical arena.
The moral of this story is, don't mess around on a second floor balcony unless you're the Bionic Man.
You´re right dafla. Some times we only see the danger when he collide with us, thankfully I don´t remember anything about the fall. BTW I´m going to have some more surgical "fun" next monday :/
I wish everything goes well with your elbow ;)
Great info about broken wrists, funride. I like your attitude a lot - being able to see the bright side of things. That takes a lot of courage and a GOOD MINDSET LOL (That's 125% in MR.M Puzzle game). Anyhow, just curious, how open are you to receiving distant healing? I'm having this urge to do that for you. Surgeries help I'm certain. What I will do is help accelerate your healing. :-) Well, if ever you would like that, just tell me. If not, I respect that as well.
You take care.
Thank you for your kind comment ripplemaker. This is the first time I come to HP after the surgery and I already can type with my left hand again :) I realise now that your distant healing is already helping my recovery, thank you so much for that!
I missed this one.It reminds me of the accident that one of my cousins had recently.He broke his forearm, had to undergo surgery and went thru a lot of pain.I do hope you have recovered completely.Great info on the topic.
Thanks for your kind comment Abhinaya. Unfortunately I´m still not recovered completely but I already see the light in the end of the tunnel ;)
You seem to be a man full of courage and determination.My prayers are sure to put you back on feet again.God bless.
I am so glad that I found this hub. I recently broke my wrist, now I have the plate and screws, but I also have one in my ankle from a slip and fall...both incidents from slipping on ice. Needless to say, I am walking in the street to avoid the sidewalk...I feel like Sally Fields in the movie where she had the many personalities...I probably look like her when I'm trying to tell my self "WALK"
Hi brokeinthealley, I´m glad you like it. I already had my plates removed but my right wrist recieved a new one to fixate the joint and this one is for ever :(
Wish you fast and complete recovery ;)
HI funride..good to know you could type with your left hand. Okay, I will continue to do distant healing for your complete recovery. God bless. :-)
Ouch! I have had my share of crashes and falls and I think your wrist is worse then when I broke my back!!!
Thank you so much ripplemaker. Even though being a little sceptical I have to admit you´re really helping me, my true friend ;)
flyingphreak - thanks for your comment. How is your back right now? I hope you are totally recover from that.
LOL thanks for your honesty. It's okay to be skeptical. :-) I guess I have to write a hub about healing. Maybe one of these days.
Hey Funride, thanks for the Hub, I enjoyed it, but am sorry you fell and were injured.
When I was 15 years old (long time ago), a friend and I were playing tennis at the school. A couple of the balls went over the fence which was 12 feet tall with three rows of barbed wire at the top for a total of 15 feet. I climbed over and retrieved the balls and on my way back over, my shoe laces got caught in the barbed wire and I fell..... head first.... onto a concrete tennis court.
My head hit the ground first but I somehow managed to break a bone in my hand. I didn't even have a headache. My ex-wife says I am the most hard headed SOB she ever met, and I can't argue with her, lol.
To this day, that's the only broken bone I have endured, officially anyway. I am almost certain I have had my nose broken, as well as a rib or two, but never went to the doctor. Guess I am making the ex-wifes case of me being a hard headed SOB all over again, lol.
Thanks again for sharing, take care.
Hi Frank, thanks for your comment! At 15 years old we are all hard headed SOB. LOL
After 8 months since that day I´m still recovering and going to physio every day :( the good news is that I´m much better now and soon I will be able to have a normal live again :)
After going over your hub post and the photos I guess my "broken" wrist was not as bad as yours. I fell face down while dribbling the ball and my full body weight was on my left hand, palm flat on the concrete ground, forcing it to over-extend on my forearm.
Hi rbnstr08, I´m glad that your injury was not a very bad one. It´s the difference between falling when you are on the ground or falling from a second floor balcony :/
I hope your wrist has recover totally and you be able to play again soon.
You know, Ricardo, I'm not sure I feel comfortable having you as mayor in our hubpages town with your "deformity" and all.
http://hubpages.myminicity.com/
hahaha I'm kidding! But seriously I wish you well with your physio every day. Hope you can have a full recovery in the end!
LOL You probably right, being mayor has been the very single thing I´m able to do right now :D
Thank you for your kind words Pete. Right now I just want to regain my right hand functionality in order to start working again.
Oh you've been not working this whole time? Whatever will we do without you on hubpages all the time???
Nice find. Thanks for the heads up
Love your new photo... :o) my mom broke her wrist on Easter Sunday..She is 88, but did not shatter or move out of place....Still hurt though..So I came back here to re-read your story God Bless....G-Ma :o) hugs X 3
Oh G-Ma, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom injury, I really hope she gets fine soon enough. Thanks for your kindness, I was thinking about changing my hubface and I found this photo which was taken by me in 2004. Your hugs feels like real, thank you :0)
My sweetie You are more then welcome..and Thanks for your concern..I think about you often and hope you feel it...G-Ma :o) hugs X 3
Huummm! :rolleyes: Now I understand why I'm getting well so quickly since I post this hub! G-Ma Johnson and Michelle (Ripplemaker) are both doing great distant healing for for my fast recover. Thank you both so much! :0) HUGS X Millions!!!
I'm happy that you enjoyed my hubs.
Wow - broken wrists look painful and must be very inconvenient too! You have a great attitud about the whole experience, so I'm sure you'll heal quickly. Sending healing thoughts.
Thank you Pat! You are most kind and I really appreciate your words very much ;)
Sounds like you need a keeper....lol....that sux....stay away feom balconies......thay are not your friend!
LOL, now I´m already able to do almost everything by myself but until a couple of months ago I had my "angel" Claudia who took care of me while I was unable to do things. Lacy, I can assure you I´m not mad with balconies I just avoid then :D
Ouch! I broke my big toe at Karate and that hurt like crazy so you have my sympathy. How you got back up those stairs is impossible to imagine. Good luck with the healing (how do you manage to type?!)
Thank you for your kind comment Tj! Fortunately I´m able to type with my left hand. As I use to say: we have to adapt our selfs to our condition. After all this time I already learn (again lol) how to write, how to drive (thanks to my new automatic Honda Hybrid) and how to do almost everything. I guess what I have missed the most was to hold my daughter in my arms but now I´m starting to be able to do so and she´s loving it as much as I´m!
Funride, I still miss the cause of this famous fall from the second floor in France?
Also, what was the cost of all medical assistance, for 'your wallet', until now?
Ohhh, that story would give another hub :D but in a few words I can say that I had gone to a disco that night and drank a few beers, later I went home and went to sleep over the bed (I was still wearing my sneakers). My nephew stay in the balcony to rest his head and later I must have waken and sought for him. But I didn´t saw him sleeping in the living room (I was not wearing my glasses) and went to the balcony which had a little step. Well you can figure what happened next :/
I was very somnolence because I still don´t remember nothing but wake on the ground after the fall. At first I wasn´t even aware of what had happened to me.
Regarding costs, fortunately my car travel insurance paid all the expenses made in France including the hospitalization and surgery, plus the flight home. Here in Portugal I have been treated under our public health care system. That means I only paid moderated taxes and the medicinal drugs. My greatest problem has been the incapability for working until a couple weeks ago.
I broke my wrist when I was a kid, but nothing like your injury. I'm glad you got through it. Imagine Hubpages without funride- much less fun. Without sounding too preachy, all I can say is you must have some purpose left to fulfill on this earth.
Hi Angela, thanks for commenting ;)
LOL, I´m glad you enjoy my presence here and you are right, I still have the greatest role to fulfill: my daughter´s education! I guess that was one of the first things I thought after the accident and it has been helping me to get well.
This is really an amazing hub. And you are the second person I've encountered who has broken both wrists at once. I hope you are feeling much better and thank you for sharing this. It is rather fascinating and yet horrible too.
Thanks for your kind comment, getitdone ;).
I am now going on 3 months of healing from the same type of broken wrist and surgery...the pain is taking a toll on me. I thank you for sharing your insight, I thought I was all alone with such a surgery and the after affects and the healing process. My sister also broke her wrist she had a compound fracture...I emailed her your story...will check back to read about your progress and what I have to look forward to...Francine
Hi Francine, I´m sorry to hear about you and your sister´s injuries. How did it happened to both of you? The first couple of months after surgery are the most painful. Right now I only feel pain during physical therapy and it´s a "good" pain because it means I´m getting better :)
I hope you and your sister recover completely and without needing anymore surgery. I still have at least one more to go :(. My left wrist is still very rigid and it will need surgical operation to be put in proper position.
Thank you for responding to my comment. My sister broke her left wrist 9 months ago, she just put in new hardwood floors and had bootie socks on and she fell. I had my injury happen in Rota, Spain on 01/30/08. I caught the tip of my toe on a speed bump after I got out of our car, right in front of our apartment. I also hit my face, my lips, two front teeth, jaw and knee as well as my right wrist fracture. Being in a country where I do not speak any Spanish and with the first two people who came to my aid (my husband was across the street, and did not see my fall) were trying to speak to me but could not communicate with them, I am doing much better with my spanish after my fall...hee hee hee. My husband after hearing me scream out for him then took me on Base to the ER and I had to wait a week before my surgery as my hand was to swollen...Here in Rota, Spain the make a drink called Tinto's, and I did not have anything that day to drink. I am very afraid now when I do go out and walk the streets, I am working on over coming that phobia I have now. I have only had 1 Physical Therapy Session and I go next week for my 2nd Session and yes it hurts doing the Threapy, I will have to look at it the way you do, good pain as it means its getting better. I am very thankful that God was looking out for me as it could have been worst...I hit my face very hard and could have suffered brian damage, so I was blessed. My sister had to have cadaver bone placed in her wrist...I have all the same hardware as you do...have a good day!
Oh my goodness! That was a long fall, but at least subconsciously you put your hands out to stop yourself. You are lucky to be here really. Necks break, pretty hard to heal. It must be hard to write, but I guess its good physio.... good luck , speedy recovery angels sent your way.
Your right Jenn, I had my private angels with me that night. I hit the ground almost horizontally I guess if I had fallen differently I wouldn´t be here today for sure. Thank you so much for the "speedy recovery angels", they arrived well and are already working :D
I broke my left wrist by falling on dance floor a few years ago. Two years ago I was mopping the kitchen floor barefooted. This was my right wrist. The wrists look deformed and is there a way to position them right? Sometimes the wrists pains. What DR should I go to to see about this? I love to bowl and have not gone to try it out. Does anyone have a suggestion
Hi Vonnie, thanks for passing by. When you fell on your kitchen did you get your wrist immobilized? For how long? I still have that same problem with my left one, it´s very stiff and looking deformed. I´m not sure about your case but I´ll have to go on another surgery to put the bones in proper position. Any orthopedist specialized on hands injuries will be able to help you. I hope you´ll find the right DR and get well from your right wrist.
I am so happy that you are able to hold your little girl...I am looking forward to returning home to the US the end of May and holding my Grand Babies very carefully. How long does this stifness last, I wake up in the AM's and it takes me a long time to be able to bend my fingers and make a fist, and I am very sensitive to the hardware, if a pc. of cloth touches it, it sends chills down my back and aches...I am praying for you that you heal very fast...and let me know about your upcoming surgery...God Bless You...Francine
Hi Francine, thanks for returning. The stifness only gets better with physio but the sensitiveness tends to disappear in a few months, our brain gets used to it I suppose LOL. The stifness it´s mainly due to long immobilization period and it will diminish with continuous exercises. It´s really great to be able to do all those things we love once again ;) . You´re really a kind person, thank you... Ricardo
Hi Ricardo...
I was informed that I might need another surgery now to remove the plate, screws and pins...due to the pain I am in 24/7 small % of people sometimes suffer pain after the bones have healed and our very sensitive to the plate, screws and pins. I only have 38% use of right hand going tomorrow for more extensive therapy. I continue to pray for your recovery and your family...Francine
Hi Francine, I have not told you that earlier because I was not sure about it but I think it´s usual to have those plates removed after several months. In my case because of the severity of the right wrist´s fracture they have putted a definitive plaque in order to fixate it and impede any upward or downward movements. You´ll see that in time and with help from therapy you´ll recover all hand mobility ;) . I find myself doing new things everyday :).
I hope my thoughts also help you and your sister recoveries ;)
I broke both my wrigts on April 1. I had surgery and plates were put in both wrists. You learn to appreciate the little thiings you can no longer do. After 1 month i am able to do some of those things. Each task accomplished is a milestone. This article was informative for me. Now I know I'll be okay in the future. Thanks!
Hi Constance, I´m glad this hub helped you but I´m really sorry to hear about your wrist injuries. How did it happened to you? It´s true, we tend to value things only when we loose them but you´ll see that altho it´ll not be easy, in future and after lots of physical therapy you´ll be able to do (almost) everything you did before ;) . For me the worst thing during the first months was the fact that I created great expectations about fast recovery but know after 10 months I realize that it takes time and hard work to achieve it. I truly hope that you´ll recover well and fast. You´ll have my thoughts along the way :) .
working
compu-smart says:
5 months ago
Ouch! I have suffered many bone breaks too so i can relate to your story!!
If the worse did happen to both of us, then this hub would not exist AND this comment!!
Lifes good:)