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 have broken both wrists, the scaphoid bone from my right hand and also some bones from my face.
Yes, it was a very big tumble! In fact I suppose I am lucky to be alive after all!
That said, I can tell you that I feel like a cat after loosing his first life. I just hope I still have my other 8!
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).
Before my first surgery X-rays
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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.
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 do not 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 had to be operated 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
As planned...
The external fixation was removed 2 months after the operation. They took it without any anesthesia which made it a unforgettable moment for me. At this point I started physiotherapy daily sessions and immediately began to see 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 is 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!
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
Friedrich Nietzsche
After removing the spike
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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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Both wrist`s surgery number two
In my case and almost 7 months after the accident which occurred in the end of July 2007, 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...
Right now, after more than a year and a half, I am already able to work, hand write, ride my bikes and do most of the normal everyday tasks.
"One only value things after lose them."
If you ask me, I feel like I have born again with everything to learn! Thankfully it is much easier when it is the second time you have to learn those things.
Even though I am much better now I will still need at least two more operations, one to remove the plate from my right wrist and another one to have my left wrist arranged into its correct position. But that can only take place when I get the chance to interrupt my work.
Yes, that is right - my next vacations will be spent in hospital.
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Dr. Nelson's Broken Wrist Page
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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???
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 :) .
I just found your page. I injured my wrists in 1995 and ended up needing surgery starting in 2001. I have since had 9 surgeries...fully fusing both wrists and removing a chunk of my ulna on the left. The latest of my surgeries was last year. It ended up being dequervain's (silly tendons!) that was causing the continued pain, which was frustrating after dealing with the injury and arthritis...but now things are SO much better. My bike (a recumbent) is at the shop getting the controls all put on the right side...my friends are doing everything they can to get me outside and active, and I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
I am amazed at how many other folks are out there with double wrist fusions and feel for all of you. Other people who know how frustrating it is to try and reach something under a car seat. Fix wires behing a TV. Scratch an itch on your back. Hold someone's hand comfortably. But it does get better. Pain goes away. And life is wonderful:) (though...at times I just about screamed at people to just cut off my hands and give me some hooks!)
--Jarod
Hi Jarod, thank you so much for your words. It´s great to have your experiences here and to know that you are much better now :) . I strugle every day with those same things you told but I´m learning and adapting myself to this condition and I believe I´ll be doing (almost) everything as before. It´s always nice feeling reinforce by knowing that others also deal with the same difficulties as we. It´s great to have good friends, isn´t it? Fortunately I also have some good ones who help me almost every day. I wish you all the best and hope you´ll have great rides with your recumbent. Who knows, maybe some day we will ride together :)
Hi funride: Wow! Did you ever contemplate writing a medical book? Or maybe one on Orthopedics? What a bonebreaker you are, kiddo! Ouch, in all my healthcare experience, I never was faced with a patient who had so much trauma all at once. OUCH, THAT HURT! Hope you're healing by now and your wrists can let you type at your computer keyboard.
By the way, are you a medical doctor? M.D.? That's what it looks like to me, the way you professionally put together your "Fractured Bones" discussion could come right out (or is it "write out"?) of a medical journal. Well, bon sante' and keep writing. ciao for niao, Helen (a.k.a. Creativita) of http://hubpages.com/hub/DEADLY-HEALTHCARE and http://hubpages.com/hub/PSYCH-NEW-YORK and http://hubpages.com/hub/freelance-ad-writing
Hi Helen, thank you so much for your kind words. In fact I´m a Nutritionist so maybe my way of writing about my problem seems somehow "professional" ;). But everything I know about Orthopedics was learn after the accident so I´m not an specialist. Thankfully things are getting better and hopefully I´ll have my last surgery next September, braking was very quick but the recovery has been a long way.
Have fun!
Ugh...one of the things that has been extrememly difficult to deal with is the recurrence of issues. After getting scoped, then the Proximal Row Carpectomy (removal of the lowest row of wrist bones) I thought everything was fixed...until a month later when the pain came back like a freight train. So...fusion time (which has been awesome for the right wrist!) Then the left wrist needed attention...one thing after another gets very tiring.
A question for you Funride: Do you still have pain? How do you manage it? I am usually fine but severe storms and flying can be excruciating. I end up using Vicodin during the rough times.
Hi Jarod, thank you for passing by. How did you broke them? After almost 11 months since my accident I still have at least another surgery to go and I can understand/feel what you are saying. I guess we have similar broken wrists history. To be honest the worst pains I had were just a couple weeks after the first operation when they stop giving me morphine. Now I can´t say it doesn´t hurt but I suppose I´m getting used to it :rolleyes:. Still the daily physical therapy sessions feel like torture to me and everytime the weather is rainy I choose to take Algimate (which doesn´t take all the pain but helps a little).
Last time I talked with my surgeon I told him that I was starting to feel frustrated with all the time that has passed and he told me that he was expecting to hear that from me several months ago. There´s no easy solutions for severe wrist fractures, we have to be calm and determined to adapt ourself to our new condition.
I wish you fast and complete recovery. Keep in touch ;)
I guess that sooner or later we bike riders will take spills. However, bike riding is worth it because riding is invigorating and stimulating.
Last year at 81 years of age, I took my worse spill ever resulting in two ribs broken and a punctured lung. However, still riding today and enjoying every minute. Riding is too integrated in my life to stop now as I've been using bikes for fun and transportation since I was 5 years old.
Thank you for passing by Budwood. As I say in the beginning of this hub: "... unfortunately it was not a bike crash!" but nevertheless I also had several bike crashes but never injured myself like this time :(
I already started to ride (very carefully) my bicycles but I´m still not able to ride safely so you can understand how I fill after almost one year without riding bikes. I also have been using them since I was 5 but I´m only 34 now, so who knows, maybe I´ll be riding until 81 years old ;)
Have fun!
Hey Funride,
I injured my wrists in a fall out of a helicopter while I was in the Army. It was only from about 10 feet up, but I landed very wrong. The wrists did not heal correctly, so my wrists got osteo-arthritic after a few years.
Keep on pushing forward with your recovery!
On a side-note: I picked up a Wii Fit yesterday and found I am able to do most of the exercises...there are a couple of push-up events that don't work too well...but it is a blast! Something to keep me occupied during all the lightning and thunder we have been having for the last month.
Take care,
--Jarod
Hi Jarod, my fall was from higher but at least I don´t remember anything from that event. I guess you still "see" your accident happening which can be somehow traumatic. It´s great to know that you have been doing some exercise, for me it´s the best mental therapy. I go for a walk almost everyday after physical therapy and sometimes I do some bike spinning or go to swimming pool (my favorite) ;)
Thanks for your motivational words. I want you to know that my thoughts are also with you and never forget that after the "storm" it can only become "good weather". Better days are coming ;)
Hi funride, sorry to hear about your injury and hope you recover quickly. I broke my left wrist on the 29/2/08 (and what a bad day it was) playing ice hockey. The docter then said that i would need 8 weeks to recover from such a break, In the end the cast came of in 5 but i am still not able to play ice hockey as it is still to weak and i was starting to worry that it would not get strong enough, so basically thankyou for reassuring me with your hub and it has reminded me to be patient and not rush back before im ready :)
Hi Charlie, I´m glad my hub help you during this rough times. When you less expect you´ll be playing ice hockey again ;)
Very informative hub! Im emailing the link to my dad. (Why? You'll see, read on)
While reading this hub, the one person i was thinking about all the time was my dad! For 3 consecutive January's he's been fracturing his right hand! First it was his right shoulder, then 2 fingers of the same hand the next year and the 3rd year, his elbow. We had started signing "Happy anniversary" on his plasters. So then this January he spared his right hand (Instead got his spleen injured badly in December 2007). And no, he’s not some stunt man, just a regular accident prone 54 year old guy!! Good to know you are riding bikes again. Good Luck to you.Hi Rookie Expert, thanks. I hope your dad´s injuries odyssey had come to an end and that he is OK since the last one. You´re right, one must not be a acrobatic stunt in order to get injured but your dad had some bad luck this last years perhaps if he was a stunt man he would be safer ;)
Hi Funride, I also broke my wrist and after 12 days in 1/2 a slab, they decided to operate and inserted a metal plate. I play guitar and type and four weeks after the op and attempting both feats. It still has "some" pain but hopefully and from info gleaned from this site, I seem to be on track. I just wondered about having the plate removed...don't really like the idea of it in there. Ha been good reading contributions to your initial question....good luck with it all.
Hi Jeanie, thanks. I´m sorry to hear about your injury but happy to know it´s on the right track ;) . My first plates were removed after 7 months from the moment they were inserted but I guess this time could differ in your case. It´s great to know you´re already trying to do the things you like. I hope you recover completely and fast :)
i ve broke both wrist at the time damn hard to much
Hi D, sorry to hear about that :/
Be patient and you´ll recover fast, at least I hope so. But as you probably have found out it is a difficult process and the only thing others can do right now is try to cheer you up ;)
wow man, that´s a bad fall, hope you recovering fine!
it´s good to see how you take it with optimism
always look at the bright side of life ;)
have a nice weekend
Thanks Joe, that´s the best way (the only one, IMO) to live. Have fun this weekend ;)
Fun, how's your work treating you these days with those wrists and all? You finally feel like you're back in the full swing of things?
I´m better now and able to do almost everything but I still have at least one more surgery to go (probably in September). It´s difficult though having all mornings occupied with physio...
Thank you for passing by ;)
Ewww... this hub is gruesome! It remember when I broke my arm in fifth grade.... it wasn't quite my wrist but it was really close to my wrist and it popped my bone out of place so I had to have surgery and wear a long cast all the way up my arm. I hated it. Because I couldn't play kick ball or ride my bike or any sort of sport. I was such a tom boy.
haha. Good hub but very gruesome. :) I hate looking at broken bones but I can't help myself. :)
Hi Tayler, it´s better to brake bones when we are young because they heal faster and completely. I had never broke any bone until last year and now I see how difficult it is to recover from this kind of injuries. Thanks for commenting ;)
Incredible hub! I know exactly how you feel. I recently sprained my ankle and it has put me out for three weeks. When I was younger I would have recovered in a few days. I'm not look forward to old age but I guess that's life. Good luck with the wrists!
I have a metal plate in my left wrist. Been in about 2 years. Bothers me a little. Should I have it removed?
Thanks Epictruth, hope your ankle it´s fine by now ;)
Hi Bodav, thank you for passing by. It depends on the kind of plate, I for instant had temporary plates to allow the bone to heal in proper place which were removed after 6 or 7 months but I also have this permanent plate to fixate my right wrist which will be here forever. You should ask your doctor or the one who operated you to know for sure ;-)
Hi. I was attacked by neighbor's pit bull .. in my yard .. ugh! Luckily, a broken wrist is all I suffered. I broke the bone directly under my thumb; I think the correct term is the ulna. I, too had the surgery with the plate and 7 screws. I am 50 years old, which doesn't help either! My question is, "Is it normal not to be able to turn your arm so that the palm of your hand is on top? In other words,'Rotate your arm'?" My arm won't turn which is really frightening. Today, finally after 15 days, is the first day my arm hasn't throbbed. HOW LONG is the average time for a wrist to be at least 75% after the cast is taken off? I am a hairdresser, I play the piano, I sew,I do calligraphy, etc. I am being optimistic .. just realistic. You might know it would be my right arm, and I'm very right handed. thanx
Hi Madashell (LOL nice name BTW), I´m sorry to hear about your injury. It´s normal you can´t rotate your arm right now because the ulna is the bone which makes it possible. I think that after a couple of months when they take the plate you´ll be able to rotate your arm again. As you can see in my rx they had to remove the top part of my right ulna to allow the rotation (and now they´re talking about doing the same thing to my left one). I believe your injury it´s not as severe as mine so I think you´ll not have to wait so long until you be able to do all those things but remember that the first months won´t be easy. I learned that we have the ability to adapt and learn to do things differently after a while. As to the throb it´s mainly an effect of the surgery and it will be gone in no time. If you ask me the real pains come with physical therapy but you still have some time before that ;)
I wish you get well fast and completely :)
I broke my wrist 18 months ago, had surgical repair with plate and screws as well as carpal tunnel release. Still have not complete function plus increasing discomfort; most recent doctor has stated that the plate and screws may be causing the problem and should be removed. What were the symptoms that led to your hardware removal? has anyone else had this problem?
thanks! hope you are feeling better.
Hi Nicki, thanks for passing by. I don´t think there were any symptoms to justify the removal of both plates. Most of the times the plates should be removed as soon as the fracture has healed which was the reason why they took my plates after 7 months. After 18 months it was to expect that they had taken your hardware already but every injury it´s unique and which healing process it´s different from any other.
I hope that your next surgery will be a total success and you will regain complete function of your wrist very soon. All the best!
I am so sorry for what happened to you and I'm glad you are getting better. My husband also fell (and also lucky to be alive) while working and he hit his head, neck and back and broke the right thumb tendon and his wrist in many pieces, he had surgery on both and they put a metal in his wrist but almost 4 months have passed by and he still the same, he can hardly close his hand, even though he has been receiving physical therapy and now he is also getting stellate ganglion block injections but they only work for a couple of days and then gets back to where he was before the injection. He is really desperate but I guess all he needs to do is wait (even though he is not happy about the wait).
Thank you Mary. I´m sorry to hear about your husband. 4 months after my accident I was also very unsatisfied with the results so far. By that time I had my jaw fixed and I wasn´t able to do much with both hands. Even now, after more than a year, I still can´t close my right hand completely but they told me that it was normal and that I would be better after the removal of the last plate they put to immobilize my right wrist. I never thought it was so difficult to heal a wrist fracture but now that I know I can only say that patience is one of the most important factors to get better and to be able to appreciate every little thing we start doing again. If you ask me, I believe you´re his best "therapy". At least in my case I saw my better half as someone who helped me the most and every time I was down it was her who pulled me up again ;)
I wish your husband a fast and complete recovery and hope he can return to his normal live as soon as possible.
mid july accepted house offer. Then found out breast cancer returned. Marathon road-tripped 1000 miles to find a house to buy. On 7/31 in a wine funk, fell down basement steps, broke ulna and femur 45 degrees off wrist. 8/5=left arm permanent titanium plate, 8/6=left modified radical mastectomy, released 8/7, 08/08/08 my not-so-lucky birthday. Closed 8/20 house sale, same day followed mover semi, road-tripped to new neighborhood 1000 miles away. 8/22 house buy, now after maxing out insurance, i'm hurting, 60k+ in med bills, jobless.. but wait, it's OK. it took all that to make me learn (cause i dont listen to good advice).. to REFUSE to EVER touch alcohol or cigarettes. NOW...Med Bills: every time a bill comes, i call in $5.00 payment. Job: it will happen, I keep looking. YES, I AM most often depressed. Pain: no insurance left so.. Doing my own hand strengthening + stretching.. (HINT: it helps to pull the relaxed finger just a tiny bit with the other hand while stretching it.) My life will find its balance in time, why? cause it just will, that's the way it is. Thanks for letting me air for the 1st time.... All who have been in this HUB, We all will do OK.. just accept things the way they are today, knowing things will be different tomorrow + each day after tomorrow.
Hi Jill, thank you for choosing my hub to let it all out. I´m sorry to hear about your luck but after reading your words I know for sure that you´ll be ok in no time. Every time you feel depressed just come here and read your words and remember that WE will keep you in our thoughts (at least I will). Be strong - I´ll be sending good vibes in your direction ;-)
I dislocated my wrist late July of last year playing soccer. I fell, there was sharp pain and then nothing, no pain no discomfort, just numbness ... so I did what I thought was the most sensible next step, I got up and kept playing (I also knew any injury would have to heal on its own because i had no insurance and didn't want to get slapped with a huge hospital bill for a tylenol prescription).
fast-forward 4-6 months, my right hand, especially the wrist seems to be disintegrating, but by now I know whats wrong, my college doc gave me an x-ray and it showed i had a lunate dislocation (very severe).
It took 3 months to finally get insurance (wrist got worse). By then my only option was a proximal row carpectomy (PRC), I had my surgery done in June and haven't played soccer since then. My wrist won't be the same, but it feels good (THE HUGE SCAR REMINDS ME TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL NO MATTER WHAT!!!).
FUNRIDE, just want to say I admire you and I hope you have a speedy recovery, perhaps soon I can get back to immitating C. Ronaldo. I was feeling down until I read JILL's comments, and yes somehow WE WILL FIND BALANCE. I dont know who she is but she's a better person than me, I was about to give up and my mishaps don't even come nearly close to hers ... her comments give me HOPE.
Zaq, I already see you playing soccer again and I bet you´ll be able to play as good as Ronaldo. It´s nice to know you already got your surgery and that it went fine. You´ll also have a speedy recovery, I can feel it ;)
I have learned a lot since my accident but one of the most important was to know how much it means to have friends and people who cares about us during the rough moments. I´ve met several here, thank you all!
Wow, you've been through so much. Thanks for sharing.
You really do discover your true friends when you are sick or injured.
Thanks for your comment but mostly for your friendship ;)
I trust that you are now on the mend, and doing some of the things that you love; once again.
I tend to brake toe(s). LOL I am always amazed, that how braking even very small bones, such as a silly "toe" - will cause not only severe pain, but also inhibit normal function. When even one small part of our body's are injured - the entire mind and body then suffer.
Such a bummer:-(
Write On!
As a fellow cyclist I sympathize - that was an extremely painful and troublesome tumble funride. At least your recovery must be assisted by your general fitness and well being. I hope you make a full recovery - and this was a most detailed and informative piece.
funride,
Braking one wrist would have been horrible, but both, that is unthinkable. I am glad you have made it through most of the ordeal. What a great Hub explaining the process that you went through, by the comments I can see others have been able to relate very well. Myself, I am whispering this so that Karma cannot hear, but I have never broken anything but my little toe. I hope my luck holds out!
Write On - You´re right, I´m already able to do most of the things but I still have some more operation waiting.
pjdscott - Thanks for your comment, I believe you can understand my happiness now that I´m able to make my first rides since the accident. Tomorrow I´m planning on riding 90km with some friends.
In The Doghouse - Braking both wrists was horrible but it was not "enough" so I also "decided" to brake my jaw and other bones on my face :(
Now that is really frightful ;)
Funride - that's great news and I certainly appreciate your relief (and frustration up to this point)! Have a great cycle and enjoy the bike once again!
hi hon glad your gettin good now i broke my wrist 2 months ago am back at work now but still not right isnt it weird, i always wanted to break my arm wen i was a kid ha ha. not any more take care and good luck xxx
Hi Lynn, those are very good news. I had to wait more than a year to get back to work full time. What can I say, after 15 months I still feel weird about my hands and wrists :/
If you ask me I rather brake my arm than any articulation because the last are really difficult to heal properly. The best choice it´s not to brake any bone ;D
All the best!
totally agree funride must admit though did enjoy being off work ha! i broke left wrist playing football with my nephew he thort it was funny until he saw the shape of it, another best choice is dont play football or as you guys call soccer x best wishes
oops soccer?
LOL I call it "futebol" (soccer in Portuguese) :D
I've never broken any bones, but boy! does that look painful! Hope everything is back to normal for you soon. 15 months is a long time!
Thanks Shirley, your comments are much appreciated. You know, now that the worst has passed by and looking back I could say that the last 15 months were pretty fast. The difficult task was living through them trying to figured out when I would be able to do all the things I did before. All that waiting has finaly come to an end, at least if I think about work and all the main things I must do to support my family ;)
You will become just as new as before in another 15 months Ricardo :)
Thanks Misha, I risk to say I will become even better than before LOL. One can (and should) learn a lot during such difficult times, so I believe that even though my wrists will never be the same I will be a better person after going thru all this.
Oh Funride,
I finally found your hub as you call it and the other post were uninformative. While cycling to work on a beautiful friday morn, and wanting to avoid crushing into a car that had to break abruptly, I ended on the ground. A good samaritan helped me get up, remove the seat, park the byke and drove me to the hospital. Adrenaline is most welcomed at those unfortunate times! This was Aug. 15h, the operation on the 20th. By Oct. 9th, I still could do nothing more than write and type. No strenght. Now I know I'll be okay. Luckily I have no pain except as you mentionned, during excercise or simply trying to improve my skills at doing all that I used to do. Being the energetic and busy type of person, it's a great relief. I start work on Jan 15th.
Before the operation the surgeon said the plate could be removed it it disturbed me. On Oct. 9th, being the stiffes wrist on earth, he said that it was for life. He was overjoyed yesterday when he saw how much I improved and all that I had managed to do. I'm seeing him in 3 mos. I am 58, very petite and slim and am wondering this: as we age, bone density changes and as a women, I expect that the screws will slack qnd pain might follow. I would, although I'm scared of needles - imagine another operation - I think plate and screws should go (out). It was a really bad fall and my hand did look akward and distorted but now it looks fine (kind of). I'm looking forward as everyday now, I can do something new.
Jackie
Hi Jackie, thank you for your testimonial here in my hub. I´m happy to hear that you are getting better everyday and returning to your job very soon ;)
You´re right, being a woman and over 50 the danger of having bone "troubles" are bigger but on the other hand you seem to be very active and youthful so I am sure you´ll recovery completely and all this time will became just a memory. And don´t be ashamed of being afraid of surgeries, I still have to go through it again and I have no hurries LOL.
It was nice to get to know you Jackie and I hope someday we can meet and enjoy a nice and safe ride together ;)
All the best!
Ricardo
I was in a car accident five weeks ago. A car suddenly pulled out in front of me, and with barely a moment to react, I braced myself firmly on the steering wheel, and on impact absorbed all of the force in my right wrist. I fractured my distal radius, and the styloid of the ulna, and the x-rays look very similar to the ones you posted of your right wrist on this page. One week later I was getting the same surgery, and now I am waiting for that to heal, and adjusting to life with a titanium plate in the radius of my right arm.
I found this page a few days after my surgery, and found your account helpful and informative. There were a lot of things about this fracture and operation that the doctor didn't tell me.
I am an avid cyclist, and a casual racquetballer, and I don't know how long, if ever, it will be until I can do those things again.
Your account was much worse than mine, and I am sorry to hear that your right wrist is now permanently fixated. That must be tough. But it sounds like you are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, and riding your bike! That is encouraging. Best wishes.
Hi Matthew, thank you for commenting. I´m glad this page has helped you to better understand your injury. The first couple of months are always the worst, afterwards you´ll start to do more things and soon enough you´ll be able to do almost everything you did before. For me the most difficult was the fact that I was expecting to be able to do everything after a couple of months and that only happened a year after :/
As a fellow cyclist I suggest you to keep pedaling (I did it seated on a chair with my stationary bike in front of me) in order to be fitted to start riding as soon as your wrist allows it ;)
I´ll be thinking of you and sending good vibes in your way to help your complete and fast recovery. All the best!
Hello, this is a good website. I had an accident and broke my left wrist. I had surgery, I have a metal plate in the radius, it was terrible for me when doctor said I needed a surgery, I almost cry, I don't know why this happened to me, I felt really bad. After surgery, I just thought that now everything will be better, and sometimes I still think why this happened to me, but well, it was an accident and I must continue my life an accept what happened to me, I can't go back in time and change things. I started physiotherapytwo months ago and I can move my wrist, not as it was before of course, but I hope soon I can do the things I used to.
Take care and thanks for all the information in this site.
Adriana... Peru.
Well, tomorrow I will finally be taken care of by the hospital's physiotherapist(s)! Somehow I fell out of the system and had to find a physiotherapist (who would return my call and I suspect this is a very busy profession, your page is proof enough) on my own. I'm looking forward to this change and maybe straightening my fingers.
To all of you going through these trying time, I wish the best.
Jackie
Hi Adriana, thanks for your comment. I know that feeling but the true is we must adapt ourselves to reality and think positive. I wish you fast and complete recovery ;)
Jackie, thanks for commenting. I´m sure by now (after your first session) you already know that physiotherapy is the worst part of all the recovery process. But as you said getting your fingers and hand straight it´s something to look forward ;)
All the best!
Hi funride:
I broke both my wrists on 9/30/08 after falling 30 feet fom a ladder onto my deck. I also had a severe high ankle injury that I'm hoping will repair itself. I was so glad to come across your hub as I am getting impatient with the recovery process. I had 3 plates put in my left wrist and a long plate in the right. I had assumed that the plates would remain in my wrists for life but after reading your hub I will ask the doctor about their removal. Is their removal a painful ordeal and require a long recovery time?
Like you I consider myself very lucky. I am alive and able to walk albeit gingerly with the injured ankle. I also have a loving wife who has had to help me in doing things that I was unable to do without hands. I was expecting to get back to normal by now but it has only been 3 months and it sounds like another nine months before I can resume my usual activities. I'm 62 years old. I was playing racquetball for 35 years. Maybe I have to quit that sport. But I still would like to golf again.
I go to a hand therapist who is amazed at my progress. I am typing this with both hands and can exercize both wrist now. I am lifting the weight of a rolled up magazine four times a day now.
Thanks for the info on your blog. It is a help for me to hear about your success and I enjoy your attitude. We are both blessed.
I wrote you 3 months ago about the possibility of having the hardware (plate and nine screws) removed from my wrist - now it's a reality,scheduled for Dec 18-
just wondering if I should expect the recovery to be similar, easier or worse than the original surgery..
thanks for your advice and support, and to all for sharing their stories.
happy holidays and a great 2009!
Hi Puttnow, thank you for your words, I´m very glad this hub has been useful for you. As to the plates removal from my experience it´s not as difficult or painful as the time they were attached but it will require at least three or four days in the hospital after the surgery.
For me having the urge to restart doing all those things I did before (specially mountain biking) was one of the things that made me never lose confidence and keep fighting until being able to do those things again. Of course things are not exactly the same but we have the ability to adapt and the joy of doing the things we love it´s even greater than before ;)
Your attitude show us all that there are no limits to our capabilities and I´m sure you´ll be doing your "normal" life before you notice (at least it´s what I feel now that all this time has passed). It´s great to be alive, isn´t it? :-)
Hi Nicki, so nice to hear from you again. As I say in my last comment you should expect an easy recovery and less pain if compared with the first surgery (this doesn´t mean it won´t hurt!). The good thing about it is that it means that your bones have healed properly and are already able to stand by themselves without the plates. After my last surgery I felt a much greater evolution in my mobility and after just a few weeks I was already able to do many things I didn´t thought I was going to do so soon.
I´ll remember you on the 18th and my thoughts will hopefully help your fast and complete recovery from that surgery ;-)
I wish you a merry Christmas (already at your home) and a much better 2009 with everything you want :-)
well the hardware was removed on Thurs 12/18, and although there's some pain at the incision, everything else seems great. I'll get the cast off and stiches out on Fri 12/26 and I guess I'll know more then.
So be merry, everyone - and be careful on the slippery ice!
Thanks again for all your support.
Great news then :-)
I´m glad to hear there was not too much pain envolved and I´m sure that after they take your cast you´ll experience a fast improvement. You´ll see that soon enough all this will seem far away and you´ll be able to do your normal live once again.
Merry Christmas and a much better year during 2009!
fascinating hub!
I broke my wrist, but as I was only 14 at the time, it mended quickly with no problems.
Broken anything is never good!!!! Two weeks ago today - being the klutz that I am, fell in my Living Room - no less - and broke my arm!!! I made it over 30 years before I broke a bone!! My son is finding my inablility to open jars, bags, and the like quite fun!! I have about four more weeks of my cast!
As so many of my friends have told me - be more careful!!
Have a great Day!!
I´m sorry LondonGirl, I don´t know how but I missed your comment. I´m glad to know you wrist recovered completely ;)
Hi Luna, welcome to hubpages ;)
I also found Hubpages after my accident and it has helped me during the entire recovery.I´m sure it will help you too ;)
I wish you a complete and really fast recovery. Take care ;)
Hello, back to work on a progressive schedule. What surprises most is that, at the end of the day, I feel I am regressing since I am not required to do varied movements ... and the cold outside - agh. So I do excercises more frequently at work to help. I still have to ask the surgeon, mid-february, if I can have the plate and screws removed at one point ...
Keep us this good and positive web page.
Jackie
Hi Jackie, those are great news, thanks for sharing it with us. Back to work after just two months... the worst has passed my friend ;-)
Now doubt the daily exercises will help you to regain more flexibility. Hope everything goes well on that meeting with your surgeon ;-)
Take care... and keep me posted ;-)
Hi Funride sorry to read of your accident.I can sympathise as i have broken both my wrists and my mid arm ulna after falling from a ladder at work.
I had titanium screws and plates in both wrist and the ulna the only plus is that i did not have to have plaster just dressings fotr the post operative surgery.
My wrists and arms ache like hell though and sleep is difficult as it only happened on the 13th january it is early days but i do have use of my fingers to type although i do have nerve damage which leaves part of my hand and little finger with no sensation.
good luck with your continuing recovery it's nice to communicate with people with similar experiences. Thanks.
Hi Stuart, after reading your comment I remembered what I went through during the first weeks after the accident and even though I´m not totally recovered yet things are much brighter now. This doesn`t mean it was easy but the passed time surely seems quicker when looking behind.
I can only wish you a fast and complete recovery and advise you to keep the goals which will help you through this difficult times. Good luck and don`t forget to come here every time you need to talk and vent your thoughts ;)
Take care, Ricardo
Hi I've broken the ascophia bone in my wrist, the sad thing about it is im a semi professional football player (goalkeeper) & my team is now in many cup finals, due to be played in early April. Do anyone know what i can do to speed up the recovery so i can get to play in the finals? I am taking Magnesium,Calcium, Vitamin D & pure yoghurt, as i've been informed this will help, could someone confirm PLEASE!! do you think i will be able to play in goals within the next10 weeks?? i intend on playing when my cast is off, with the help of a wrist support.
What do you think (Honestly) am i being realistic??
I Ronny, sorry to hear about that. How did it happened and how long ago? Did you need a surgery? The supplements will help your recovery but the physiotherapy is going to have the most important role on your total recovery. The time needed for the wrist to become good enough to play can vary but there are several cases of people who were able to ride mountain biking after just a few months so...
If you really want my opinion, the most important is to believe and keep doing as much physiotherapy as possible. Only time will tell if it is possible in your case - it depends on several factors. I really hope you will get your scaphoid bone ready for those games and that you`ll come here after it and tell us how many goals you defended ;)
Take care
Thanks for such a prompt reply funride. I did it about 2 weeks ago. The most frustrating part about it was we had won the semi final and as I walked back to the changing rooms I simply fell and landed on the wrist. I have not had any surgery yet! as the doctors are confident of it healing on its own without the aid of it being screwed. I've been back to hospital today to have my ast changed as it was very loose and the plasterer informed me that he was astonished by how quick all the swelling had gone down. So that gave me a little hope, problem is that the final's are due to be played in the next 10 - 12 weeks! so what do you think my chances are of a full recovery and playing the games????
OK, those are good news! You have to remember it is still very recent and only the next weeks can tell if your wrist will heal fast enough or not. BTW, how old are you? I´m asking this because our bones heal faster when we are younger...
I believe it`s possible but you really have to keep in mind that sometimes full recovery only happen some months after the accident (it depends on how sever the injury was). Don`t give up, keep doing everything you can to help the healing process but remember that there are things more important than any game. It`s better to have your wrist fully recover than playing a single game and ruin the recovery process :-/
During the next 2 months your doctor will see how your wrist is healing and he will tell you in time if you may attend those games - I really hope you can! All the best ;-)
Wow that sounds (and looks) pretty painful! It's good that you are young and will heal well and completely. From now on remember,... that railing at the edge of the balcony is there for a reason...respect the railing.
Thanks for the comment and the heads-up. But from now on I will always stay at ground floor facilities lol
In October 2008 I fell off a ladder with a chainsaw while triming banches and broke my right wrist, right leg, left hip, right collarbone, 9 ribs, colapsed lung. Had to be lifeflighted to the hospital. They put a plate in the wrist and a rod down the femor to fix the hip. Every thing has healed well, with a lot of therapy. I'm back to playing basketball (not quite as well) and riding my bike. The wrist still hurts and has some limited movement, but good strength. The thing I wonedred about is that the skin around the wqrist still has a lack of heat/cold/touch sensation. Wondered if you felt that. One other thing. on March 5th, I was riding my bike on a bike trail. It was the second time I had ridden since the accident. I went past a parking lot that was near the trial and someone had left a dumpster lid on that hung over the trail. I didn't see it and it hit me under my right eye, breaking the orbital bone and severing the tear duct. After a four hour operation, they fixed the tear duct and put a plate on the orbital bone. But I was back riding in mid March, so everything worked out ok. It really is "what don't kill you makes you stronger". Thanks for the forum, Funride.
WOW PittsburghBoy, what a bad year you have been through. Those are too many injuries in less than a year. The good thing is you are probably still young and you´ve recovered very fast. I also felt that absence of sensitivity you talk about but it tends to disappear after a few months.
Now take care and try not to become stronger or you´ll likely become a superman :)
Well funride, age is just an attitude. I turned 54 in December. But I'll play basketball at lunch today and goout for a couple of cold ones after work. I did heal pretty quickly though. I hope your're right about the feeling coming back. Appreciate the blog. Thanks
Hehehehehe... you fooled me right. I really thought you were much younger but I see you have a great attitude and that is what really matter ;)
Thanks for coming back and I would love to hear from you again as soon as your sensitivity returns. Take care ;)
I was so happy to have found your story! 2 weeks ago I was running to my car after an errand. It had turned cold and I wanted to make time. I'm a healthy 35-yr old female but, unfortunately, happened to step on the pant leg of my yoga pants preventing my leg from leading out mid-stride. I fell hard onto my open rt palm. I have a distal radius fracture that required surgery (last Wednesday). There were a few different fracture sites.
I had my 1st post-surgery x-rays today. Lots of hardware! Looked much like your pics but no external fixation. But I have a pin sticking out in one location.
I've been searching and searching for stories from others who have gone through this. I'm surprised at how little is out there in terms of support. I have a 15 month old son who I am now unable to care for and a dissertation to finish writing in 2 weeks. I don't think I'll be able to finish on time. Although I'm getting better at one-handed typing it takes me a long time. It's so frustrating not to be able to even care for yourself much less my son.
Are you back to normal now? Any bad side effects? I start phys therapy in 2 weeks!
Thanks for your story!
KD
Hey KD, thanks for your kind comment. I am glad my story was useful for you and I hope it can help during your recovery period. You are right, the worst thing is not being able to take care of ourselves and/or our children... as to the typing issue I am sure you´ll get use to it, I have written almost all of my hubs with my left hand only ;)
Right now I am much better and able to do everything I did before even though I still need another surgery on my left wrist. I believe things will never be exactly the same for me but I´m grateful to be alive and able to work, take care of my daughter, mountain biking and most of all happy that my story can help others going through wrist injuries. Yesterday after a long mountain bike ride a good friend of mine asked me if I have pains afterwards... I wasn´t able to anwser... I´m really not sure if I have pains or not, I guess our brain gets used to pain and we stop feeling it LOL.
I wish you all the best and I´m sure your recovery will be fast... physio can be painful but it will help you much more than you can imagine right now ;)
I would love to hear from you again and get to know your experiences.
Take care,
Ricardo
Hi Ricardo,
Thanks for your note and kind words. My sister came to visit for 10 days to help w/ my son. This has been such a help to me. My husband had been doing everything. He is so good about everything but one person can only do so much.
I'm becoming more and more profficient with one-hand everyday. I stopped taking painkillers a few days ago (love them but too many side effects). So, I can totally understand the idea of getting used to the pain. It's hard to sleep but I take an ambien and some motrin and that helps. Still wake up a lot and fight for a reasonable position.
Do you think they will remove the pin on the outside w/ no numbing agent? I'm going to assume so. Not looking forward to the pain of physio but I want to regain as much normalcy as possible. I will definitely keep you updated on my experience. I wonder how long until I can pick up my son again? I presume we will never be able to lift a weight the same way.
Again, so encouraging to know your story.
Take care,
Kristina
I broke my distal radius 6 weeks ago and had plates and screws inserted 5 weeks ago. I still cannot bend my wrist back at all although I have some downward movement.It also gets very get achy in the evening and I have to resort reluctantly to the painkillers again. It is also still very swollen and looks significantly larger than my other wrist.I am getting very down thinking that I will never again be "normal". Am I expecting too much too soon?
Hi Kristina, that´s another thing we must learn: accepting other`s help. I´m sure you´ll be able to pick up your son again in no time. One thing I can assure you, it will be an unforgivable moment for you (I will never forget the face of my little daughter when I was able to pick her up again). Looking forward to hear about your recovery process, take care :)
Hi Alison, I remember thinking the same thing after a few weeks but recovering it´s always takes a little longer than we would like... during the first month or two it´s important to rest your wrist and allow it to heal. As to the normal mobility it will be something to work on during physio. You must think positive and do everything to achieve a total recovery (even though that´s not granted). Soon you´ll feel less pains and then you´ll gradually stop taking those pain killers ;)
Wish you a total recovery and as quick as possible ;)
Do not forget to keep us posted during your recovering. Take care.
Thanks for your positive thoughts Funride. Went to the physio yesterday and they are worried that I still cant bend the wrist back at all, so will be giving me some more intensive physio. (gulp!) I'm hoping that it will work, as I don't know what the alternative will be. I don't think I could face more surgery. I'm not normally such a moany person, but this has knocked me for six! I will have much more sympathy for people who break bones in the future! I can't believe I have caused so much damage to my wrist just by falling backwards on a dancefloor. (After only 2 glasses of wine!)
Ricardo - that gives me a much needed smile! Can't wait to pick up my son again.
Alison - it sounds like our fractures are very similar. I get my cast off tomorrow and, hopefully, will have the external pin removed. I have my 1st physio appt immediately following. I still need at least 1-2 painkillers/day. I am 3 weeks post-surgery. I'm waiting to turn a corner in terms of pain. So frustrating! I can feel the pin and incision site under my cast and it feels like raw skin. horrible! I hope things start looking up for you soon!
My brother is having his wrist fused this morning by Ortho Carolina. Your information has helped me understand the process that he'll be going through these next months. Thank you.
@ Alison - It´s never easy to recover from a broken bone but I believe the wrists are one of the most difficult because we need our hands so much... I´m sure physio will help your recovery and your wrist will regain its mobility in no time ;)
@ Kdurante - I know it will be a great moment for you - I´ll never forget my daughter`s face when I got to hold her again (after all those months my daughter become very protective for me and she still tells me to be careful every time I go for a ride).
@ jflowe - I´m sorry to hear about your brother, how did he broke his wrist? I´m glad you found it helpful and I wish your brother a fast recovery. He (and you) must remember that we humans are very adaptive beings and losing some wrist movements is not the worst thing it can happen to us... if you ask me, I wish they had done the same to my left wrist also. Right now it`s my left wrist that it´s giving me more troubles :/
Take care :)
This story hits a little close to home, for me, as I broke both of my wrists as well; however, both wrists were broken at work and the scaphoid was fractured in both wrists.
This happened 3.2 years ago and, with 2 surgeries later, one wrist - which suffered non-union - has severe stiffness stile with chronic pain, while the other has extreme limitations to pre-accident strength.
I finally built the courage to try to take control of my physical life, as for the past three years I have been unable to do anything, and my biggest concern is riding a bike, let alone some of the other activities i use to do. I use to ride trails a lot with a trail bike. I sold my bike after I found out the injury would require surgery, hoping to not really lose value on something that had no use, if you know what i mean. Now comes the time when I'd like to buy a new bike, but... after just trolling the bike around in a few pro shops, a day after the fact has left my left wrist in severe pain.
...does this mean that I have pretty much lost my ability to ride?
Hi Charles, I´m sorry to hear about your 3 years recovery process. Being able to do things after the injuries is something we need to train and adapt ourself. At the beginning it´s very difficult and we feel lots of pains but after a while we start doing more things. At first when I start to ride I had lots of pains just after a few kilometers but after some time I was already capable of longer rides without so much pain (at least the good feelings where bigger and stronger than the pain). My left wrist still doesn´t allow me to properly grab the handlebar so I have to be careful every time I ride but I believe that after the surgery I´ll be able to ride even more and better, perhaps even to return to the French Alps and ride all those great trails...
In other words, if you really want to ride then you must insist and adapt.
Good luck, do not forget to keep me posted about your recovery and your bike rides ;)
I fractured both of my wrists 3 weeks ago. My right hand (I'm right handed) has a small fracture and my left has a hairline fracture. I am told that the casts must remain on for 6 weeks from time of accident. Since it has been 3 weeks since....i still have some discomfort and sometimes pain when trying to accomplish too much. My fingers are free! Do you have any suggestions for working out my arms so that I do not get atrophy? I also had declined the doctors recommendation to decline the fragmented bone back into place. Do you think that will have any consequences! thanks
Hi Cristine, sorry to hear about your injuries but it seems like they are not too bad and healing fast. I tried to workout my arms using sand bracelets weightliftings and also swimming. Most of the times going by what doctors suggests it´s the best choice but I´m not sure about your case... I guess it depends on the size of the fragments.
Wish you a complete and fast recovery ;)
I have a titanium plate on my right wrist after a fracture to the radius and ulna. What information do I need to reach a decision on removal?
I have a titanium plate still in my wrist after 18 months. I have 95% function of my wrist but still miss that 5%. Occasional twinges but no major pain. Should I have the plate removed. I don't trust the doctors in england as they operate on a cost basis and would not want to remove them. On the other hand I know that the wrist is a complicated joint and don't want to go under the knife for no reason.
Hello Rob, I´m glad to hear about your 95% wrist function (that´s a good result). I also still have the last titanium plate they put on my right wrist 16 months ago. There´s no problem keeping the plate as long as there are no complications but I also believe titanium plates like the one I have (I don´t know about your`s) should be removed. The first ones I had were taken after less than a year after, I guess it depends on the doctors opinion and the type of injury you have. If the plate is not compromising your wrist movements and your doctor think it´s not the right time to remove it, then I think you shouldn´t be worried about it ;)
Keep us updated. Take care ;)
Thanks for your advice. What worries me is that I have been completely discharged with the plate and screws still in place. This gives me no reassurance. As I said the National Health Service is cost not care driven. Do you expect your final plate to be removed at some stage? Can these plates cause any long term difficulties? I have rebooked with my hospital to talk to the doctor but I want to research this before the appointment. Any advice or links welcome and much appreciated.
My surgeon told me that the plate will be removed but that would be no worries about when.
"Most of the time, the plate stays in permanently and causes no problem." from http://www.davidlnelson.md/Wrist_Fracture.htm
Most of the times we tend to feel like doctors haven´t gave us enough attention but we must trust them though... when we don´t then we must look for second opinions which may give us more confidence and perhaps confirm what the first doctor told us ;)
In your case I would not be obsessed and I would try to calmly talk with the doctor because they usually don´t react well when we show some angry against them :)
Similar story as yours, involving plates/screws, although no balcony was involved. I was skateboarding and shattered my right wrist in so many pieces that surgery was the route. This happened in April of this year and I've been in therapy 3 times weekly for 2 weeks and have had good results. Much better finger movement and downward, side to side movement in the wrist is good, but the movement going back is poor. My concern at this point is what my ability will be to play golf again. I mtn bike and surf as well but I can see ways to get around the inability of cocking the wrist in those sports, but golf is another story. Should I be overly concerned that I seem to have decent mobility in every direction but backwards at this point?
My neighbor was on a ladder and it gave way over concrete. He fell and broke both wrists too. The pain & injury actually put him into shock and he walked to the hospital 1/2 a mile away. It was aweful. He could not work for a while as a result because he could not drive.
Thanks for the info. Your time and considered reply was most helpful. I have booked an appt with the hospital to seek some reassurance. I'll let you know the outcome.
@ fishman - 2 months and you are already able to move your wrist!? That´s good news ;) Only time will tell if you´ll regain full mobility of your wrist, but I believe it´s normal to experience some rigidity (in some cases, like mine, that rigidity it´s permanent). Good luck with your recovery ;)
@ Teddi - Thank you for stopping by, I hope your neighbor is ok and able to work again.
@ Rob - you´re welcome, I´m glad I could help. We´ll be looking forward to hear the news ;)
It was very interesting reading about your wrist injuries. I can hardley believe that is all that broke falling from that balcony! I too suffered a wrist fracture 3 months ago today. I shatterd the distal end of the radius on my right wrist. Recovery has been slow and painful and more than a little discouraging...especially since I was in the middle of Massage Therapy School when the injury took place. I am back in school now and I find myself telling the instructors that I feel fine...as I grin and bare it! Can't afford to miss anymore class...I am going to graduate 4 months after my classmates as is. I have been going to physical therapy 2 times a week now for about a month, and trying to fit in all of the exercises assigned to me at home. It takes about a half hour to do the exercises and the therapist wants me to do these 10 times per day! I have a hard time fitting that in to my schedule! I was surprised to hear that you had your titanium plate removed as my Doc has not mentioned that. Well I will end this now. Best wishes for you continued healing.
3 weeks ago I broke my left wrist during an attack by a pack of dogs while I was out walking. Even though I had multiple fractures of the bone, I really feel luck after reading about your injury and others who have responded. It is depressing to see how long it might take me for a recovery, I cannot begin to imagine what you must be going through. I to have a titanium plate now plus I am allergic to metals so time will tell if I have to have the plate removed or not. I do wish you the best of luck and look forward to read about your recovery as you go.
Hi MarshallW, sorry to hear about the attack... I hope those dogs had an owner and that he/she did pay for all the expenses. If you ask me the first couple of months are the worst ones, after that things start to get better. Right now, and still waiting to know when will I be operated again, I "see" myself doing things I thought I would never be able to do again during my life :)
Don´t forget to keep us all posted about your recovery too ;) take care.
My 14 year old daughter plays competitive soccer and broke her Radius last weekend. The doctor was able to get things back in place without surgery and she is now in a full arm cast. I'm wondering how long before we can let her safely play again. She loves soccer but her long term health is my first concern.
Hey Dino, sorry to hear about your daughter injury. Glad that she didn´t need surgery though. I would listen to what the surgeon says about her return to the game. I would also suggest that she continues to exercise regularly in order to keep her physical condition. I expect her next game will be soon ;)
funride and all others contrbuting to this hub:
thanks so much for all the comforting words!
i broke my left distal radial two days ago in my backyard and was fortunate
enough to find the only working orthopedic surgeon that day
(it was july 3, in the us, and all docs had taken the day off)
fortunately, because i was able to be seen within hours, he reset it beautifully without surgery and i have minimal discomfort...but i will have a cast for 2 months...and already i feel my fingers stiffening from lack of use...
i think i must agree with you & others, this frustration and hard times can only build one's character and cause tremendous personal growth, i think there is no alternative in such a situation, except to become a much better person through these tribulations.
i have one question for everyone: is airline travel with a cast on a problem?
could reduced cabin pressure cause the arm to swell and result in pain and throbbing?
i imagine elevating the arm during flight would help; does anyone have any comments?
thanks again, char
Hey Char, nice to meet you. I see you are dealing very well with your injury and all it´s repercussions.
I flew from Lyon in France to Lisbon with both my arms wearing casts and I didn´t felt any problem (I was lay down and under morphine influence though). I believe you should ask your doctor for his advise ;)
Hope you get well very soon and I´m sure you are a better person already ;)
Take care and keep us updated on your recovery.
hello, funride, thanks for the advice. i return to the doctor this thursday for a check-up & recasting and i will ask him...5 days from then i am due for a 6 hour flight (not including 1 layover)...so far i have read that a cast set 3-5 days before a flight should not result in excess swelling on a plane; apparently less than 48 hours after casting can be problematic.
i am adjusting to life at a slower pace...i have never broken a bone before...and i realize it's very traumatic! i don't know what i would do if i broke both wrists like so many of you brave souls! i have not yet gotten up the stamina to take a shower...today i learned it is good exercise and a sense of accomplishment to pick things up off the floor with your feet!
i also find i have lost my normally insatiable appetite since the accident...food and alcohol have much less appeal for me now, (i will not drink at all during recovery, my sister says the body has to process the alcohol and this takes energy away from healing) especially since flossing my teeth is a lot more time-consuming now. i expect i will be losing weight through this, weight which i need to lose anyway, so that may be one good side-effect.
thanks, this is such a nice forum!
char
Hey Char, what did your doctor said? Hope you can take that flight without any problem ;)If you need to lose weight then this is the time, but don´t forget to do some physical activity like walking or something like that ;) You don´t want to lose muscle during this time. I kept pedaling on my static bike and that helped me a lot when I return to ride my bikes again :)
hi! thanks for the concern!
i went to the doctor and things are going well, but he is a very serious doctor and he said the first three weeks after a bone breaks are the most critical time for the bone healing, and he forbid me to take an airplane trip. so i had to cancel the trip. this thursday i see him again and he may clear me to travel starting at the 3 week mark...i kind of expected this cancellation...it seems that if you can avoid it, postponing an unnecessary trip is the only responsible thing to do, not to mention, now my husband won't let me travel alone with a cast on...we may reschedule the trip and he would go with me...oh, when i am healed i will forever appreciate the joy of being whole and able-bodied! what a joy that will be! of being ableto carry out your summer plans as scheduled!
i am doing a good bit of walking each day, plus picking things up with one's feet is fun exercise so i think i will do alright...
thanks!
In November 2008 I broke my left wrist and had surgery with a plate left in. I had a cast and then it was removed and I had another one for 2 months. I started therapy in March 2009 and it has done some good but I still have pain when using or exercising it. Also, I can not move my wrist nor straighten my fingers. They seem to be stuck in place. Can anyone tell me if they have heard of this after 7 months? I can't use my left hand much at all. They have stopped therapy because they say not showing improvement. I go the the surgeon July 30 and she is going to discuss surgery. I hope it will be of some help to me to get some use back.
Thanks for your hub!!!
Bonnie, I'm no expert by any stretch, but to start therapy 4 months after the break/surgery is a long time. I have similar hardware as you and my ortho had me in therapy at 5 weeks after surgery. He saw the stiffness in my fingers and wrist setting in and scared me. That day I saw the therapist and off we went. I have to say I saw huge gains in my fingers the first week.
In the hospital right before surgery I asked the surgeon if everything went well how long before I could play golf again. He said 4 months. At the 2 month mark of surgery I was chipping/putting and played 9 holes at the 2.5 month mark. Not well, but I hit the ball off the ground when necessary. I had a great PT and worked my tail off for this to happen. I wish you luck, but I think the amount of time has caused significant stiffness in your ligaments and tendons. Not to mention scar tissue binding up.
Good to here lots of people making a recovery from thier wrist injuries and sounds like some have been very fortunate.
I broke my left wrist nearly 3 years ago whilst playing football, the hospital classed it as a high impact fracture. They tried to minipulate the wrist first, then a second time then after a 6 weeks in plaster they decided I needed surgey and a bone graft, after another 8 weeks in plaster I had several weeks of physio which prodused no results as the bone had not healed in the wrong place, I then had futher surgey with metal plates and another bone graft followed by several more weeks in plaster and then physio. Then in March this year I has further surgey with more metal work and 3 months in plaster, when I went to physio I could not do an awful lot as the bone appreas in the wrong place, the surgon has said I now require more surgery and they may shorten th eother bone to accomodate the broken bone. Seems that my wrist has got worse through all of this and it now appears to be in a bad way. My left are has badly wasted over the last three years and my right to some degree due to lack of upperbody excersice. Seems the wrist injury is now effecting the rest of my health as I cant progress physicaly. Im now waiting for a refferal as I want to know if I have been receiving the treatment I should have been.
So as you can likelt tell im getting a bit fed up with this now hence why im looking on the internet and come across you guys. Any advise would be greatly appreciated on how I can build up my upper body/arms etc also any thougts on th e treatment I have received to date. Have been using the NHS to date with the same surgeon the last few times but wonder if I should go private. Any advise very much appreciated! Thanks
Hey everybody, sorry for my absence this last couple of weeks (lots of work and very little time for the internet).
@ Char - Hope everything is going OK and that you are already able to do some more things ;)
@ Bonnie - Different doctors most of the time means different opinions... this does not mean that one of them is wrong, every injury is different from another and the best solution can vary accordingly. Also the healing process is something that it is never the same for different people so one can not expect to see his/her injury heal the same way as another person. I´m curious about what your surgeon decided to do next... hope things get better for you ;)
@ fishman - thank you so much for participating and for helping Bonnie ;) It´s not possible to see results without sacrifice... and you have done your share ;) Good to hear you´re playing golf again so soon :)
@ James - I´m sorry to hear about your difficult healing process :( As to your question, I would advise you to use some sand weights (there are some which attach to the wrist with velcro). I used half kg ones at first doing lifting exercises. But even now I still miss my former biceps :(
Even though I can´t help you choosing the right hospital I must say that you should hear a second opinion from another orthopedic surgeon. Good luck with your recovery, take care.
Found this website and postings...I too, broke both wrists in May. I have plate and screws in my right wrist, my left was immobilized for 3 wks.only. My fall was horse related, but not from riding. I have had many falls from horses and never hurt, Thank God, but this was a 'grooming' accident. It happened in the pasture and I had to walk a LONG way to the house, I even went to the Tack Room, put the tools up, locked the door, opened the pasture gate, locked it...but when I got to the front door of the house, realized my hands did not work and had to kick on the door. My husband opened the door, and said...Let's go to ER...long story short...had surgery, plate and screws in right, and now I am wondering, after reading this, why my orthopedic dr. did not mention 'removal of plate'...I pray I do not have to have it removed. I am doing fine, have 95% range of motion, no pain...my left one however has nerve damage I assume. It has a tendancy to tingle and feel as if it is 'asleep'...I can live with that if that is the only result of the injury. I have begun riding again after 2 months and so far no problem with either wrists. I do feel my left one is a bit weaker than the right, but the tingling is the most annoying thing. I wake up at night and have to get up and 'shake my left hand' to get relief...I am so sorry about your fall, it sounds horrific, and you are one lucky guy to be alive!!! Hope by now you are doing fantastic and back riding your bicycle and doing all of the things you did prior to the accident. Good Luck ....
Hey HorseLady, thank you so much for such kind words, in fact I´ve been doing more than I did before the accident :)
I am also sorry about your injury but glad that it only took 2 months before you could ride your big friends again ;)
Most of the times the plates are removed after some time but that´s not always required. You should talk with your surgeon and listen to what he thinks about it ;)
Once again thanks for your nice comment, take care.
hello, everyone,
i'm here at 5.5 weeks after my distal radial break.
i ended up canceling my airplane trip this summer;
my fingers get swollen and to risk greater swelling during a long flight seemed foolish.
instead i stayed home & rested...
i go back to work tomorrow after my summer vacation...1.5 weeks ago, the cast was cut down to just below the elbow...it took many days to get used to the increased mobility...after 3 days i was sling-free! what a joy! the sling was just depressing...
i'd like to say i'm able to do more, but if i lower my hand to do anything, fluid rushes in, my fingers swell, and i really feel too uncomfortable to do anything...all day i just keep my hand elevated any way i can...
in 4 days i will get my new and final cast. i'm told it will allow for more finger freedom and motion...i'm sure it will be a great improvement, and then, 2 weeks from then, i will be cast-free and soooooo excited to do the simple things again!!!!
i hope i will be able to return to normal function soon after cast removal...all during my casting, i have been urged to make a fist and then straighten for 10 second intervals to prevent my tendons from forming scar tissue...i've done this while elevating my hand to the best i can, but i've always retained some finger swelling that has prevented full fist formation...
bonnie, i hope you can find some way to regain function and reduce your pain...i have found that there is a lot that physical therapy can do! several years ago i had severe nerve damage in both my feet (Morton's neuromas)
my foot surgeon insisted that they it was so severe, surgical removal of the enlarged nerves was the only solution...when i opposed this, he suggested electrotherapy and ultrasound therapy...well, after 1.5 years of weekly or biweekly 30-minute treatments, my symptoms mostly disappeared, without surgery...i mention this because the therapist said this combination of therapies "breaks down scar tissue"...so if your problems are stemming from scar tissue, such a treatment might benefit you and you should get more opinions on your options for treatment. good luck!
I've never had a broken bone (damn lucky) but I did sever a tendon in my hand so I know what it's like to be layed like that. 6 months in a cast another 6 in physiotherapy and 3 years later it's still not the same. But thankfully I'm wright handed and it was my left hand.
i've had severe tendonitis in both arms and the pain drove me to desperation...physical therapy did little to help, neither did acupuncture or pain meds...finally i took one tablespoon of cal-o-rad every night and within one month my pain almost disappeared...i had thought the pain from that was bad, and that this broken wrist is bad, but i think a severed tendon might also be quite bad...i find after 5.5 weeks, a cast gets so painful and awkward, it seems to get more uncomfortable at the end, i cannot even imagine what i would do if i didn't have my good right hand to help get my left arm cast in a more comfortable position, so "my hat's off" to you double wrist break victims and your caregivers, you are stronger persons than I!
Hi Vadim, thanks for passing by. I am sad to hear about your injury and the fact that it didn´t got better after all this time :(
Hi Char, tanks for your comments ;)
Just curious, "cal-o-rad" it´s a weight loss supplement, isn´t it? How come it helped your tendinitis?
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
Friedrich Nietzsche
oh, i am counting down the hours when this awkward cast comes off and my last, hopefully "mini-cast" comes on for 2 weeks more, 22 hours from now and my 6-weeks cast is history!!!
I hope to draw inspiration from your strength quote, Ricardo,
I've been thinking about your comments that patience with the healing process is so required...i've not realized that i actually have been able to do more things with my large-cast arm, mostly having to do with just being able to lift it, if one pays attention, small progress does happen...
i also find inspiration with the pope's statement that his broken wrist this summer is teaching him "patience and humility". I know that this experience has brought me more of both these qualities, and i was in need of more in these departments...
the cal-o-rad healing my tendonitis came about because i was anguishing about my chronic pain and an aquaintance, who himself had suffered from crushing back pain since a Vietnam War injury (and the cal-o-rad had cured him of it)promised me that cal-o-rad would cure my pain within a month and it did! it took only one bottle, i mixed a tablespoon into a glass of water and drank it every night before going to bed, and not having eaten or drank anything for at least 2 hours before taking the cal-o-rad...it was explained that cal-o-rad is an easily absorable form of broken-down cow connective tissue (cow tendons?) and so overnight i was absorbing these and repairing my tendons...i don't know how it worked but it did and i would do it again if i had that pain again, but the pain's been gone for over 12 years now...wish broken bones could heal like that, but i'm sure tomorrow things will start looking up for me, i think i'll just start letting things look better now...!!! thanks for the supportive words!
Hi Funride
I posted here before. On September 30 I fell from an extension ladder 30 feet up broke both wrists to my right couple ribs and experienced some injury to my right ankle.
I have three plates and 13 screws in my left wrist and one plate and 12 screws in my right wrist. I have recovered very well. I can even play golf once a week.
The problem is with my left wrist. It is not painful but I can feel a crunching when I bend it. Did you experience that with yours?
I'm scheduling an appointment with my surgeon to have his opinion on the matter. Is removing the plates a risky proposition? I don't want to go backwards after going through what I did over the last year.
i have a broken scaphiod at the moment and the doctors havent really told me anything about it or what the opreation will/may involve (im having it next week!) this has been really informative thanks!
@ puttnow - I guess that crunching feeling can be normal but I never experienced it because I still can´t bend my left wrist and my right one will never bend as it is fixed. I´m sure your doctor will advise you to do what is best for your complete recovery ;)
@ lil_amz99 - Hey Lil, I´m glad this hub has helped you. You should talk with your doctors and ask them about all the procedures they are going to use in your case, this way you´ll feel much more confident before the surgery. Wish you a fast and complete recovery, and don´t forget to keep us posted ;)
Wow, that is quite an advanced fracture, just glad to hear you are alright now. Well written and really informative hub, thumbs up!
Just wanted to join the party. I broke both wrists 6 weeks ago falling off a ladder, just 10 days before my wedding! Had a complicated 7 hour op where both wrists have sandwich plates and 11 screws each. I brokeradius and fractured the top part of the radius into 4 parts on the rh and 3 parts on lh. Casts come off in one week and then begins the occupational therapy, and planning the next two ops to remove top plates n bottom plates. Got married 2 days after leaving hospital, thankfully my bandages matched my dress colour...
Found you looking for some help. I broke my ulna and radius at the wrist. Doctor said it was a clean break of both bones like knife cutting butter. I also chipped the protruding bone (whatever that is called). I got the cast off on September 15th. I can type and make a fist but i can't turn my arm palm up. Is this part of the normal healing process? How long will it take to get that motion back? Thanks for any help.
Hi guys, thanks for your comments. I have been very busy lately (work, family, bicycle rides, etc.) but I will be updating this page very soon... that´s right, I will go through another surgery next month. This time it will be just my left wrist and I hope it will be finally put into proper position :)
@ Beriyani - Congratulations on your marriage, I bet you looked great even though you were wearing those casts and bandages ;)
Hope your wrists heal fast and completely.
@ Funtobegranny - Sorry to hear about your injury. I experienced the same problem as you are living now. My doctor decided to cut the top of my ulna (cubitus) in order to allow me to turn my wright palm up. But that only took place because therapy wasn´t enough, my left wrist started to turn properly after a couple of weeks of physiotherapy. What happened was that the ulna and the radio were too close together and that didn´t allow them to rotate. In your case I suppose it is still too early to say... I hope you regain full rotation just with physio help ;)
All the best.
Thank you for giving me hope. I broke my wrist in three places on holiday this year. I had the plaster taken off three weeks ago and am surprised at the lack of use I have. I have rigorously done my physio and can see some great improvements. After reading this article and the comments, I realise that I was a little unrealistic in my recovery period. I will stop worrying so much - boy 1 to 2 years woa I don't know if my yoga can wait that long.
Hi Shell, it happens to everybody. I also thought every thing would be fine just after a couple weeks... unfortunately it took much more. In fact, now, after 2 years and 3 months from my accident, I´m going to be operated again next monday to my left wrist... finally!!! As I promised I´ll update this page with all the news.
It´s very rewarding to know that my experiences have helped others. Thank you all for your continuous support, see you soon ;)
Wow, what else can I say, no wonder you got 90 for this hub, it is just so well written, explained and so thorough. It's really fantastic - congratulations!!
Thanks Stagnetto, right now and 3 weeks after my last surgery I can say that everything went well :)
I´ll have my left wrist casted one more month before beginning physiotherapy once again.
Your info. was great but I didn't see where you addressed if you had any pain and to what degree, if any, that you had when you were in the cast. I have a cast on and am having some pretty bad pain (have pain meds. but don't want to take until I can't stand anymore). I just need to know if this is common/normal thing to expect for awhile, I have had the cast on for a week but just now starting to have some pain that bothers me.
Chuck
Hey C Dorff, the pains are more than natural. After the first week I started to feel excruciating pains mostly because they stop giving me morphine as soon as I arrived at Portugal. At that time I took some meds but soon I put them aside.
It is expectable that you will get use to the pains (and almost forget about them) after a couple of weeks. You will feel them again once the physiotherapy takes place.
Did you went through surgery?
i just broke my unla and radius but the break didnt go all the way through my bone i think and dislocated my two grothplates it hurt for a will but i am still recovering i never got to see any x rays yet they have never shown me any i saw a glimps of them thogh when they were moving my bones back into place well i hope i can start baseball practice in feburary
Hey BC, sorry to hear about your injury. As I understand you didn´t broke any joint so you should expect faster healing. On the oder hand I´m not sure if your bones can heal completely in such short period... how old are you?
I have found this site so useful!! I am a 66 yr old grandmother and I broke my wrist in Nov when I slipped on a wet floor in India. I was taken to hospital where I had surgery - plates and screws in the distal ulna and distal radius. After 3 days I was discharged from hospital with a backslab plaster on my arm. I was told to straighten my fingers and make a fist immediately after surgery, and touch all my fingers with my thumb (It took time and effort to touch my little finger but I got there in the end). I returned to the hospital after 10 days to have the skin staples removed (about 32 of them!) and was fitted with a splint as I was flying back to the UK 4 days later. I had no problems on the flight, in fact it was a doddle as my holiday insurance arranged wheelchair assistance, which meant that I had someone with me at all times to carry my luggage and I was fast-tracked through customs & passport control.
I went to the local hospital when I got home, where they put my foreatm in a cast from just below the elbow to my hand, leaving my fingers and thumb free.
In early January I had the cast removed and immediately went to the physio dept where they showed me exercises to do at home. Now, after 2 more sessions at physio they don't want to see me again, although I have to continue the exercises at home.
I am really pleased with all the treatment I have had, both in India and UK. I have good movement in my wrist but need to build up the strength.
I was worried about my prospects of recovery at my age, but after reading all the accounts of broken bones here I decided to work really hard and prove I could get back to normal. I can do most things now, even pick up my 8 month old granddaughter - so I can start babysitting again!
Never give up hope, and do the exercises as often as possible!!!
Hi Jackie, thank you so much for your kind words. Your testimony shows everybody how to react and work through the healing process. I´m sure all your hard work was well worth the minute you held your little granddaughter ;)
Funride these pages are such an inspiration - I cant imagine how hard it must have been for you. I fractured my left distal radius 5 weeks ago slipping on the ice in appropriate shoes and had the cast off y'day.
The physiotherapist says I have good range of movement for so early on but I really struggle to turn my hand palm up or bend it backwards. I have exercises to do at home but how hard should I push it? Its still pretty painful. Also, there is some soft scar tissue in a lump on the back of my hand. Any ideas how long this will take to go down?
Hi Shoe_gal, thanks for stopping by. I understand you didn´t need any surgery, am I right? If this is correct I don´t know what that lump could be... did your doctor or physiotherapist explain you what it was?
After some time you´ll be able to push it harder but remember that you´ll have to feel pain in order to recover completely. I call it physiothorture LOL
Wish you fast and complete recovery :)
Thank you :) They did consider surgery or a manual reduction but decided it was just about ok without. My worry is that it is set in the wrong position and thats why my movement is limited? Guess I will just have to wait and see. Lol, physiotorture sounds about right though!
Take Care xxx
I am somewhat relieved having read all the posts, thank you so much. I broke my wrist (radius with distal fragments )and had k wires and cast removed last Friday.Really worried that I cannot do anything more than wiggle my fingers, anyone know how long before I might be able to even move towards making a fist?Have started physio and can bend wrist forward a little and a tiny bit backwards.
Hey Susie, I´m glad this hub and all the comments have helped you.
The period of time needed to regain more wrist movements depends on several factors but physio will have a big role. You should make an effort in the first couple of months of physio because those are the most decisive ones.
Wish you a complete recovery ;)
Thanks, back to physio tomorrow hopefully they will see a little improvement.Best wishes to you.
Broken Wrists in the News
- Reader views (0)Evening Standard11 hours ago
Tottenham goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini takes his first steps without the aid of crutches just 12 weeks after the horror motorcycle accident that left him with two broken wrists and a damaged pelvis.
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Buehler's employee hopes to bag national title
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Local hospitals are starting to see snow- and ice-related injuries due to the big weekend snowstorm, and they're trying to stay staffed as the current winter blast gets started.
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compu-smart says:
2 years 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:)