Wrist Fracture = Out for two months

McLovin

McLovin

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I fell pretty hard when I was skiing couple months ago. Got stitches on my head and sprained my wrist pretty bad. The wounds healed up pretty good leaving behind a nice scar and a fat hospital bill. My wrist still hurt but i didnt pay attention since the doc said it was only a sprain. Its been about 4 months since then and my wrist still hurts pretty bad. Can't do palm push ups or break a fall at all.

So I got tired of this slow healing and got another x ray this weekend.

Turns out I have a scaphoid fracture at the bottom of the thumb that was missed on the first x ray. And the bone hasnt been getting good blood flow so it hasnt been healing. They put my arm in a cast today, guaranteeing that it will be useless at least for 2 months. I'm pretty bummed out right now.

The doctor who put the cast on recommended that I get this device called the Bone Stimulator. if I get the device and use it there is 85% chance for full recovery. if not, chances are 50-50. I am thinking about getting a second opinion on this but I figured I would ask what you guys think.

Anyone had a similar injury before? If so, how did it heal?


View attachment 35573

A true twist of the wrist :spank:

View attachment 35572
 
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Well this sucks McLovin! I hope this helps: :hug:

If it doesn't try this: :iconbeer::iconbeer::iconbeer:

I hope you get it all sorted out....and look at the bright side.....
at least your riding season isn't limited like it is for some of us.
 
Crap! Sorry to hear that man. Don't know about the bone stimulator, but I would do what you suggested and get a 2nd opinion first. Heal quick, you have to ride with us in July!
 
Hate to say it McLovin, but scaphoid fractures are a serious issue. They are the key-stone to the wrist and have really poor blood supply, which is why they are so slow to heal. The odd thing is that the further end of the bone has better blood supply, so given that your fracture is further out, I'd give it a bit better than 50:50. However, those bone stimulators do in fact work.

Whatever you do... follow your doctor's advice. Do NOT use the wrist until he/she tells you it is ok to. When the time comes, ask for physical therapy and occupational therapy to get the strength back in your hand/wrist.
 
lytehouse said:
Well this sucks McLovin! I hope this helps: :hug:

If it doesn't try this: :iconbeer::iconbeer::iconbeer:

I hope you get it all sorted out....and look at the bright side.....
at least your riding season isn't limited like it is for some of us.
Click to expand...

Thanks. It helps :BLAA:

and I am definitely planning on :iconbeer: just waiting for some friends to come over

and I know in the greater scheme of things, this is nothing and people had much worse...still a bummer to not have my clutch hand for a while :banghead:
 
rsw81 said:
Hate to say it McLovin, but scaphoid fractures are a serious issue. They are the key-stone to the wrist and have really poor blood supply, which is why they are so slow to heal. The odd thing is that the further end of the bone has better blood supply, so given that your fracture is further out, I'd give it a bit better than 50:50. However, those bone stimulators do in fact work.

Whatever you do... follow your doctor's advice. Do NOT use the wrist until he/she tells you it is ok to. When the time comes, ask for physical therapy and occupational therapy to get the strength back in your hand/wrist.
Click to expand...

Will do. Thanks for the advice.

I think the worst thing I did was to use it a lot for all these months. I took the first doctors word saying its a sprain so in my limited knowledge, I did pull ups (to strengthen it), rode the canyons on the weekends, carried groceries etc. Doc said the fracture was much more visible on the 2nd x ray. So maybe I had to use it for them to notice it. :(
 
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CHEMIKER said:
Crap! Sorry to hear that man. Don't know about the bone stimulator, but I would do what you suggested and get a 2nd opinion first. Heal quick, you have to ride with us in July!
Click to expand...

Thanks ! Thats what I'm hoping for. I was riding both days for the last 3 weekends and finally was getting my groove back on a little bit. Hopefully i'll throw the cast and can join you guys before the summer ends! :thumbup:
 
Dude.. I'm so sorry :(
I had a scaphoid break about 5 years ago and it SUCKED. I was in a cast for 3 months :(
Did not use any devices to promote healing, but my fracture was also diagnosed within a day of injury.. don't know how that affects healing. I do know that this bone gets very little blood flow naturally and therefore it's one of the slowest to heal :(
I do know that they divide this bone in 3 sections when it comes to treating the fracture. I don't remember what they are called and what the locations are, but the mildest one should heal on its own within 6-8 weeks whereas the worst one absolutely requires surgery. Mine wasn't mildest or most severe.
I see it's on your left hand and at the very least I sincerely hope you're a righty! I'm a righty and it was my right wrist, which made me feel quite helpless.. had to learn how to brush teeth, shave.. etc with my left hand.
One thing I can tell you which hopefully will help make you feel better.. it DID heal eventually and with doing a lot of my own PT I got it to be just about 100%.
I wish you all the best!
 
I feel your pain...literally! Having had a similar experience very recently injuring my wrist in an accident on December last year..after initial x-rays, no fractures where picked up in either of my 2 very sore wrists....forward 8 weeks, and my right wrist feels fine, but my right wrist is still pretty much lame! So I go back to get another x-ray, and I find out I have 3 small fractures in my wrist...and the doctor wants to put it in plaster for 8 weeks! This was quite alarming to me, as I was due to leave on a long planned motorcycle tour of some 5000km's in length!!!

So I tell the doctor this...and the doc says I can't go...not likely!!!! So I walk out the doctors without a cast on my wrist, and a very weak wrist! Riding is painful, using the hand for anything is problematic, no strength, no power, and acute pain is associated with the simplest tasks!!!

My solution is to strap the wrist, and to try and rest it as much as possible. By the time I go on the bike tour the wrist is a little better, but still a pain that makes me' stop at least once on the tour cause I was in a fair bit of pain..stuck in traffic, having to use the clutch lots!!!

Fast forward to now...the wrist is still a bit sore, but i have most if my strength back, and it only aches when I lean on it for an extended period of time...

What I did is probably not such a great way to get a great result in terms of healing, but I feel now that keeping it moving helped keep the bloodflow in that area of my wrist, I have inadvertently healed it myself....

Just my 2 cents.
 
McLovin said:
Will do. Thanks for the advice.

I think the worst thing I did was to use it a lot for all these months. I took the first doctors word saying its a sprain so in my limited knowledge, I did pull ups (to strengthen it), rode the canyons on the weekends, carried groceries etc. Doc said the fracture was much more visible on the 2nd x ray. So maybe I had to use it for them to notice it. :(
Click to expand...

These fractures can be very difficult to see on xray, in the doctor's defense. The reason is shows better later on is that the poor blood flow causes avascular necrosis (AVN) of the bone, making the gap between the bones appear bigger.

The reason the doc is so strongly recommending the bone stimulator is because it's been months since the original injury and you haven't healed yet.
 
Get well soon, and follow your doctors orders! I missed about 2 months of last years riding season because of an injury to my right hand.

I had my ring finger tendon severed 100% as well as 80% damage to two other tendons. The digital artery was severed, Lumbricle (sp?) muscle and two nerves. The repair required surgery and lots of physical therapy over the following 3 months.

In hindsight, I rushed getting back on the bike which didn't help my healing process. My hand works, but it will never be 100% again.
 
Bad news. Hope you get better soon.

It could have been worse.

It could have been the throttle hand :eek:

Heal fast McLovin :thumbup:
 
rsw81 said:
These fractures can be very difficult to see on xray, in the doctor's defense. The reason is shows better later on is that the poor blood flow causes avascular necrosis (AVN) of the bone, making the gap between the bones appear bigger.

The reason the doc is so strongly recommending the bone stimulator is because it's been months since the original injury and you haven't healed yet.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear of your mishap and new finding Mike. Get well soon. I know how it can be trying. I also play guitar, bass and even have a djembe! I had broken ribs and couldn't lay ina bed for 3 weeks and then it was horrific to lay down and get up. :eek:

Thanks for this info Doctor Brother Rob. I was wondering why it might have been missed. That makes sense the way you've explained it and I see why they want to see my messed up wrist last year after the did'nt see any cold fractures.
I didn't think I was going to heal up as good as new but did. How does the bone stimulator work? What is it?
 
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Dude, say it isn't so! :eek:
Speaking from experience, do whatever the doctor says and heal quickly.
I'd be super bummed if you couldn't come on the July ride. :(
 
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