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Broken wrist, how long does the pain last after removal of the cast?

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chloe02837
chloe02837

 I had a bad colles radius fracture 7 weeks ago requring a 'bier block' manoevre (agony) and have been out of plaster now for 9 days. I am doing excercises which I have found on the internet as there is a 5 week wait for physiotherapy. My main worry is the pain. Can anyone tell me how long I can expect the pain to go on? It feels relentless especially at night when I wake up wiith it burning terribly in my wrist. During the day it is there but not so bad, especially if I am walking. The other worry is that although I feel I am getting more movement with the excersises I am a long way from being able to form a fist. When I attempt a fist my fingers feel tight and sore. My hand is weak and I am unable to cut food yet as it is too painful. I don't find pain killers help much, and they make me feel groggy so I only take them at night and as soon as they wear off I'm awake with agonising pain. I also have bad aching in the end of my thumb. I'd be interested to hear exeperiences of anyone who has come out of this, if you can remember how long it was before the pain and discomfort went and normal life can be resumed! I am a 66 year old woman. It's very frustrating to still not be able to do normal tasks like opening a jar or do some gardening.. 

3 likes, 202 replies

202 Replies

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  • jenny67664
    jenny67664 chloe02837

    Posted

    I have a sore area and its little bit red. On opposite side of break. Showed dr, she felt it and made no comment as to why. Speaking to her next Monday, they now ring you back with result to make follow up apt if needed. Suits me as taxi there and back not cheap! Put cream on it made no difference, just seemed more sore! Got message to brain from hand and arm...you did a bit too much...thinking about it...yes I have...IPad I me heals recovery 😉
    • melgirl22
      melgirl22 jenny67664

      Posted

      Hey! I also am having pain on opposite side (ulna area). Did yours ever go away? 
  • kathacin
    kathacin chloe02837

    Posted

    Hi Chloe, I feel your pain..had a dislocated fracture of my wrist following a fall in the beginning of August. Had very similar experience as you pain wise & can reassure you it WILL GET EASIER! Genuinely thought it would never stop hurting & the pain was so wearing. Physio is important, I was told that if I couldn't make a fist I should get a private physio appt asap & not wait for NHS appt as it would take longer to regain use of it..it cost £45 & really helped as showed me some small movements I could start with & get things moving as I literally had a lump of wood at the end of my arm that just hurt continiously!

    I won't say I'm 100% & still have some discomfort but can now carry a bag & lift things, turn on taps (don't laugh it was a big moment!) & open things. Never thought I'd see the day! I found it helped to do the movements they showed me in warm water at 1st & keep wrist elevated as much as possible to ease pain. It won't be the bone that's the problem for you so much now as the damage to tendons, nerves & soft tissue..the physio said they needed to be woken up basically but don't over do it just a few minutes 3 times a day. It will get better so stay as positive as you can & get to that Physio. Thoughts with you x

    • chloe02837
      chloe02837 kathacin

      Posted

      Hi, thank you for your encouraging comments and thoughts. I did reply earlier but it doesn't seem to have liked it as I enclosed a link to a physio Youtube. Like you, I will probably go for private physio but I am having cranial osteopathy weekly which helps a lot.I find doing some of the excersises under water in epsom salts soothing. It's jsut good to hear from other people that the pain and tingling will eventually go as it feels like it never will. It's so tiring, I keep falling asleep! I must try not to overdo the excersises as you say, and take heed that a few mins 3 times a day is enough. speedy recovery to you too x
  • GhostWriter
    GhostWriter chloe02837

    Posted

    For you Colles and Colles type fractures -- how do your wrists look? I am having reasonable movement and I'm beginning to type again (broke both arms Oct 5) but the Colles wrist fracture hurts on the side opposite the fracture and at the inside of the wrist. It looks flattened. I was curious to know what you think of the appearance of your fractured wrists. 
    • jenny67664
      jenny67664 GhostWriter

      Posted

      As I am skinny I don't know if bone little finger side sticks up more or not. I have a flatter Palm, or that's what it looks like compared to the other. Both arms must have been so hard to do anything. Glad you are able to use them
    • chloe02837
      chloe02837 GhostWriter

      Posted

      Mine is the same - big lump on the outer side of the wrist and flatter on the other side, which is weird as it was my radius that had the major break. my palm and fingers are tingling which is better than the hurting which seems to have been non stop most of the time - only easing off in the last week. I read it can take a year for the wrist to appear normal again!
  • brenda07067
    brenda07067 chloe02837

    Posted

     I broke my wrist on May 30th in 2 places. Had cast on for 5 weeks then in brace for 2 weeks. How long does theskin stay tender and how much should you exercise your wrist each day. Can you exercise it too much? I just want to get back to normal? Pain lst night after taking off brace (dr said I don't need it now) was bad. ny suggstions. I am 59 years old and had low vitamin D and was prescribed supplements.

    • jude-57
      jude-57 brenda07067

      Posted

      Hi Brenda, I was wondering how your wrist is doing? I broke my left wrist in two places July 29th and just got the cast off 7 days ago...surprised that I still have swelling - wondering how long you had swelling and pain. I am also 59 and know it takes a little longer for us to heal. dr didn't give me much to work with- handed me a pamphlet. I am able to bend3rd, 4th, and 5th fingers pretty good but can't bend my thumb much at all at the knuckle. I was wondering, as you were in your statement, if we can hurt it by doing too much. I got the impression I should constantly try and make a fist, etc. Hope  you are recovering well and wonder if you have any pointers. Frustrating I can't pick up much (but paper), cant fold towels, etc. My husband has been pretty good at helping, though. Any advice is appreciated!  We're going to the Caribbean in November and was hoping I could swim--or snorkel but not sure if I'll be able to by then.

  • wendy26886
    wendy26886 chloe02837

    Posted

    Hi Chloe

    Please can you tell mehow you got on as everything you are saying is happening to me now and nobody is being very helpful my fingers are stuck like you spoke of and I am 6 weeks out of plaster and still in lots of pain.frown

    Please reply if you get this.

    With thanks Wendy

    • kayte25583
      kayte25583 wendy26886

      Posted

      Hi Chloe, I am also 6 weeks out of plaster and my fingers do not make a fist.  I hope you have improved as I see your post was 8 months ago. Could you tell me how you now are and how long it took for your fingers to loosen.  

      With thanks, Kayte

       

    • irene05321
      irene05321 kayte25583

      Posted

      hi i am 2 weeks out of plaster. I had also cracked my scaphoid just above my thumb. I felt ok till i tried using it as normal. I have developed pain at the tip of my thumb. I  wonder if a support would help  ??
  • Stylnmom
    Stylnmom chloe02837

    Posted

    Hi, Chloe. Hope you are healing nicely. I just broke my wrist on this July 24th and had to have pins and screws put in. Two days ago I had the cast removed and now have a brace. I believe I am in more pain now than when I first broke it. I was wondering what things you would recommend for the pain.? And if you have any tricks to help with sleeping?

  • Humpty_Dumpty
    Humpty_Dumpty chloe02837

    Posted

    Hi Chloe.....I hope things are better for you now....after reading all the responses, it would appear I've been lucky....at least so far. I broke my wrist on 12th July this year (2017) I had the plaster cast removed 3 days ago, after 5 weeks, along with 3 pins. Whilst in the cast, I had very little pain from the fracture, only the night it happened and I was lucky enough to be hospitalised for the night and had access to pain killers. I went home the next day and suffered more from the pins and the swelling, but only when I tried to move my hand. When I rested it, I had no pain...so sleeping wasn't a problem...I had nothing like some of the comments here and if I had, I think I would have been tempted to seek advice, as my surgeon told me to do just that if pain persisted. I could move my fingers whilst in the cast but my thumb was really painful if I tried moving it. Having the cast taken off and the pins removed was actually painless, so don't worry about that but the nurses sent me through the roof when they compressed the wounds to stop the bleeding, fortunately it only took a few seconds but it was long enough. My hand and arm is very stiff as all muscle and ligaments had seized up for 5 weeks! And it is very painful trying to move them and do the necessary physio to get them working again. 3 days post pins out, I can almost make a fist but without the thumb, either inside or out. I can spread my fingers and thumb to a degree and extend my fingers straight. I can barely move my wrist or twist my arm...in fact, lifting my arm straight up, either in front of me or to my side was really painful at first. I can't grip anything, I can just hold my toothbrush to put the paste on! I'm hoping the movement and use will return soon as I've lots of work to do, converting a barn! I'm 63 so expect a slower recovery...I fractured the same wrist when I was 30 and I don't remember any issues with recovery. I'll keep the thread posted of my progress as the other posts were helpful to me. Chloe, you must be better now but it would be good to know if you have any lasting issues. I sure as hell don't want to break anything else.

    • Stylnmom
      Stylnmom Humpty_Dumpty

      Posted

      Well, I'm not Chloe but I am glad you are healing. I have started soaking my arm in an epsom salt bath and using Arnica and Salonpas to help with the stiffness now. It seems to be helping some. I am 45 so I know my recovery is going to be long as well. Just trying to get thru one-day-at-a-time. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

    • Humpty_Dumpty
      Humpty_Dumpty Stylnmom

      Posted

      Hi sty....thanks for that....I'm healing but slowly...I've not tried soaking it in anything yet but pretty much keeping it moving all day...I can make a fist just....with fingers touching my palm....actual wrist movement is lot slower to come...it'll be interesting to see how long it takes.....when did you break yours and was it just the radius?

    • Stylnmom
      Stylnmom Humpty_Dumpty

      Posted

      I broke my radius and cracked my ulna. My accident was on July 24,2017. I just had my cast removed a week ago. I can't quite straighten my hand and I'm just trying to get my fingers to bend down. Still no where near my palm yet. I can do small movements with my thumb as well. I have never before broke a bone so, I too am very curious to see how long. Does sound like a painful process though.

    • ooops64
      ooops64 Stylnmom

      Posted

      Hello to everyone

      i am 68 and untill this year 2017 I have never broken a bone. I broke my wrist whilst gardening 14th August. I am in the UK so I went to my nearest NHS hospital. The x rayed my wrist and informed me I had broken the Radial bone. They put my arm in plaster, I had only a week to wait, then I had a call to go in, only 7 days wait, for an operation to have plate and pins. I did think I was lucky it wasn't my right hand, and just tbe left hand. It is three days since my operation. And I am trying to start my finger exercises. I saw them online, surgeon said he will put me down for physio after cast comes off in two weeks. Keeping my hand pointing to ceiling, and putting it on three cushions while sleeping, as he said keeping it raised important to keep swelling down. All these posts so important, I shall record my progress till all is well. Washing is so difficult thank goodness hubby here to help with right underarm. Have a plastic sleave for shower, to keep water off, good old Amazon. Trying to be optamistic.

      hope all earlier people who posted are well and truly recovered.

    • gail84058
      gail84058 ooops64

      Posted

      Hi ooops I was interested to read your experience which is similar to mine. I had the part cast off 2 days ago after 5 weeks. I've got plate and pins in situ. NHS experience was excellent and the surgeon I think has done a great job. Must say it's more painful now I'm starting physio although I did keep fingers moving as much as possible. I am learning to play the violin so the surgeon says I should be able to get back to that. I managed to do some knitting too quite steadily over last few weeks. I'm managing without pain killers but I'm tempted now that I know Physio hurts!  So THANKYOU for your threat I know I'm not alone- at 62 I now accept I'm not a spring chicken anymore - must be more careful and no more dog walking!! 

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