Wrist fracture

Hi Trish

I know how you are feeling as I did mine 12 weeks ago-  in plaster for 6 weeks and out of plaster now 6 weeks and I can honestly say I was getting down about it fingers stuck lots of pain and really feeling miserable - well just yesterday I can honestly say I have just started to feel that my hand might still  belong to me it is not as numb as it was and even though fingers are fully clenched (No fist yet) the fingers are starting to move. If you look back at Forum you can see I have been desperate as nothing like this has ever happened to me and not being able to drive and play golf has been HELL!!!  So keep your chin up and believe me it just takes time and I still have a long way to go!!!!

Best Wishes from Wendy

its good to hear things are improving for you.

best wishes Trish 

Hi Trish,

I remember feeling a lot like you after I had my surgery for distal radius fracture. I felt depressed and hopeless and like I may never heal back to normal. It took me about a good 11 to 12 weeks before I saw significant improvement. After surgery, I had a splint on for 2 weeks then switched to a molded splint for an additional 4 weeks. We tried a cast but it hurt like crazy and made my hand swell up so they put me in the molded splint instead. Like you, I could barely bend my fingers the whole time in the splint and could barely move my thumb at all. I thought it would never move or bend again. I was in constant pain and pretty much in bed almost the whole time while recovering. I had the shooting pains, pins and needles, throbbing, etc. Unfortunately, it's a slow process but it does get better! I can't stress enough how important physical therapy is after cast removal. I started PT right after cast removal twice a week for 8 weeks. By the 2nd or 3rd week my swelling had gone down a lot and I was able to bend my fingers more. By the 5th or 6th, I made significant improvement and was able to close my fist, bend my thumb and suppination/pronation was almost normal. I would recommend a PT that specializes in hand therapy. My wrist is still tight and improving but happy to be able to use it again! Oh and prepare for it to feel like a block of wood after having the splint removed lol. I know it's frustrating but I hope this at least gives you some hope that it will get better with time I was in your shoes not too long ago!

Hi Trish,  I was in a similar place to you 11 months ago with a comminuted and badly displaced fracture of the distal radius and ulnar styloid.  I had surgery to fix it with a metal plate and nine screws.  Unlike you I didn't have a cast straight after the operation but was put in a splint with heavy bandaging beneath it.  Initially I wasn't suffering too much pain until my stitches were taken out and the bandaging removed. After that it was a different story and the pain was frequently excruciating.  I was concerned with numbness in my palm and all round the base of my thumb and wrist and wondered if normal sensation would ever come back.  Probably one of the worst aspects was an area on the bony outer part of my wrist where the skin broke down and I had an open sore for weeks that was very painful. The exercises that were given to me by the hospital were impossible for me to do and I was so worried that I found a specialist hand physio to help me rehabilitate my wrist and saw her weekly.  It was nearly Christmas before I attempted to drive as it was my left wrist so that was a problem for gear changing and pulling on the handbrake.

It was probably a good 12 weeks before I could start to use my wrist gingerly at first. I would carry my arm like it was still in an invisible sling and felt anxious to let it hang normally for weeks. I never thought I would be able to look at my palm again! Thankfully when the swelling improved full sensation returned - I was worried about this but it's mainly caused by the swelling pressing on nerves and should resolve itself. 

Eleven months later I can use my wrist pretty much normally. I have restriction on flexion which is now about 80% but the other movements are almost back to normal. It still aches on certain movements on the ulnar side but I think that the reason for it is probably because the radius was set in a slightly downward tilting position which has meant my healing process has been slower than normal as tendons and ligaments have had to adapt to a slightly altered structure.  I could have an osteotomy (break/reset) to correct it but I don't know whether I can face going through the pain and rehabilitation all over again ?? so will probably just live with this reduced movement and a degree of discomfort and hope that over the course of time things will continue to improve. The other annoying thing is the hard lumps that have developed in my palm have been diagnosed as post-traumatic Dupuytrens! 

It's a slow road to recovery with a wrist fracture but day by day things will gradually keep improving for you. Without a cast you will heal faster because the more you can manage to exercise and use your wrist the quicker it will rehabilitate. Have faith ??

My physio has been .mentioning that I might have this but they say it is hard to diagnose.  I am not in lots of pain now but my fingers are really stuck and I cannot make a fist Is this what is happening to you.? I just wwant to get back to normal.

Please reply I would love to know what you know.

Wendy x

I can't make a fist yet