Wrist fracture

Hello Kerrie53323

I also recently broke the radial styloid but less severely than you did. At first they weren't sure whther i had a fracture or not and they predicted a scaphoid fracture and explained that they may not be able to confirm it for   2-3 weeks. I was in plaster for 4 days and then that was replaced by a wrist splint because i was due to go on holiday for a few days and needed to fly.

Finally, after 4 weeks in total, i was told that i had had a radial styloid (non displaced) but that it had healed well. i carrried on with the bracce for a couple more weeks but not all the day. I do just have slight tenderness/discomfort at the base of the thumb/top of wrist. I'm not sure if that is ligament or not. I notice it when I wiggle my thumb.  My wrist movement is ok

Hi Kate.

My tenderness is very pronounced. I even asked them continually to check for break as it's been terrible all along. Any movement of thumb and I almost scream. My pinky is tender down the ligament along back of hand when I flex it or clench my fist. It's prob all normal. Drs said no break in thumb most likely torn ligament which will heal in time. My problem is I am returning to work tomorrow as a nurse and I need full use of hand. I have it, with pain.... i can't afford more time off. 3 kids and a mortgage etc.... we were down to our last 10 dollars last night and had to buy drain cleaner as kids blocked up drain lol. So no money till next friday....yay.

I guess I just wanted to be sure it was fairly normal and I wasn't going to cause more issues returning to work with it still being painful in those areas. The stiffness/tendernezs in wrist i can ignore....

I had a plate put in my wrist after I broke the distal radius. After 6 months of therapy, intesne pain and inability to move fingers and wrist I went to a hand specialist. I just had my hardware taken out, nerve repairs and tendon releases last week. I'm hoping it helps. My advise, go to a hand specialist! Don't wait any longer!

Thank you Jamie.  I have an appointment to see the same hand surgeon on the 22nd of this month.  I'm going to mention everything that I am going through.  I really don't want surgery because I've had some bad luck in the past.  Is a hand specialist the same as a hand surgeon???  If I don't like his answer, I'll definitely look into the speicialist.  Thanks again for the advice and Good luck to you!

I can feel your pain as I badly broke my wrist in Nov 2016. Still unable to grip anything tho there is little movement in my fingers now. Tingling & cramp daily which can worsen with exercise that I do umpteen times through each day. I attend physio twice a week, wish it was more as I really need to get back to work..its been 3 months now. Worse pain in my life tbh & Im not expected to get 100% use back, I have months & months of physio ahead of me which isnt always pleasant. Cannot drive as yet but I am determined to put all I can into getting better. Even now the tightness & burning are with me....what next. I hope your recovery is speedy but remember if the numbness cobtinues do see your doctor or inform your physio.

Hi - how are things with you? I broke my wrist about the same time as you found it so depressing having a cast on for 9 weeks. I started to drive 2 weeks ago - before that it would have been hard to pull handbrake on or go into reverse. I had physio on hand twice but that was it. It was thought was wrist was getting back to normal. It was difficult to use wrist at first but it's much better now. No pain. I do have a numbness in my middle finger and also a bit in my thumb. I did tell physion this and was given a gauntlet type thing to wear in bed and was told to see doc if it continued, which I shall do if it's no better in a week or so. I am thinking it may be carpel tunnel but it doesn't hurt and it comes and goes. It's hard to believe I still have a bit of a bump on wrist and hand not quite back to looking like the other. I do hope you will be able to go back to work soon. If I have ignored any messages it's because they  were going into my spam box!

Thank you for your comment, every one I read gives me hope as I have had so many low days. Its reassuring to hear you are back driving😊Did you have an op on your wrist or a plate inserted.

I know everybody recovers at a different pace but believe me the amount of exercises & physio I am doing is relentless.

I shall continue, I have no choice if I want to return to near normality.

Back to the exercises for me....

Funnily enough I broke my right wrist Nov 10th 2016....will never forget it! Had it in a cast for a week before they operated. Plate & pins put in, 10 days later the dressing came off & I was told to start physio immediately. The physio started 2 weeks later but its been a shambles. Either they are short staffed so I cnt have physio or they fit me in for 20 mins.. ridiculous! Ive only now been given a compression glove to help with the swelling, which has gone down by about 95% mostly before I was given it. The bruising has now fully gone. However the pain is still bad in my wrist when its moved a certain way..stretching was done by the physio as I was unable to move anything for so many weeks. I now have some movement with my fingers but cannot grip anything. I cannot turn my hand over & I now have a frozen shoulder to contend with. I am on tabs for the pain & tingling/burning feeling in my hand.

I have never felt so down in my life as I cannot drive or even pick up cutlery to eat. Im right handed & everything is an inconvenience. Apparently if I get near full use of my hand it will be many months again not weeks.

Anybody got any helpful advice for me that I can do to help myself at home...I am so desperate to be fit again...

My 12yr old fractured her right distal radius had kwire etc a year this month, she was having intense physio did exercises on the hour every hour , physio refered us back to surgeon he managed to convince me & daughter it was all in her head she couldnt bend her wrist or turn more than 45% , eventually insisted to get a 2nd opion turbs out her wrist was set at a slight angle that first surgeon missed on mri & xrays , were now waiting on another opp to break wrist again have a bone put back in socket that u can hear clicking in n out, its made her now have no confindece i wash her hair do her buttons etc shes got that bad she has panic attacks been picked on at new senior school , and if i hadnt pushed and pushed since sept we would still be doing physio that would never work to this day!!! She has no muscle in her hand now , but needs to start from scratch again!! If in doubt please insist for another opion

Hi Louise

So very sorry to hear about your daughters injury. I know exactly how she feels. Its been 3 months since the break but it certainly feels a lot longer.

Delay in physio & the meagre 20 minutes I get is insufficient so when my consultant saw me he referred me for intense physio at my main hospital which I started with last week.

The total frustration of not being able to do the simplest things like your daughter is going through bless her.

I will persevere with the physio & continue doing my given exercises at home in the hope that things will improve.

I too cannot bend my wrist forward or backwards & cannot turn my arm over which makes me feel so despondent. Xrays showed the plate has set well but there is a slight mis alignment in my outer wrist bone but should not give me any problems. I do not see my consultant now for 3 months.

I could not bear to have any further ops on my wrist as I need to get back to work. What kind of exercises is your daughter doing?

I wish your daughter all the very best.

I spend seven month waiting for the second doctor stop physiot and d the surgery in order t improve my hand and fingers, that were very stiff. Little bit improvement and a lot of metal in mt wrist and pins. I wish I had neved done such thing, but is done. My surgery was in November 3rd/16. They had to brake one of the bone and fix my hand. I believe that most of the exercices we can do at home, and try to use the bad hand, however, is still fragile and hurts if I try to use it. Never is going to be normal. It1s Ok! We survive!

I do many exercises at home to help my wrist improve, it is a very slow progress but every little bit of movement is a positive. I find bending my fingers etc in the bath is less painful as the heat helps relieve some of the pain & I gain a little more flexability.

However, the following morning the stiffness is back which is heartsinking after all the effort.

I would welcome any advice or exercise tips that others have done since breaking their wrist & have found it a great help.

I'm going through the exact same thing. I swear I can feel the plate hinge catching on my part of the hand that attaches it to the wrist. Dr says no. X-rays look great. Just sick of this.

Get well soon

I know the feeling, Im sick of it all tbh. Doing all Ive been asked to do, there is some improvement tho little....just very impatient & frustrated.

I to have thought the bone on my outer wrist is not lined up, especially after a gruelling physio session.

Got to keep going in hope that it all gets better & soon.

Good luck to you in your recovery.

Hi Elaine, 

I broke my left radius & ulna in August 2015 which was fixed with a plate and 8 screws. Like you, my radius was fixed slightly out of position with the end tilting downwards slightly, so now my hand is low and looks like it's on the end of a stick! Because of this it took much longer to rehabilitate and it was a good four months before I could think about driving. I never thought I would be able to look at my palm again as was impossible to rotate my hand for months. I found a hand physiotherapist which I paid for as the NHS offered nothing in the way of rehab, just an exercise sheet. I've seen a private surgeon for a 2nd opinion on my wrist and he said I could have it broken and reset, but like you, I can't face the thought of having to go through all the physio and trying to get back full movement again so I'm leaving well alone and living with the shortcomings. I'm sure you will get back your movement range in time but it takes much much longer than you think it will to get back to normal - I was advised that it takes a year to fully recover.  Good luck with your recovery and keep persevering with your exercises. 

Hi Sally

Thank you for replying, it does give me hope tbh that Im not the only one who has gone through this type of break. I feel I take 1 step forward & 3 steps back especially after physio. I am having intense physio now with numerous exercises to do.

Its been 3 months now & while I do see some improvement I was hoping I could do lots more with my hand by now.

The burning/tingling feeling has eas

Hi Sally,

Fingers really stiff & I do end up pressing wrong keys at times as of now.

I was about to say the burning/tingling feeling has eased quite a bit but exercise can sometimes bring it on but not severe.

I still cannot turn my hand over to see my palm tho there is slight but very slight improvement.

How long was it before you could make a fist or grip anything, I can just touch my index finger only with my thumb, cannot grip anything as yet considering all the hourly/daily efforts I put in.

My physio is only twice a week for an hour each time, wish it was much more.

Were there any exercises you did that you thought really helped you? I do get more help with my physio that just an exercise sheet...which I initially had!

Onwards & upwards my daughter tells me, though hard at times, I will keep perservering & hope to see some real improvement to keep my spirits up. At 61 yrs I live in hope to get back to near normal.

Thank you once again.

I'm 58 and my injury was the weekend after thanksgiving with surgery 12/6. 2wks in non removable cast, then removable brace with being able to only remove it 3x daily to do palm over and under and making fist 5 reps only. 2wks later keep it off and start PT. 2x weekly 1/2 hr sessions. Then we worked on range of motion now this thurs start strengthening. Still can't mostly do a closed fist. But with PT I have started drawing blood again. It was hard cause I use my left hand to locate veins. I also hold my tubes and needle in my left. I am right handed so I stick with my right then transfer everything to left hand. Thank goodness my sense of touch is back. Just no fist yet. Quite a bit of finger pain yet. I swear I feel that plate at the wrist to. Very slow progress. Doc says 6 mos to a yr for recoup.

I did some stretching exercises. Turning palm over and under, moving my wrist dude to side, crunching my fingers pay way down, then into the best fist I can do, pushing my palm backwards, hanging my wrist off table and massaging and bending under as well as I could, putting hands in prayer form and then sliding my elbows down the table till my hands were close to table. I have to run my hands under hit water first to loosen everything. Then Walmart carries fruit if the earth vitamin E hand Cream. My therapist uses it to. I give vigorous deep message to my arm and hand wrist tissues before and after. That really helps. Hit water

I can feel your pain, I had such a bad day yesterday, I could hardly do any exercises. I feel the meds I am on for the pain are making me feel ill, will have a chat with my physio tomorrow.

Stil cnt make a fist, cannot turn palm over or grip. Hot baths seem to ease the discomfort so I do quite a bit of hand/finger movement there.

No 2 days are the same, one day Im hopeful as I can move better, next day I feel as if theres little improvement.

I like

Oh dear, spasm in my arm jerks my hand & I end up sending mssg before I have finished what I want to say!

I will get that vit E cream as my physio massages me without any & it really hurts during the massage.

I too bend my hand from the wrist using end of table, use a compression glove to ease the swelling, massage my hand numerous times. Try to pick up items with my hand however small/big...some success so Il keep trying. Need to make a fist to grip better so I can drive my car again 😊

Well time for me to start my numerous exercises yet again, hoping for better movemen today.

Good luck in all your treatments, we will get there given time tho I guess it will be a long time yet.

Take care.

Gosh it's really hard to think back to how long these things took, but I could curl my fingers into my palm making a fist by about 8 weeks looking at photos. I don't think there was any one exercise that really helped more than another. You can buy squashy balls to help with grip, but really just trying to gently use the wrist doing everyday things is going to help you. I can remember struggling to hold a lump of cheese with my left hand while grating it with my right, cutting up food on my plate, trying to do up my bra - all these things were difficult and painful but day by day you should see small improvements from one week to the next. I do still have some discomfort with my wrist even now at 18 months post fracture - picking up my heavy cast iron saucepans in particular. The other thing I've developed is post-traumatic Dupuytrens which has made several hard lumps come up in my palm, but so far my fingers aren't affected thankfully. I know it's hard to imagine yourself getting mobility back again in those first few months, but you will eventually get there, just not as fast as you would like!

Wow after 8 weeks you could make a fist!! Did you have a plate & pins put in? It gives me hope every time I hear how good peple get on.

I cannot grip anything after all the physio I am having which I will be going for this morning. I too have dupytrens in 1 finger which was there before my break.

Time & patience & certainly all the physio I can do will help its just so slow.

Need to recover to pick up my newborn granddaughter...thats my goal.

Thanks for replying.

Hi Elaine

I broke my wrist 3rd May 2016 (You can see my postings) and I was in despair like I feel you are but I just carried on doing the exercises and yes they hurt and yes I felt like and did cry but hey it does come right.  I am a big golfer and it was hard sitting all year out especially when the Sun was shinging but I just carried on I did have a good Physio who kept me sane and hey ho this February I hit my first golf ball of 2017 and no pain and the grip was back. What I am trying to say is yes its's hard and we are all different and some breaks are worse than others (I was hospitilised and all that) but just keep doing the exercises treat yourself and  be kind to yourself and you will be soon holding your precious grandchild.

Good Luck and Best Wishes - Wendy x

Thanks for your kind words, I do feel as if Im fighting a loosing battle some days but I know I have to keep up the physio ...which I do every day rigorously.

Small signs of improvements as I so often say but better than none😊 Frozen shoulder is probably getting me down more than the wrist some days. I guess its early days for me with such a bad break...13 weeks since break...12weeks post op...got to think positive.

So glad you have recovered...good luck with the golf....

Hi Wendy, so glad to hear you are back to your golf. It makes me feel very happy for you but so desperate for me as I have not progressed at all. I still have physio twice a week but am unable to still supinate or pronate and flex/extend is limited.  I feel so desperate reading how everyone has in time progressed. I try and try everyday at my physio but nothing seems to get any better. I am now waiting to have my plate and screws removed As a last resort as my second opinion comsultant thinks one of the screws may be catching. I'm not sure but as she says " there is nothing to lose". She will also give me steroid injections and manipulate under anaesthetic. I know crps has also hindered my recovery but expected more movement than I have. Swelling and pain still an issue 9 months down the line. 

I hope you golf swing progresses and you don't get any further pain. Long rehab but worth it in the end for you. X

Hi Vicky Thanks for your good wishes and I really really do feel for you as I can remember those awful feelings when you feel you are not progressing.

The thing is looking back I feel you just have to have one person in your corner and for me that was my Physio (certainly not my consultant who I would like to meet again). It was my Physio who just kept telling me it might take 2 years but we would get there and It was him saying saying those little words WE that meant so much. Anyway enough of me it's you that is important now so tell this consultant that you will do what he/she advises but you want some promises that this is the correct thing to do and that you would like intensive Physio afterwards as this has gone on too long, easy to say than do I know but hey they are human beings and they w0uld not like to be in that position and if they were believe me heaven and earth would be moved for them.

Keep in touch and the very best  you are in my prayers.

Luv Wendy Xx

Keep fighting Daren.....as hard as I find it myself...there's hope for us in 😊

Yes I had a plate and 8 screws to fix my wrist.  I broke both the ulnar styloid and distal radius which was displaced and comminuted. I saw my hand physio sometimes once a week, sometimes once a fortnight. She pointed out that my wrist was not set in the correct position and gave me letter to pass to the orthopaedic surgeon who operated on me, but I was told it was within acceptable limits.  My pronation/supination is now pretty much the same as my unbroken wrist, but flexion and extension are both reduced because of the downward tilt I now have at the end of the radius, but I'm back to leading a normal life. Some yoga postures are challenging with a lot of weight on the wrist, and of course lifting something heavy, but it doesn't really stop me getting on with things these days. Have faith and good luck!