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Wrist fracture

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jan00794
jan00794

I fell and broke my wrist seven weeks ago. It was a collies fracture but with two breaks. It was put

Into plaster for five weeks. I am now two weeks out of the plaster and I can't believe how horridly

painful it is! I am doing the exercises religiously and am trying not to overuse it. The worst pain

comes from the little finger side and not near the thumb. Where the fractures were is uncomfortable but the other side of my hand is worse. That side was black and blue when the plaster came off and pretty badly swollen. Some, but not all of the swelling has receded.

Anyone else had this experience? Not sure if I should return to the surgeon or, if it's pretty normal,

stop whining!!

7 likes, 302 replies

302 Replies

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  • sue60937
    sue60937 jan00794

    Posted

    Oh my word, thanks for this thread!!

    I felland broke my wrist in two places just over three weeks ago and have had a metal plate inserted.

    When I left hospital I only had a splint as opposed to full cast and even the splint was uncomfortable.

    Four days ago the splint was removed and the pain is excruciating. Sharp pangs of pain shoot up my arm on the thumb side. I was getting really worried but reading about all your experiences has calmed me down.

    I am now wearing a hand guard during the day and remove it at night as it is very restrictive.

    I too have to have the Dexa Scan as I am 62 years old.

    As for excercises.... I try but boy it hurts. Patience is a virtue

    • Cassp
      Cassp sue60937

      Posted

      Hi Sue

      Like you I was very grateful to find this thread. It is great that you didn't have a full cast - I'm sure that will help over the longer term. But now the thing is to try to wean yourself off the hand guard as quickly as possible as it will restrict your movement. As long as your wrist is immobile, it will be that much harder to get the swelling down, and the swelling adds to pain and, in turn, immobility. I tried a few things to help with the pain and there are lots of helpful suggestions on this thread. Painkillers, heat, ice, will all help and for about a week I took sleeping tablets (for the first time in my life) which enabled me to get a vaguely decent night's sleep. I've previously recommended an analgesic cream that worked extremely well, but you might have to order it from France - let me know if you'd like the details. The more exercise you can do, the better. I started with a soft orthopaedic ball and any time you can spend with a physiotherapist will be well worth it.

      Hang in there - it's hard to believe but in even a couple of weeks you'll be feeling a lot better. It's been nearly 4 months since my break and I have almost complete use of my wrist - the flexibility is good and I'm just working on improving weight bearing, which is slower but continues to improve. 

    • Sally4Edgar
      Sally4Edgar sue60937

      Posted

      Hello Sue,

      I've had a similar experience as you and would be interested to hear how you're  getting on five months after your surgery. I'm a little younger than you at 57 and also likely to have a DEXA scan I think.  Two weeks ago I tripped over a paving stone and smashed my left wrist badly. I  haven't seen my x-ray but I believe my distal radius was broken in four places and I have a styloid fracture of the ulna, so I made a really good job of it! I had surgery - a plate and pins inserted to put it back together again. I was discharged with my lower arm in a thick crêpe bandage with a wrist brace and sling.  

      I think I was fortunate to have had a nerve block which kept my arm numb for 24 hours and when sensation returned I feel very fortunate that I was not dosing myself up with masses of painkillers in contrast to some other people who have posted here. One Tramadol on the first night and one 500mg paracetamol sporadically - hate taking meds if I can avoid! 

      Had first follow up 3 days ago and now it's a different story. Stitches out and heavy bandaging reduced to a cotton stockingette tube and the same wrist brace (XL - so not a really close fit now bandage is reduced). The rest of the day after I had the appointment things seemed okay, but yesterday and today all change and the pain has been really intense some of the time - like it was when I broke it. I know I must start exercising it feels wrong that I should start trying to move use it at this early stage when feeling so much pain just doing nothing!  

      I hope you are much improved since this post - it would help to hear some encouraging experiences. Did you have any physio at this stage of your recovery? 

    • Guest
      Guest sue60937

      Posted

      I LIVE IN AMERICA AND RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM A LOCAL HOLISTIC DOCTOR WHO SAID SHE USES PEMF WHICH IS PULSED ELECTRO MAGNETIC FREQUENCY AND RELIEVES PAIN OF MANY KINDS INCLUDING FRACTURES.  SHE SAID THE FIRST TREATMENT YOU WILL KNOW IF IT WORKS FOR YOU.   SHE INCLUDED A VIDEO OF DR. OZ DEMONSTRATING IT
    • donna98755
      donna98755 Cassp

      Posted

      2 years on, i do not have full movement of my wrist,at all! swells,and causes me pain. due to complications of the cast becoming loose and hospital not checking! my wrist had to be manipulated back into place-with no pain killers,3 weeks into the break! 8 weeks i spent in cast,and 6 weeks of physio.but no inprovement,at all. i was just unlucky.i do fear i will not be able to secure employment due to this wrist.
  • rik85622
    rik85622 jan00794

    Posted

    Hi, I was surprised to see so many people on here in such a short space of time asking the same questions around the various types of wrist fractures you guys have suffered, primarily around after care and pain.  Hopefully this will give you all some hope.  I am a 46 year old male, classified as fit for my age (i do quite a lot of sport and football etc) but suffered what the doctors called a major trauma fracture to my wrist and ulna.  Mine was suffered when I punch a punch bag showing off literally as hard a punch as I could muster.  My wrist fractured into 10 pieces and the force of the punch then made my fist travel underneath my forearm bones which snapped them in two place around 2 to 3 inches up my arm travelling away from my wrist.  This happened on 06/02/2015 so getting on for 4 months ago now.  The operation consisted of them removing bone fragments from my wrist which were replaced with I a titanium butress plate (Looks like a letter T or T-Bar) and a titanium bar screwed into my broken ulna bone.  I have a 7 inch scar down the inside or my right arm.  I was in a cast for 7 weeks then a wrist brace to wear for protection.  I have all the sypmtoms mentioned on here, such as the stinging pains, skin irritation (mine feels like its been burnt at times) numbness on the palm, extreme painful and stiff movement of the wrist etc but even I have hope.  I have been told I may only get 50% of normal movement back.... ever and that it may take 2 years to reach 50% but I have faced this head on and challenged what the doctors have said.  I stopped taking pain killers as it was affecting my appetite and only now take them if absolutely necessary but if you rest your arm on a pillow for 30 minutes the pain should go, so don't take meds if you can help it.  I've seen a specialist sports injury doctor who has given my some exercises to do and whilst they hurt like mad I have been doing them now for 4 weeks and I am already up to around 40% of movement.  So now, when I naturally move my hand say 20% of movement to brush my teeth for example, now pain.. because I have pushed through that barrier so to speak.  The obvious and most natural thing to do when you feel pain in your wrist is to stop, don't move it anymore but unless you stretch the nerves and tendons beyond where they want to now sit, your recovery back to anything like normal movement will take much more time and cause longer periods of pain.  SO, I guess what I am saying is, push your stretches beyond the point where it starts to hurt by say 10% each time and before you know it you will have better movement with less pain.  I've still got a long way to go, but over the past 4 weeks I have become more positive in my mind knowing that I am not going to let this injury affect me for as long as the Dr's may suggest.  Positive thinking and aggressive stretches is the way I am going to go and hopefully will work for me.  A great exercise is to rest your forearm on a table edge with your wrist hanging approx 2 inches past the edge of the table, then relax your wrist. The weight of it should naturally allow it to drop an inch or two towards the ground.  It will hurt.  Then, with your fingers as straight as they can go, try to bend your wrist further towards the ground and hold it there for 20 seconds.  Repeat this 3 times and try to do twice a day and sometimes with your fingers straight but spread apart and it will wake up the nerves and muscles in your foream and will expand the tendons in your wrist.  Most people think they might break their wrist again if they push the stretches too far but that is not the case.  The stiffness comes from the white tissues around your broken bone(s) area being enflamed, so just push past that and you will be left with left pain afterwards.  Good luck everyone, I will report back here in a month or two to let you know how I am getting on.  If you want a full list of the exercises I am doing, email me if you can (not sure if you can on here) and I will gladly share with you.  Rik
    • Guest
      Guest rik85622

      Posted

      COULD YOU SEND THE LIST OF EXERCISES YOU DID TO HELP THE BROKEN WRIST RECOVER?  THANKS, RIK
    • donna98755
      donna98755 rik85622

      Posted

      i was offered surgery to plate my bone in place, but i refused as they could not garauntee full movement. i still do not have full movement 2 years on.this is going to be a part of my life now,but coming to terms with it is tough. being a single parent,and living with my youngest daughter who is almost 17.I do gardening and heavy lifting,which does not help my wrist,but i have no choice but to carry on the best i can.
    • wendy26886
      wendy26886 rik85622

      Posted

      Hi Rik

      Really interested in what you have to say. Please e-mail me to tell me how you are going on I am 6 days out of cast and pain is hell but I want full movement again so I am will push push push so tell me how you are getting on and send me your exercise sheet. Thanks from

      Wendybiggrin

    • katejo11
      katejo11 wendy26886

      Posted

      Hi Wendy

      When I had my wrist fracture last year I tried to provide a link to exercises on this forum but it was removed. Just Google 'wrist fracture exercises' and you will find links to several hospitals. I used one from Oxford University hospitals (OUP). They are pretty similar in content.

    • wendy26886
      wendy26886 katejo11

      Posted

      Thanks Kate I will do it right now. Hopefully should get physio next week just need to know what I am doing is correct and that I am not doing myself more harm.

      Thank You

       

    • krista21021
      krista21021 rik85622

      Posted

      Hi Rik,  Could you please send me your exercises also.  I broke the radial bone of the wrist.  It was set in the correct position again at the hospital and splinted, followed by a cast a week later.  Two weeks later I had surgery - a plate and scews were put in and resplinted.  Two weeks ago the splint was removed.  Ive had no physical therapy because I left for vacation the day after the splint was removed.  I've done some daily exercises on my own.  The pain is still constantly horrible, horrible.

    • wendy26886
      wendy26886 rik85622

      Posted

      Hi Rik

      Just read your blog properly and would like to know how you are getting on now are things a lot better? Your blog gave me some hope so thanks for that I brokemy wrist in May and I am a golfer and sick over missing all this fab weather sot please let us all know how you are doing and how long did it take to get back to normality.biggrin

      Regards Wendy

  • Melb
    Melb jan00794

    Posted

    Hi.

    I also broke my wrist was told in Torquay that it was my radius and ulnar. Came off an electric bike when it literally threw me off going up a hill reared bavkwatds. Torquay plastered it. Came home to Colchester but they never got my records from torquay. Saw a Dr that said it was broken in more than 4 places put a cast on at a really funny angle

    Did say he would see me in 3 weeks but when I queried it agreed to see me the following week. Following week ignored everything I said and told me I would only get 60 -70 percent movement back. I said I had broken more than a dozen bones and that it didn't feel right and wanted a hand specialist. I had dislocated and broken my finger a few years ago that was operated on and is doing well. I then saw someone at broomfield my gp referred me who are the specialist hand hospital by then it was 3 weeks after I'd broken it and was told that seeing as the breaks were healing she thought I was better off to now leave it to set for another 3 weeks she did change the angle of the cast. Still no onr has looked at the original crays. More than 4 weeks later my hand is still really painful swollen fingers and burning hot all the way up my arm and lots of bruising at elbow. I am very worried that when it comes off it won't be any good but how many times should you push to go back. I was diagnosed with osteo penia in 2009 beginning of osteoporosis and should have had a scan last year but it wasn't done. I did have one yesterday but 2 doctors have already told me that my wrist wouldn't have shattered as it did if I didn't have osteoporosis.

    I have tore the ligaments in my wrist before and from reading your threads it looks like this is quite common with wrist breaks. I had an excellent physio and had to use hot and cold buckets and strict exercises I didn't break anything that time though.

    I have another 2 weeks before I see the fracture.clinic should I wait when it feels so wrong. I use a stick and need my wrist to be able to use my stick. Will it ever be able to take my weight.

    • Docexaminer
      Docexaminer Melb

      Posted

      How did you come out? I would love to hear more about your case. 
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