Broken wrist

[sammycat]

Just in time for the release of STS, I fell on the ice and now have a cast and two pins in my wrist joint. Of course I will follow doctor's orders, however I wondered if anyone else has gone through this in the past and can give me tips on getting back into weight training, etc. once I get the cast off and my doc's okay?

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

I'm so sorry to hear of your injury Sammycat! I can feel your frustration from here. I would be feeling the exact same way. But you will learn a lot of info and exercises in your physical therapy sessions. As you progress through therapy you will get a good indication of your limitations and when you can return to exercise and to what degree. No worries, eventually you will go at full throttle again but for now it will be smaller steps until you reach the top of the mountain. Good thing STS never expires, it will be here for you when you are ready . Good luck with your recovery.

Just in time for the release of STS, I fell on the ice and now have a cast and two pins in my wrist joint. Of course I will follow doctor's orders, however I wondered if anyone else has gone through this in the past and can give me tips on getting back into weight training, etc. once I get the cast off and my doc's okay?

 

[Pearlstrand]

Yup!

I fell and broke my wrist rollerskating about four years ago. I was in a cast for about 8 weeks, then had to go to physical therapy after that.

No good news for you -- your arm and hand will be all shriveled up and scaly when you get your cast off. You will have limited mobility and zero strength.

So my advice is this: Play it safe and do whatever your doctor tells you to do. Don't rush it because you could end up with a slower recovery.

By the way, my wrist healed completely and I was able to work out harder than ever, but it took time. Good luck!

 

[sammycat]

Ladies thanks so much

Cathe,

Thanks so much for the response. That was just the info I needed to hear - now I know eventually I can back up to speed.

Kathryn,

Thanks my friend - again just the advice I needed to hear. Aren't those casts a pain!

 

[Pearlstrand]

Casts...

I was in a full-arm cast for a couple of weeks (arm permanently bent at a right angle), which I hated! Then I had it replaced with a shorter (below elbow) purple cast. At least I could bend my arm (scratch my ear, blow dry my hair, etc.).

I hated the way my arm felt trapped (I have claustrophobia), how itchy I felt, how difficult it was to bathe, and how tough it was to get dressed (it was fall to winter). But I loved not being able to cook or wash dishes! That was nice.

Oh, another thing they don't tell you about casts: When mine came off, not only was my arm scrawny and scaly (from dry skin), but my wrist and hand looked oddly hairy! It was very strange, but that all went away in time, along with the dry skin and loss of muscle tone. Whatever you do, don't scratch off the dry skin! You can get an infection. Just moisturize and don't look at it.

I know this sounds awful, but it's helpful to know how to deal with these things -- especially when they don't warn you at the doctor's office. Good luck and hang in there. I feel (or felt) your pain. And I never roller skated again.

 

[fitaerofan]

I fell at work last June and broke my right wrist ( of course I'm right handed). I was in a splint for about 2 weeks and then I had surgery and a plate and screws were put in. I never had a cast because of the plate, but had to wear a splint. One of the first questions I had for the hand specialist was if I would be able to lift heavy weights again? He said my bones would be just as strong if not stronger after it healed. The plate was removed in Sept. and after physical therapy and the doctor's approval I started lifting again. I'm back to the weights I was using but my only problem is hand pain when I put pressure on it like pushups and dips. It's gradually getting better but for now I'm improvising by doing pushups on my knees with my hand in a fist (that doesn't hurt) and dips with my hand in a fist. Good luck with your wrist!

 

[eskiemom]

Sammy,

I fell and broke my wrist in three places this past Oct. 1. I had surgery to place a permanent plate Oct. 4. I was in a full cast for 1 week and then a shorter cast for 2.5 weeks. After that the doctor had me work on range of motion only for 4 weeks. After that I was cleared to lift 8 - 10 lbs. I was finally completely cleared to lift heavy at the 13 week mark (just last week).

I still have some stiffness, but I can feel a bit more strength come back everyday. Pushups and dips are a problem, but I did invest in pushup bars.

While I was healing I focused on cardio and legs. I lost less strength than I thought I would, but I'm probably still 4 weeks or so from being able to lift what I could.

Your healing time will be over before you know it. Don't get discouraged. And don't overdo it and cause yourself a setback. I had to really rein myself in after I started feeling better at the 8-week mark.

Best of luck to you.

Laura

 

[cheval]

Just be glad you only broke the wrist. Think of how you'd be if you broke a leg/ankle, too!

Seriously, you'll heal up just fine as long as you follow Dr's orders. When my cast came off, my doc said do whatever I wanted as long as it didn't hurt. If it hurt, back off. Except for when I was being tortured by my physical therapist! Then I was to do what I was told.

April

 

[Carolyn B]

Hi Sammycat,

I'm so sorry to hear that you broke your wrist! This is actually my anniversary weekend for breaking my wrist - eight years ago while doing Cathe's IMAX 1! I went to jump on the step and missed. When I fell, I heard my wrist crunch - broken in three places! I didn't have a cast - they put on an "external fixator" which was a bunch of rods to hold it in place.
I have to say it was not fun!

One question - is the wrist you broke on your dominant or nondominant hand? I am right-handed and that is the wrist I broke. That meant I had to learn to do everything with my left hand. That actually turned out to be the hardest part - my hand hurt so much they put me in physical therapy for my left hand before the fixator came off my right! If that is the case for you, you might want to ask your doctor to start you on physical therapy to strengthen the hand you will be using for the next few weeks.

As others have said, when your arm is finally freed, your hand, wrist and arm will look withered and physical therapy will hurt! (I actually fainted during my first session when she took my hand and bent it back after 8 weeks of no movement.) The good news is that you will be amazed at how quickly the strength comes back with good phyiscal therapy.

In the meantime, when you feel up to it, you can do cardio - I would suggest walking or using a stationary bike or treadmill - your balance will be off, so I wouldn't recommend hi-lo or step. You can also do lower body and abs, so you won't feel like you've lost all your fitness. While I had my fixator on my arms, I was a member of the YMCA and used their equipment. Needless to say I was happy to get back to my home workouts, but it was a while before I worked up the nerve to jump on the step again!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Carolyn

 

[sammycat]

You guys are great

Well, I guess I can expect a skinny, stinky arm when the cast comes off. Seriously, I appreciate all the advice and I promise to take it easy. Better safe and slow, then doing more serious damage. (I do medical transcription, so my wrists/hands are very important to me!) I will follow all the great advice. It's nice to know I'm not the only clutsy person out there! I realize how lucky I am. Some of you ladies have done serious damage with plates and screws - I just have two pins coming out in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again. I'm going to print out all your replies and post them in my workout area so when I do get discouraged, I know my fellow Catheites have traveled there before me!