How to recover from a broken Wrist

[ttt]

When my wrist is out of the cast how should I go
about building my strength and flexability back up
to normal. Any special tecneiques or things I shouldn't do.
do I really need to spend any time after I'm out of the cast to recover
befofe I start riding again

 

[MX-727]

Get a referral from your doc to a physical therapist. They can figure out a plan for you that's tailored to your specific situation.

 

[YoTRacer158]

i broke both of my wrists at the same time, all i did for physical therapy was get one of those things you squeeze with your hand to gain wrist/forearm strength. the wrists havent bothered me since i started riding again, i'm just afraid it wont be the same for the broken clavicle i'm healing right now :ugg:

 

[scar tissue]

ttt

See a PT, I broke my wrist twice, first time Idid not do PT and it never healed coerrectly, (read still bothers me) Second time, (other wrist) I did PT right and I have no problems with it.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Make sure to work on flexibility

Definitely follow the PT regimen, it may vary depending on the type of break you had. I broke my right wrist pretty badly (7 different bones), erquiring an external fixator back in 99. I had that thing screwed into my arm and 5 pins holding everything together for 8 weeks and then a splint for another 4 weeks. As soon as I could I started using my fingers, (with the Doc's permission). He said as long as I could stand the pain the more I did the faster I would recover. When you get the cast or apparatus off your arm will obviously be very weak. In addition to the strenghtening regimen, stretching and flexion exercises are critical to recovering as full of range of motion as possible. I would emphasize flexability because your strength will come back naturally as you begin to use your arm. But skimp on the flexability and you'll end up with an uneccessarily stiff joint.

Good Luck and hope you have a speedy and full recovery!!!!

Joe

 

[PBraun]

I highly recommend the physical therapy route. I shattered my right wrist four years ago while snowboarding in Vail, Co. After the injury healed, my orthopedic surgeon referred me to a physical therapy clinic. I saw a physical therapist three times a week for 3 weeks. The PT first concentrated on range of motion & flexibility in the wrist. Once that was established, the PT worked on building wrist strength. I continued the stretches and strength exercises on my own for approximately a year after the PT ended. Today, the wrist does not bother me at all.

FYI,, I am new to the sport of motocross and have been riding for less than 1 year. I ride at local MX tracks and some great single track in the Sam Houston National Forest (North of Houston). No problems with the wrist at all, even after some unforseen "ejections".

Best of luck to you with your receovery.

 

[justql]

I broke my wrist 15 months ago. Required two pins. I did the PT thing. It helped but the wrist is still stiff. My doc said probably two years to recover completely and then I still might not have all the motion back.

 

[PK]

I broke both of my wrists last year pretty badly. I broke the left one in 8 places and the right one in 7places. I had em' both in external fixators with 4 pins in each and a plate in my left one. First off, you have to ensure that you have given the bones long enough time to heal. The younger you are the faster that will be. If you try to do things to quickly, you will be right back where you were when you first broke it, the doc can give you advice on the time period. It also depends on which bones you broke, the navicular and the other smaller bones in the center of you wrist take longer to heal due to the fact they recieve less blood flow than the ulnar and radius bones in your forearm. The biggest thing you'll have to overcome first is the atrophy that occurs in your muscles and tendons. It will feel like you can barely move it at first. You'll have to grit your teeth and move it anyway. I went to physical therapy for 3 months after the 2 months in the fixators. It seems like a long time but in the end it paid off. I can move my wrists with about 90% flexibility with only an occasional ache. Considering the first doctor to look at me didn't want to work on me and passed me on to another doc, it's pretty damn good. Buy a hand squeezer and a gyroscopic ball as well as some light weights. Do alot of reps of hand squeezing, wrist curls, and circular rotations with the gyroscopic ball before you go riding. Get the wrist strong before you jump on your bike again, otherwise it will hurt like hell when you do start riding again. Good luck, be patient and work hard. Don't fool around with this or it will become a life long problem. Do it right and you won't have a problem with it.

Pat

 

[jaguar]

Bone Nutrition

To heal the bones faster, provide your body with plenty of the necessary "buiilding blocks" to rebuild the bone. Go to the health food store and buy vitamin C 500mg, and bone meal that's been processed so that it hasn't been exposed to heat (which destroys nutrients).