Broken wrist - need help with recovery
 

Hello All,
My story - I fell in Mexico and broke my wrist in 8 places (thankfully last day of vacation - and no it didn't involve drinking)....went to ER there, but wouldn't let them operate....had surgery a week later at home (in NH). Now
(7 weeks later) have 12 screws and a plate and getting O. therapy twice a week. My hand is like a claw, very stiff and fingers haven't been straight since accident, my arm is like a pretzel in that I can't bend my elbow all the way yet and most troubling my skin is like a snake's peeling constantly (even though I keep applying cream). I also have some numbness/tingling like you get from being in the snow too long... dr wants to do an EMG to look for nerve damage.
Any other stories like this? I saw "Sunshine's" from a few years ago and that gave me hope..... how long to full use?
Thanks! Well wishes to all of you with much worse stories! :(

Hello and Welcome to Neurotalk Support Groups, :Wave-Hello:

I am so sorry to hear about your wrist. What a way to end your vacation! It is good that you were able to get home for your surgery.

I think pursuing an EMG or nerve conduction study is a sound idea. Nerves are easily compromised and while even just swelling can cause problems for nerves there are inherent risks of injury or entrapment from surgical procedures and hardware. The testing will give you useful information and an important rule out. Hopefully, they are just "knocked out" a little from the procedure and will wake in time.

We don't have an area specific to orthopedic procedures but you will find conditions not listed with a specific board here.
General Health Conditions

And the folks here can help with nerve pain and related issues...
Peripheral Neuropathy

The Search feature at the top of every page will help you look for specific topics and FAQ will answer general forum usage questions.

Please share any other concerning or unusual symptoms besides the tingling and contraction with your doctor. Swelling beyond the normal post-op expectation, temperature or color changes, muscle tremors, atrophy, etc. These can indicate nerve entrapment or other syndromes and will have an impact on your treatment needs.

Keep up the therapy. Gains can be made over time and the body has an amazing capacity for healing. There is hope even for challenging cases as I can personally attest having had a nerve injury and complicated repair. I hope answers and improvement come your way soon.

My son shattered his hand/wrist back in 2001, he had to wait for swelling to go down before the surgeon could repair it..
It did take awhile and he lucked out with a top rated ortho surgeon doing the fix..

The clawing is usually a nerve issue, it could be trapped or pinched anywhere up into the neck & shoulder too, is PT working higher up the arm & shoulder as well as the hand?
When you fell the whole arm /shoulder probably took a jarring hit.

If you can find a place that has low level laser (LLLT - also called soft /cold laser), might be worth a try for healing & pain relief.. If PT places don't have it look at chiros.. just say you mainly want LLLT , unless you want to try adjustments too..

Which wrist was it and are you that handed?

Nice to meet you!!
 

:Wave-Hello: Hello and welcome, happy to see you have come to be with us, it a great place to be. We have a great number and caring fellow members here, where you have find a supportive and relaxing place. Have fun looking into the different forums. Our shoulders are here for support in many ways.

Please keep us up to date on your condition. Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you. :smileypray:

Darlene :hug:

wrist
 

Wow - thanks for all the replies! You guys are awesome!

I broke my left wrist, my right is dominant.

Yes the PT is working on my elbow/arm, that seems to be helping.

I'm currently waiting for an EMG apt date - 1 month wait unless theres a cancellation.

The scaliness of my fingers really bugs me... I apply cream several times a day and still at times I see my hands get slightly whiter and the skin forms cracks (yes like a horror movie).. is this from nerve damage?

Nerves do some odd things..it might be causing the cracking & dryness..
Maybe try some olive oil or coconut oil see if it helps/heals the skin?
Or add those oils to you diet/meals for whole/internal healing..