UKC

6 months ago found out I had a fractured scaphoid in my left wrist. It happened 2 and half years ago but was unaware at the time. Consultant hoped to operate and pin the fracture to prevent risk of arthritis later down the line. A recent CT scan showed that arthritis has already set in and too deep to operate. So according to the consultant 'it's a 1 way street from here'.. (From his expression I took that to be a street going downhill as opposed to one that leads to a rapid recovery back to full health - could have made a joke at the time but wasn't really feeling it. I'd already made a bit of a dick of myself when he'd asked (with raised eyebrow) 'I see you've had another scan recently? On your right hand this time?' which I categorically denied, somehow forgetting I'd impaled a quickdraw into my other hand about 3 weeks earlier). 

Wrist doesn't hurt much at the moment, but I can feel it. Doc says to carry on as normal, but that at some point he will probably need to remove the two nerves to that area to reduce pain and later do some 'salvage surgery' to remove/fuse some of the wrist bones and reconstruct the wrist. He was basically brimming with good news. Salvage surgery?! What about reconstructive surgery? Or something that doesn't imply I've got a shipwreck embedded in my arm, slowly rusting away. 

Just wondered if anyone else had been through the same? I'm hoping that I can climb as normal for a while and that the loss of flexibility after surgery doesn't mean I cant climb at all. Dave MacLeods recent blog on similarish issue with his ankle has been good to watch.

Cheers, 

Ollie 

Hi Ollie

I am about 10 years further down the line of some similar wrist issues you describe. I had the denervation operation, which has been reasonably effective in limiting the pain and allowing me to forget about it, though it obviously doesn't do anything for the development of arthritis and the stiffness.  I had similar disbelief at the apparent lack of reconstructive options, but having done the rounds with various surgeons and specialists it is a reality I think.  As I understand it the surgical options of partial fusion and proximal row carpectomy need to be taken up before the arthritis spreads too far, so bear that in mind.  I chose not to do either because the success rates and outcomes didn't look any better than managing the gradual decline.  Climbing wise it's been manageable for me, with some adaptations to avoid irritating it unduly (in my case this has meant minimising mantling and jamming if possible).  I climbed as hard as ever 8 years after the trouble started and it's only occasionally been a limiting factor.  Dave Mac's attitude to permanent damage has inspired me too!  Hope this wasn't too depressing a view, PM me if you want to ask anything

I have broken the scaphoid on both my wrists, playing rugby, at least 30 years ago.....I have never had any trouble with them, no signs of arthritis, touch wood.  They were x rayed, diagnosed and put in plaster the same day, so that is the big difference with your situation....good luck with it and hope your climbing is not too impaired....

I will be honest, I have been less than happy with ortho in the UK. In 2009 I had a wrist injury where I actively heard and felt something loudly snap and my half my fingers went numb as the ulnar nerve was hit. I got it seen by a GP at the time, who did not refer me further. It took a couple of years for that wrist to feel strong enough not to cause problems with climbing, and it will randomly swell up and start hurting if I push heavy stuff, catch the back of it on something as I'm walking around, use screwdrivers etc. I had it seen by two more GPs, one of whom referred me to a consultant ortho surgeon.

Said consultant appeared actively annoyed that I was even there, and refused to even physically touch my hand to examine it, dismissing it as "I'd have to go in there and have a look and I don't want to do that". No scans, nothing.

After that, I had it seen by two physios, one of whom gave me some exercises that made things permanently worse, I can no longer do press-ups without the wrist hurting for days afterwards.

Last month, I was in Greece taking care of my parents who both had ortho surgery for different ailments. Their surgeon (same person for both) came over to check on their recovery and out of sheer curiosity I asked him about it. He walked over, grabbed my wrist, poked it in a few different directions, and then said "you've partially raptured your TFCC" and proceeded to literally tell me the symptoms I've been having for the past 14 years one by one. It took him 15 seconds, and he explained that the type of instability it has is only caused by that.

I don't know what to say or do at this stage, this wrist has progressively been getting worse and is not going to get better on its own, there is little to no chance I could ever get the NHS to do anything about it, and I cannot really afford to get it done privately.

That is miserable. Hope your wrist function stays all right.

Sorry to hear that. I think, despite the state of the NHS, that you're still entitled to transfer your care for a second opinion.. I've had pretty good care relative to what you've described. It's also not very expensive to get your own scan (although not sure what type you'd need, I had x-ray then MRI then CT scan), and some private hospitals give a report to go along with it for hundreds rather than thousands I think. Might be worth ringing round for some quotes. The Greek doctor might have got it bang on, but possibly not..

Ollie

Welcome to the club. Unfortunately. I joined 20 years ago when I snapped the ligament between lunate and scaphoid. A surgeon (private) rebuilt my wrist by rerouting part of a tendon through the bone and pulling my wrist back together. I climbed one armed for a year to let it recover. I was left with very reduced movement on my wrist (30 degree bend rather than 90) and mantles were not always possible, but at least I could still climb.

Roll on 20 years, and it now turns out I have severe arthritis on one side of my wrist, and acute arthritis on the other. I have been told that frankly it's wrecked, and keep going with pain killers as long as possible until it becomes unbearable. At that stage, I can have bits removed and have my wrist fused straight.

I wear tape (Strappall type) most days, which helps a lot. I have just started on daily Naproxen. There are several things I now cannot do, and that includes several climbs! That said, I don't count myself as disabled in any way, just differently abled. With painkillers. It might stop me doing what I used to do in my yoof, but it won't stop me doing life!

I damaged my wrist in a motorbike crash and at hospital asked if I had damaged a scaphoid as I knew this wasn’t good. The reply was “if you had damaged a scaphoid that would be the least of your worries right now” I had more or less trashed the joint requiring a surgical procedure that at that time was only available with health insurance. That was 40 years ago and arthritis is only now just starting to hurt. I did loose some mobility in the joint and I could painlessly feel the damage but it barely impacted on my climbing at all. My my advice would be just crack on.

After reading everyone’s stories I feel embarrassingly lucky with my scaphoid injury.

Picked it up in 1996 playing football and fixed it with beer and painkillers over a week or so. This despite living near one of Germanys largest teaching hospitals.

Not diagnosed until 2001 where the fracture clinic informed me about it after an X-ray for a bust arm.

Ive only slight stiffness and reduced movement in it.