UKC

Anyone on here had a broken scaphoid ? Apparently, my scaphoid has been broken for around 4 years. The doctor has suggested I have the bone cut out and a metal plate put in to stabilise the wrist – has anyone had a similar operation done ?

In reply to Brian:

I broke mine but fortunately healed by itself. Bone grafts, plates and synthetic replacement were all suggested other options had it failed to heal. They're little buggers.

In reply to Brian:

When I bust mine, it was immobilised in a plaster for 2 months, then another six weeks of non load bearing, which did the job. I did a lot of walking that summer.

There was never any suggestion of any other treatment, however I am very aware that one persons problem and subsequent treatment  might not have any bearing at all on the recommended treatment of another persons problem. The break was picked up one week after the event so maybe that also dictated the course of treatment.

One thing I was aware of at the time was that a broken scaphoid was regular injury to professional motocross riders and that returning to action too soon led to a lot of further long term problems, so I was very conservative with the treatment and timescales.

John

 

In reply to Brian:

Hi Brian 

I broke mine some time ago it wasnt detected until around 9 months after. Was wondering why i had zero pinch strength.

It got operated on about a year after it was broken. With wire and a bone graft from my hip.

I got told it may or may not be successful if not they would fuse it.

Luckily its worked 10 years later a little less flexible than my other wrist and my thumb feels a bit stiff in winter. Strength wise maybe ever so slightly weeker than it was but dont really train hard anymore.

In reply to Brian:

Not exactly the same injury, but the ligament that connects the scaphoid to the lunate in my wrist was apparently broken for years without me realising.  My joint deteriorated into something called a SLAC wrist, and all sorts of problems.  A broken scaphoid can end up the same way if its not dealt with.  I would advise to get yourself referred to an experienced hand surgeon (or several) and get all the possible options described to you so you can choose the right one for whatever your priorities are - there will be several options; some are better at maintaining strength, some preserve greater range of motion and some are purely pain relief.  If your doctor is talking of a metal implant you´d probably be looking at losing quite a lot of movement in your wrist.  

Mine was too far gone for the simpler surgical repair options so I had an operation to cut all the nerves in my wrist, which has given me a year of nearly pain free use but the underlying problem is still there and getting worse.  It´s just deferred the more drastic fusion operation that i´ll eventually need.

 

In reply to Brian:

Is it giving you any issues? 

Broke mine 20odd years ago. At the time I didn’t get it looked at and used alcohol and painkillers to see me through.

I think it was another 5 years and an X-ray for a bust wrist that the consultant noticed it.

no main ill effects other than maybe only 90/95% movement in that wrist. Not enough to get any further treatment.

 

In reply to Mike-W-99: Yeah, tried that, it is quite sore at times and have arthritis now.

 

In reply to Brian:

Mine makes awful noises at times, it makes me wish I had gone to A&E and not resorted to alternative treatments.

In reply to Brian:

I broke a piece off mine playing rugby and finally got it diagnosed about 6 months later. I was told the piece of bone was too small to reattach so it had to be removed. Small op to take it out and a few weeks later it was all fine.....never had any issues with it since.

In reply to Brian:

My broken wrist was sore, until it healed in the cast. 

Having a more stable wrist seems like a plus to me, I don't know about arthritis related pain, but you might have less 'pulling on a break in the wrong kind of way' related pain if you get it sorted. 

In reply to Brian:

Hi there Brian. I broke mine in 1981 and it's still broken apparently. My wrist was in plaster for 6 weeks. Unfortunately I had no physio after the plaster was taken off and nobody checked to see if it was ok. I just thought it was weak and still mending. By the time I realised there was still something wrong with it, it was too late to do anything about it. I managed to get back into climbing ok, but I lost a lot of flexibility/movement in the hand. It used to really ache badly during damp/cold weather. Moving to a warmer/sunnier climate has really helped but press ups are still hard work. Luckily, it never stopped me from climbing. Good luck.