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wrist injury

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 Ellie79 09 Jan 2013
I've had pain in my wrist for about a year and have been variously told it was DeQuervains tenosynovitis, given a wrist splint, exercises and then a cortisone injection (which had no effect), told to rest it, more exercises and general confusion on why it wasn't improving. Suspected scaphoid fracture, but not that either. Latest advice from orthopaedic surgeon is that I have hypermobility (lax ligaments) and as a result an unstable wrist and that I shall probably have to quit work as an outdoor instructor and not climb again. He's now sending me for an MRI scan.

Has anyone out there experienced anything like this? Wrist pain/ loose ligaments?

Currently having some physio to try and build up the muscles again after a year of not really using (hand is now very weak). Have not been able to climb all year

Has anyone heard of prolotherapy? An alternative therapy but apparently not much medical evidence to back up claims of helping to rebuild ligaments?

If anyone has any knowledge/experience/thought on any of this I'd be interested!

cheers

Ellie
 Jaffacake 09 Jan 2013
In reply to Ellie79:

Snap!

Over 18 months between first having the pain and it finally being diagnosed - put a big halt in my climbing (and also explained a few other joint problems I'd received treatment for in the past).

I'd had it braced up for a lot of that time and was in physio, which was just making it worse.

I wasn't told to quit climbing, although I'd barely done it in that time because it hurt and in lieu of having much of a clue of the cause I had thought it might be a climbing injury (I had been climbing 3-4 times a week when it started).

I was told, from what I remember, (my diagnosis was several years ago).

- Don't wear the brace, if you must then really restrict it, it will just make things worse and is probably a cause of why the pain is worse than it should be
- Listen to the pain, don't do things that hurt
- Work on strengthening joints, very slowly.

I've never fully got back into climbing, it's never not hurt and belaying hurts so indoors I only bother bouldering (I'll put up with the pain more outdoors where I like long routes, but I don't consider it worth it for indoor routes).

Things have got better, although it varies it's never got as painful as before my diagnosis when I was using a brace. At first I largely shifted to using my left hand to do things but then that started getting the same pain, still I use my left hand for a lot more things now than I used to t try and balance the load. I can put a lot more force through my wrist if it's completely straight - it hurts more to hold a pint than trying to do pull ups (which doesn't really cause a problem, sometimes I think it helps).

The thing I find best if it's playing up is ice, so I still kayak because I'm essentially floating on a giant ice pack and you'll often see me just dangling my hands in the water (although it usually hurts more afterwards than normal it's not too bad), similarly winter climbing if it starts to hurt then (if it's practical at the time) I'll remove my gloves and stick my wrist in the snow

The thing I find hardest is holding things - a pint of beer (if you're ever with me in a pub you'll notice me always trying to find somewhere to put it), a rope (belaying), a paddle (see above), a steering wheel (learnt to drive with my left hand instead and now have an automatic which makes it easier on both wrists and knees).

Small changes improve things: using a trackball mouse rather than a normal one (and a touchscreen when it was much worse (as I can use that easily with my left hand) although it's rarely bad enough to need that now) using a roller ball to write with rather than a ball point (ink flows more freely, less pressure required), keyboard with very easy to depress keys and probably a dozen other things I haven't even noticed.

Good luck, although I'm afraid it really, really sucks (and also sounds like a crap excuse for pain so a lot of people seem to not believe you when you can't do things with the explanation 'my wrist is floppy and that makes it hurt', maybe I need a better way of explaining things).
 Jaffacake 09 Jan 2013
In reply to Ellie79:

Prolotherapy: an entirely ancedotal report

I heard of this this morning, while looking at my dad's back specialist (he recommended I see him for a pelvis problem I've been having) as it's something he specialises in.

I'm visiting my parents so asked if my dad knew anything about it - he received it in 1995 for pain in his back caused by unstable ligaments - he says it was brilliant and completely turned his life around.

I was only 10 at the time but I remember that my dad used to have loads of problems with his back that went away and he was raving about this treatment he'd had, but how he was also frustrated that it wasn't a more widespread treatment as it'd worked for him where years of other treatments had failed.

I've got an appointment to see this guy in 2 weeks so I'm going to try to remember to ask about it in relation to my wrist, I can let you know what he says if you like as it looks like we have the same problem.
OP Ellie79 11 Jan 2013
In reply to Jaffacake:

Yeah, please do let me know if you find out any more about it cos I'd be keen to look into if it might be helpful.

Thanks for your information, although obviously not happy that you've had the same pain/ problems its good to know I'm not the only one!


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