UKC

Will have been 5 weeks on Monday.
I know that the bone is going to take some time to repair.
How long before I can climb again, still in some discomfort, so would imagine that still a few weeks before full movement has returned , how long before I can get back climbing after movement has returned??
Will start wrist curls with light weights etc then.

Would be great full for advice
Thanks.

In reply to Runtothehills:

No wrist curls not very good to start with! Make sure its fixed first scaphoid fractures are often not seen and the blood supply is very poor. 2 years i was out for. Finally with surgery, pin and bone graft as the bone had started to die.
Its now sort of ok but take great care in any rehab incase it isn't properly healed.

In reply to Runtothehills:

Do you know where the break is? Proximal medial or distal?

In reply to Runtothehills:

I had a scaphoid fracture years ago, in my right wrist (righthanded). The unfortunate truth is that they are very slow to heal (if they do heal, otherwise it's surgery), I was told to be very careful and my wrist was in plaster for 13 weeks. The bone healed naturally but the wrist has residual stiffness and reduced mobility. I really wouldn't start doing any weights, too risky, if you break it again you will be in deep s**t; I was told that a repeat fracture would have a much greater impact on wrist strength and mobility (the action of a wrist curl is likely to compress the scaphoid, a quick route to fracture). The medics said that physio wasn'the necessary as everyday activities would rehabilitate and strenthen the joint.

How did I rehabilitate? Plaster removed on a Thursday, come Saturday morning I was on the crag, bad move, ended seconding severes Johnny Dawes style, single handed. Undeterred and despite wrist pain I was out the next day, worse mistake, one route done and luckily no damage done. After that I had a couple of months of no climbing, the wrist settled down and I returned to the rock at my normal leading grade. The only moves that gives me problems are mantleshelives where wrist flexibility can be an issue. There is an up side of things, painting and decorating lead to a stiff and sore wrist - a perfect excuse!

Hope things go well for you.

In reply to Runtothehills:

Depends depends depends. Tricky bastards, scaphoids. Mine took about six to eight months before I could start testing it, but others have a bit of a nightmare if it the blood supply is cut off in the bone by the break. Bear in mind the muscle mass you're likely to lose in the meantime as well and be patient. Good luck.

In reply to Runtothehills:

Thanks all, looks like more of a lay off then I thought.
5 weeks have been hard, 6+ months are going to be VERY hard.

Any tips on keeping strength up?

Looks like the walking boots are going to get a good work out.

In reply to Runtothehills:
Hi, I had a scaffoid dissociation (twisted but not broken, I think) a few years ago. I would really recommend a hand specialist having a look. I actually paid for initial consultation and they then transferred me into nhs for operation. Cant remember all the details about time, certainly lots of months, but it is 100% now though with some slight restriction in movement-mantleshelves have not got any easier.

There wont be any hard and fast rules and the specialist told me that many heal fine given time with no intervention.

Good luck

In reply to Runtothehills:

It's horrible, isn't it?! Currently in cast for a fractured scaphoid as well (after climbing on it all of last year...). I had to have a bone graft and screw, been in plaster for six and a half weeks so far with another six to go. About all I've found to do is walk. It's had a massive impact on everything not being able to drive really doesn't help.

One handed climbing is quite amusing and much harder work than I expected (so long as you can get to a wall and persuade someone to belay you).

In reply to Runtothehills:

Sounds like I must have been very lucky, but I have twice been plastered up for (suspected?) scaphoid fractures, one picked up bouldering and one snowboarding and neither have taken more than a few months to heal and start climbing again. No one warned me of issues, beyond the fact I needed it plastered and and I got no rehab at the time. Sounds like you need to listen to your body and don't rush back.

In reply to Runtothehills:

I've broken my scaphoid twice (same wrist) about 10 years apart. The first time it was in the middle of the bone and it took at least 3 months to get to a point where I could cycle (I didn't climb back then) and then the second time it was closer to the blood supply end and it was pretty much sorted in 6 weeks (as far as the doc was concerned).

As far as rehab exercises I was told to roll a towel into a sausage and grip hold of it as if you are wringing water out of it, also to do exercises similar to climbers elbow exercises where you hold the end of a weight on a stick and lower it down to the sides, lifting it with your other hand.
I don't think I've every actually built up the wrist to be as strong or stable as it was before the breaks and it's been about 4 years since the last time.

In reply to Runtothehills:

I broke my scaphoid a long time ago. Was told would never regain full mobility of the wrist.

The good news is that I got back near-as-dammit full mobility.

The bad news is that, as as others have said, it took several months to return to any semblance of normality. Don't rush it, it just makes it longer.

In reply to Runtothehills:

broke mine years ago...no sequels. Plastered for 2 and a half months. It was skiing season and I skied with the plaster (a resin thing). I made a velcro handgrip because Of my weak handshake! No ops was required.

Just don't climb for some time, keep fit, run or go hillwalking. Go check all the obscure climbing venues you always wondered about. Nail access routes in your head. Also great opportunities to give a rest to all these tweaky joints (fingers, elbows, shoulders).

In reply to Runtothehills:

Feel for you mate, did mine and had a cast on for a year before they decided it needed operating.
Once its fixed though do very light exercises, because the muscles and ligaments around it will be very weak, you should be back climbing a few weeks after though.