UKC

Just fresh out of arthroscopic surgery on my let wrist where it turns out I had a TFCC articular disc central tear. This pesky injury has managed to keep me off climbing for the past 1.5 years (saddest period of my life!!!) and I've been frothing and training the rest of my body to get back ever since. Was wondering if anyone had any similar experiences with tfcc rehabilitation, as my surgeon and physio are a bit clueless on climbing (they dont really understand why I wont just stop it and chill out).

I am looking for any tips, exercises, and time frames of returning to climbing and also just general knowledge that another climber out there has recovered from a tfcc injury. I am not looking for any miracle cures, I know that it may not ever heal fully or be asymptomatic, just want to find the most effective way to get back on the wall and learn to compensate for it if necessary. Thank you to who ever reads this!

Tore mine two years ago. Managed to avoid surgery.

Was it repair or debridement?

First question is, are you already wearing a wrist widget?

I had similar debridement surgery also to my left wrist approx 5 years ago. I started doing some light climbing after only a couple of weeks, just because it felt so much better than it had for the previous 18 months. Unfortunately it was too much too soon, and I ended up needing a cortisone injection. I then waited 4 to 6 weeks before trying again. This time a more gradual reintroduction didn't cause any ill effects, and I reckon it took 3 to 6 months to get back to my previous fitness level. Since then I have actually climbed harder than before the operation so I would say long term prognosis is good, although obviously injuries and recoveries are different for individuals. I still very occasionally have problems, a feeling of locking up or obstruction in the joint, but when it manifests it rarely affects my climbing for more than a day or two and is infinitely less frequent, debilitating and painful than prior to the op. Good luck

It was debridement and a synovectomy, yes I am wearing the wrist widget.