Hey Docs,
TLDR: About a year ago I fell, and like most humans, I tried to stop the fall with my hand. I’m assuming since I already have arthritis in my hands that this lead to a slight break.
To the meat… I have a labor intensive job and “work with my hand”. It’s not uncommon to fall doing my line of work either, which can make my hand feel like i just broke it again.
I had it imaged and spoke to an orthopedic surgeon. She put me at ease in telling me surgery should be the last resort. So now a year later, I’m trying to get into lifting again but all pressing movements are painful. I’m wrapping the hell out of the wrist in question to keep it neutral and doing dumbell work where I can.
In your professional opinion, would there be a point that you tell your patient to get the surgery?
If not, is there any other way to mitigate the pain while training? I understand you don’t know the scope of my job and can’t contribute to that, but the training aspect is right up your alley
Thanks,
Matt
Welcome back to the forum, Hulk. Hope all is well.
Sorry to hear about the hand issue as well. Seems like that would be challenging to navigate on the job site, for sure.
Regarding surgery, I’m not sure what procedure you would be pursuing and for what specific issue, e.g. was there a previous fracture during the fall, ligament sprain, or even the location of the pain for that matter.
Generally speaking, I don’t think surgery should be pursued unless the benefits outweigh the risks. It’s not clear to me what those are, but the ortho seems to think surgery is not a great option right now.
I suspect a consultation would be beneficial to suss out these details with you, as there are likely pertinent details that you may not want to put on the forum.
Thanks for the reply. There was a break in a small bone and the ortho said fusion or pins. I’ve been considering seeing her again to see what all is involved if I go that route and what the long term implications are as far as mobility and re injury.
I always like to hear the side of people in the know that also strength train, hence the post.
Thanks again
I see. There is some additional information needed to help weigh-in, e.g. what bone and how long ago was the fracture and, has it healed or is this a non-union?
I would encourage you to seek consultation with your ortho or our pain/rehab team to determine the best course of action. There’s just more info and dicussion that needs to be had here regarding the appropriate next course of action.