[pterodactyl]

TJ,
I don't know how may people that posted here are actually orthopedic surgeons so I would say that your doctor is the best one to listen to.

That being said, I spent 6 months with an immobilized wrist/ thumb. I still don't have full range of motion and it still gets sore. I'm racing DH again and playing hockey, etc, but it is far from 100%.

If I could do it over, I would have demanded to have the surgery immediately. Either way you are in for a lot of X-rays, CTis, and MRIs.

Here is a pic of mine post op. I needed a bone graph from my radius because of the lack of union after 12 weeks. You wouldn't need that right now.

 

[profro]

I broke mine about 14 years ago and never got it diagnosed until a couple years later. The doc wanted to take out some bones and send me on my way, I never got around to it. Now my wrist is collapsing and I am probably in to have my wrist fused at some point. I have reduced strength and very limited wrist movement. Whatever. I will make the best of it and I WILL continue to ride no matter how I have to do it. Heck, I have even had to switch to my left hand to shoot pistols. I just started riding dirt bikes last year and long rides make my hand go to sleep because its on my throttle/front brake side. Like you said, its what we do. I'm 36 and don't give a rats ass about being "too old". I take chances when I ride and I have many, many broken bones as a result. I don't see that changing. Toughen up Nancy and ignore the pain and inconvenience. Whats the alternative? Planning video games? Don't think so.

 

[bizutch]

Just make sure you go to a sports medicine orthopedist and DON'T EVER skip a session with your physical therapist. You will despise the pain the therapist puts you in, all while using a pleasant, monotone, encouraging voice, but they will make great things happen.

 

[Handy Man]

I broke mine in a moto wreck when I was 19. I was in a long arm cast for 8 weeks, and a short arm cast for 4. Took another month or two to get full range of motion back. Never needed surgery (but they mentioned the possibility). On the bright side, I held my hand/wrist in the riding position while casting and started riding the street moto again after just a month or so while still in the long arm cast (never asked/told the doc, I was a stupid kid)

 

[Loochi]

Apparently this is the most common wrist break for people in their teens and 20's.
So I am 35, and broke my scaphoid at Plattekill practicing for a race in August. I was put in a long arm cast for 6 weeks, a short arm cast for 4 more. That was followed with surgery where they took a graft from my ulna and put it into the scaphoid and then screwed it together. This was followed with 2 weeks in a splint and 4 weeks in a cast. 2 more weeks until I know if the graft is even taking.
Bryn Atkinson and Chris VanDine also broke their scaphoids last year. I noticed Bryn is wearing a CTi brace.

I really just wanted to see if there are others that have had that injury and what their doctors told them.
I can't stand being sedentary anymore and have missed half the biking season, half the ski season and half my hockey season.
Anyone have experience with a CTi brace for their wrist?

The only thing I can add is if there is one injury you don't want to rush on recovery it's the scaphoid break. I did mine in 06, had a pin put in. Did not ride AT ALL for 3 months. I did lots of physio, first rides back were actually mtb rides on the roads. Doc told me small vibrations on the road will help the wrist heal. Anyways it took a month from that time to ride aggressively on the mtb. I have 100% mobility and strength back. No brace.

 

[William42]

Broke mine, spent 2 months in a cast, another month in a splint, started riding on it after about 4 months (bad call) and it took about 8 months to heal back to 100%. It did heal back to 100% though, which is better then some people can say, been back to riding at 100% for about a 11 months now.

Heal up quick, and hopefully you can get back to riding soon, but wait for it to heal properly (or as best as you can) and don't start riding on it too soon!

Will

 

[cableguy]

Hi Guys My Names Tj!!! Im 17 Years Old And I Have Broken My Scaphoid!!! Can Someone Tell Me What I Have Got Instore For Me!!!

Go see a hand surgeon immediately, and follow his advice carefully. It may involve surgery and/or long recuperation in a cast. Also do a search here, which I found useful. Good luck!

 

[gemini2k]

Hi Guys My Names Tj!!! Im 17 Years Old And I Have Broken My Scaphoid!!! Can Someone Tell Me What I Have Got Instore For Me!!!

You're young, should be fine. I broke mine a few years ago when I was 20. Got put in a forearm cast. Hiked a glacier 3 weeks after the fact, 3 weeks after that took the cast off and was hitting 40-50ft doubles. The thing will be SORE AS HELL for a few weeks though. The soreness actually is more painful than the break IME. Takes about a year to feel 100%. And then it's never really 100%. Pushups are always a little more painful on that wrist, but nothing that really affects any activities.

 

[gemini2k]

Phooey on all that nonsense. I never understood why people have this attitude of concession. Im 41 and have no plans of doing anything different (except to be able to aford stuff I couldnt when I was 21.)

I read these boards, and see as many stories of 17 yo's getting surgery and rehab at least as much as the 'old folks' - and I *TOTALLY* want to smack the people that give you that "Dont you think its a sign to give up..." - as they are passionless wussbags who are excellent at the making of excuses!

ramble...

Heal uP!

QFT. Well said.

 

[pterodactyl]

You see alot of street racing moto gloves with scaphoid protection where it allows the hand to skid rather than smack the ground.

Seems like the glove guys in mtb thought it made sense to put carbon on knuckles to prevent boxer breaks (did this also, 6 weeks in a cast, no issues, easy to recover). Wouldn't be a bad idea to put a small carbon fiber plate on the underside of the wrist/ base of the thumb to reduce the risk of these fractures.

 

[kidwithbike]

I broke my scaphoid and captitate 10/25,
Geoff Ulmer crashed in front of me on Hardcore at Plattekill, it was crazy, of all people!
Hard splinted at the ER, then the orthopaedist didnt cast it for about 18 days which was disconcerting to me. I dont completely trust him, he doesnt seem thorough and gives very vague info... I dont even think he even viewed the x-rays at my first visit, which i confronted about. Luckily he said there was no discplacement in the fractures. He said i can use my fingers as much as I want but it hurts my wrist. did you guys experience that?
3 week follow up tommorrow, based on the pain, i dont feel too positive. and my cast feels a bit loose...
I want to get well its gonna be my first pro season! any advice would be appreciated.

 

[pterodactyl]

PJ,

It looked busted when I saw it. At least it was the last race of the year. My opinion will always be to have the surgery after my ordeal. I broke mine in august at Platty a few years back and I was struggling to hang on during the first race the following May. The quicker you can move from healing to PT, the better it will be.

 

[profro]

any advice would be appreciated.

Blood flow. Any broken bone heals faster with increased blood flow. Stay active however you can. Ride the trainer, run, go to the gym. Getting you heart rate up regularly will help the bone heal.

 

[gemini2k]

Go see a hand surgeon immediately, and follow his advice carefully. It may involve surgery and/or long recuperation in a cast. Also do a search here, which I found useful. Good luck!

IME, surgeons always have a high propensity to suggest surgery. A broken Scaphoid generally shouldn't require surgery unless is f-ed up IME. Seen plenty of people break them and do fine with just a cast/wrist guard type thing. From now on, I'll always get a second opinion on anything concerning my hands. I've had good and bad experiences with wrists/fingers.

 

[cableguy]

IME, surgeons always have a high propensity to suggest surgery. A broken Scaphoid generally shouldn't require surgery unless is f-ed up IME. Seen plenty of people break them and do fine with just a cast/wrist guard type thing. From now on, I'll always get a second opinion on anything concerning my hands. I've had good and bad experiences with wrists/fingers.

My hand surgeon told me that the best approach is the conservative one, and just told me to wait in a cast. If it didn't start to heal in 1-2 months, he was going to operate. Luckily for me, it started to heal, but it took full 2 months before healing showed on x-rays. I was close to finding another doctor because I was getting antsy.

With an injury like Scaphoid, it is always good to get 2nd or 3rd opinions. Lots of different and newer techniques being developed, like with stem cells. Getting a good hand surgeon/specialist is crucial IMO.

I broke my pinkie 3 weeks ago (hairline crack), and he basically told me to rest/immobilize on that as well. So far so good.

 

[cableguy]

I broke my scaphoid and captitate 10/25,
Geoff Ulmer crashed in front of me on Hardcore at Plattekill, it was crazy, of all people!
Hard splinted at the ER, then the orthopaedist didnt cast it for about 18 days which was disconcerting to me. I dont completely trust him, he doesnt seem thorough and gives very vague info... I dont even think he even viewed the x-rays at my first visit, which i confronted about. Luckily he said there was no discplacement in the fractures. He said i can use my fingers as much as I want but it hurts my wrist. did you guys experience that?
3 week follow up tommorrow, based on the pain, i dont feel too positive. and my cast feels a bit loose...
I want to get well its gonna be my first pro season! any advice would be appreciated.

Go see another doctor (a hand surgeon or equivalent specialist with a good reputation especially in sports medicine). If you don't get it healed right, this injury will stay with you forever. Mine required no surgery, but 4 months in a series of casts and braces, and even after 4 months after that, I don't have full flexibility (but good enough to ride). I have another friend who's Scaphoid never fully healed, and lives/rides with pain/discomfort.

 

[leprechaun]

Broke my scafoid at Angle Fire in may this year, i'm 34. Minor crack. I also broke my elbow at the time so i was in a long cast for 4 weeks, short cast 4 weeks, brace 4 weeks...12 weeks total. It healed up well. My ortho made me a custom brace and memory foam that allowd me to ride after week 12. I wore that for about a month.

I found a great rehab program, break you other arm!!!! The left arm/scafoid is a long lost problem now...

2 broken arms in one summer. I guess not getting hurt droppin cliffs 10 years ago is catching up with me.

 

[gemini2k]

My hand surgeon told me that the best approach is the conservative one, and just told me to wait in a cast. If it didn't start to heal in 1-2 months, he was going to operate. Luckily for me, it started to heal, but it took full 2 months before healing showed on x-rays. I was close to finding another doctor because I was getting antsy.

With an injury like Scaphoid, it is always good to get 2nd or 3rd opinions. Lots of different and newer techniques being developed, like with stem cells. Getting a good hand surgeon/specialist is crucial IMO.

I broke my pinkie 3 weeks ago (hairline crack), and he basically told me to rest/immobilize on that as well. So far so good.

Yep. I trust conservative doctors/dentists/whatever much more. I've had a few break/super minor fractures that the doctors told me to just chill and let it heal on its own. The only serious/chronic injury I now have is from when I got my finger operated on :'(. Kinda regret that now. Gotta remember, although they are doctors and should have your best interest at heart, they still get paid more for operating on you than putting you in a cast/splint and telling you to ice it . Good luck OP.

 

[BrianMac]

I broke my scaphoid in early August. It was just a crack though. I spoke with the ortho and immediately broached the topic of surgery. He felt that unless it was displaced he preferred to not do surgery.

Hard cast for 6ish weeks. Had it replaced at 3 weeks. X-rays at every stage. Thankfully it healed. Some therapy. At this point, four months in I'm mostly pain free though in different ranges of motion there is still some pain. I'm riding without a brace.

My take on it is that it can be bad or off the cliff terrible depending how badly it's broken and if the bones are getting blood flow.

Best of luck healing.

Brian

 

[Robstarrunner]

Ok. So I'm not a biker but I will be when I find the time. Actually I'm a longboarder. Wrong forum right?. You can laugh, but it's flippin awesome to snowboard on pavement. Check it. This is why i need my hands.

So my scaphoid....
I was flying, well more like flailing through the air on my snowboard and when I landed, my scaphoid was broken and my lips hurt. Thank Jesus for helmets. And Burton.
Anyways I'd broken my scaphoid last year the SAME way. I was in a elbow down/ useable thumb/fingers hard cast for 6 weeks and got better. This year though, I've been in my cast for 4 weeks and have been abusing the fact I can kind of use my hand and now it hurts like hell most of the time which makes me think non-union. I'm getting the idea the screw surgery is best. Anyone do the one where they hollow out the bone and fill it with new stuff? Or maybe adamantium?
Also. A warning to all you who suspect a fracture. Respect the fact that the scaphoid is a pain in the ass. It also makes it hard to wipe your ass.

 

[SCARY]

I adopted the Front wiper method since I was a kid.When broke my scaphoid ,I realized I chose the correct asswiping method.
The American method was introduced during the revolutionary war,as to further distinguish ourselves from the British(fact).We would have won alot sooner if we weren't wasting time trying to relearn how to wipe while at war.
We lost alot of good men from standing up and making themselves a target in mid-wipe.

 

[bizutch]

Ok. So I'm not a biker but I will be when I find the time. Actually I'm a longboarder. Wrong forum right?. You can laugh, but it's flippin awesome to snowboard on pavement. Check it. This is why i need my hands.

So my scaphoid....
I was flying, well more like flailing through the air on my snowboard and when I landed, my scaphoid was broken and my lips hurt. Thank Jesus for helmets. And Burton.
Anyways I'd broken my scaphoid last year the SAME way. I was in a elbow down/ useable thumb/fingers hard cast for 6 weeks and got better. This year though, I've been in my cast for 4 weeks and have been abusing the fact I can kind of use my hand and now it hurts like hell most of the time which makes me think non-union. I'm getting the idea the screw surgery is best. Anyone do the one where they hollow out the bone and fill it with new stuff? Or maybe adamantium?
Also. A warning to all you who suspect a fracture. Respect the fact that the scaphoid is a pain in the ass. It also makes it hard to wipe your ass.

My screw looks awesome in x-rays. hollowed out and with impact splines, it is easily the coolest screw ever made. And I was riding in 6 weeks flat.

 

[downhillracer]

funny that this thread comes back after so many years. on page 2 i commented about how i broke my left wrist back in 08'. didnt have any complications with that one. i more recently broke my right wrist back in early 10' and got three surgeries on the thing. I am almost back to full pace on the bike but my range of motion is very compromised even after a year of PT. I use a CTI brace and would not ride without one. anyone with a serious wrist injury should invest in the CTI brace not a wimpy soft brace.