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Anyone break their Scaphoid/ Navicular?

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?
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
I broke mine at mt snow a few years ago. 16 weeks in a cast, still only about 85%-90% mobility and I wear a brace from CTI. No Surgery. Mobility is slowly getting better. It pains form time to time and gets sore and tired very fast.

I am the one who hooked Cedric and Bryn up with CTI. I have the Wrist brace, as well as 2 ankle braces. Feel free to PM me with any questions. I will actually be writing a full review shortly, but do a quick search and you will find a thread i put up right after i got mine that had some good info in it from myself as well as others.

Edit: I'm 29.
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
Your story is exactly why I chose to have surgery right away (plus my doc said that it was STRONGLY recomended where mine broke). I was in a cast for 2.5 months post surgery (was supposed to be 3 mo, but films showed good bone growth) and a brace for 3 weeks after the cast. (4th left 'wrist' fracture for me..each one a different bone or place)

I spent a bit of time (month) in PT post cast to work on scar tissue/adhesions and general range of motion and strength. It has been ~ two years and I still do not have 100 ROM, but it is quite close, and I only really have any discomfort when my wrist is bent to the extremes of my ROM.

I do not wear anything on my wrist and it does not bother me riding at all...althought I certainly favored it for about a year...
 
Thanks. I searched Scaphoid and found nothing. I figured that it might not be all that common compared to collar bones, etc.

That's not good to hear about your lack of mobility. Chances are you are younger than me and thus heal better. I know you are operating at a higher level than I am in Expert.
Rehab didn't get you back to near 100%? Will you have comments about the real differences between the custom and OTS versions?

What I really need is a "Hang in there buck-a-roo".
 
Unfortunately, when I when to my orhto, he didn't give me an option, and I didn't know anybetter between the screw and the cast. At this point I would have preferred the screw because I would be further along at this point, but with surgery, you get the basic issues of the intrusion and scar tissue.
Basically, it was presented to me that it is always better to allow the bone to heal if it can before surgery, if possible.

Thanks for your comments, I appreciate them.
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
Unfortunately, when I when to my orhto, he didn't give me an option, and I didn't know anybetter between the screw and the cast. At this point I would have preferred the screw because I would be further along at this point, but with surgery, you get the basic issues of the intrusion and scar tissue.
Basically, it was presented to me that it is always better to allow the bone to heal if it can before surgery, if possible.

Thanks for your comments, I appreciate them.
As I understand, it has a lot to do with where the bone breaks. It has very poor blood flow that only comes as return flow from the hand side..no blood supply from the heart/body side.

IIRC there was some rule of 1/3s. If it broke in the lower 1/3, surgery was HIGHLY recomended (non-union very likely)....middle 1/3 was a bit of a toss-up.....upper 1/3 self union was likely. Of course this is all based on data of many people to find an average risk. Lots of issues like smoking, taking certain drugs, ect can effect your bodies ability to heal bone.

I was refered to a hand surgeon/doc by my ortho. I was told that because the navicular was a hand bone, it was out of the scope of general ortho....???

Either way, things will get better. You will get out of you cast and it will hurt like he11 and you will have sero strength or ROM..just keep working on it little bit at a time....it will get there.
 
Did mine about two years ago. (I'm 39 now) I was in a cast for 14 weeks without much healing going on. Finally got surgery scheduled, had the Ti pin installed and was in a soft cast for two weeks then physical therapy for a couple of months. I'm at 90-95% now, but it took about a year to get there. I don't and never did wear a brace.

Right now as I'm typing this, I'm recovering from shoulder arthroscopy and an a/c distal reconstruction something or other. Damn life's a bitch sometimes...no wait, morphine is!
 

caseyo

Monkey
Feb 14, 2007
112
0
Reno
I win! I spent exactly 6 months in a cast. 2 surgeries, 2 different screws, and I've got about 60% mobility. Did mine in 05, I was 22 at the time. Good luck is all I can say.
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Wow...I now know that my ortho really is one of the best in our region after reading all this. Navicular break 6 years ago and then did 3 huge rocky races in 3 weeks b/c I'd planned them all summer. Mt. Snow, then massanutten, then Sugar Mtn. Afterwards, I got my X-ray and doc said the hairline fracture was all the way across and the two halves might have fuzed separately.

He said 2 choices:
1. Full arm cast for 4 weeks then half arm cast 4 weeks, then splint 4 weeks...and then "maybe" surgery if no luck.
2. Screw it down and be on a bike in 6 weeks. I got 5th place in week 6.

Only bit of bad news...b/c of the joint capsule being the entry point for the surgery, you will NOT have 100% mobility, but only in situations like a flat palm push up.

But you're not supposed to do flat handed push-ups anyway b/c they are bad for the wrist. Grabbed dumbells in week 3 with my cast on and did 60 lb dumbbell presses with no pain.

You'll be fine. Just do push ups with dumbbells or on your knuckles and avoid barbells. Besides...barbells are bad for your shoulder joint anyway.

I'm 35 now and it feels fine. Yours will too.
 

SilentJ

trail builder
Jun 17, 2002
1,312
0
Calgary AB
I'm 27. Broke mine in August 2006 and it was missed on the x-rays. Was never told to come back for a follow up. I had sprained my wrist with exactly the same pain a couple years prior so I didnt think that much of it. After 3 weeks, I hit PT because it wasnt feeling much better. PT was really hit and miss - felt good, felt bad, etc.. I guess this should have been a flag, but the last time took lots of PT to heal.

After 3 months of riding in December 2006 I'm told to re-xray. Busted scaphoid. Cast for 8 weeks, released from cast, re-break in my sleep (no bs - I was sick and took a bunch of the blue tylenol stuff - apparently it makes me violent in my sleep), cast for 2 weeks, surgery (pin + small radial bone graft), cast for 10 weeks. Released from half slab sometime in May 2007.

I'm about the same as Transcend for mobility and only have pain in very specific movements. I wear an EVS moto brace on my wrist with good results. I've been rocking a Powerball for PT since June and it's helped me a ton. I've only recently been able to do any barbell exercises.
 

banj

Monkey
Apr 3, 2002
379
0
Ottawa, Ontario
I broke my scaphoid a couple of years ago at the end of summer. I thought it was just a bad sprain and kept riding and playing hockey for a couple of months.

Ended up having surgery on it during the winter. Was supposed to get the graft and screw but when my doctor opened it up during surgery the bone had already started to heal so he just stuck it back together. I was in a cast for 4 or 5 weeks and then a splint for another couple. It took most of spring and summer to get back some decent mobility but I'm now pretty close to 100%, just a little stiffness, no pain.

My first riding season after surgery sucked. Mobility and strength were poor, but then I had a crash where I landed on it again pretty hard. It was sore enough that I was a little worried I'd broken it again. Once the swelling went down a week or so later my wrist felt better than before. I definitely had more mobility. I don't reccomend blunt force therapy though, I think I just got lucky.
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
I got out lucky on mine.
I broke my scaphoid and some other bone on the other side of my wrist a few years ago. No surgery.
I was in a hard cast for 10 weeks, and a soft cast for two more.
But it healed completely and I now have 100% mobility and no problems with it.

But the next riding season was frustrating because it takes a while to get your full strength back.
 

ThePriceSeliger

Mushhead
Mar 31, 2004
4,860
0
Denver, Colorado
I broke mine playing football. Turns out I'm allergic to something in the casting material, so I wore a normal Ace brace for two month, and now I'm fine. Guess mine wasn't all that bad.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
I smashed my left wrist real bad about ten tears ago,hand was heavily misplaced,wrist looked like S bend. Now have scaphoid fused to arm bone(ulna?),I have about %30 movement.
Broke right one a couple of years ago,would take cast off when sitting stationary(cut back out),taped it back on when walking,put cunfrey on it,healed in three weeks. It was broken right through the middle. I wouldn't advise ignoring the doctors though. My left one may be better if I'd taken it more seriously,I had two broken arms at the time and it was hard.
 

Rudy

Chimp
Dec 9, 2007
12
0
I broke my left scaphoid 10 weeks ago. Nothing shifted, and I was able to get off without surgery. At the 5 week check up you could see calcium laying down on the edges, which usually implies that non-union won't be an issue. I go back for my final appointment in just over a week, and am hoping to be back on my bike by mid February. When I was doing research, I came across several sources which suggested acupuncture. I've been doing that for 1 hour, once a week, and that is the day when I can feel the most stimulation and blood flow(not to mention dramatic pain releif in the first couple weeks)
 
Thanks for the stories. It's nice to know that others have dealt with this crap. Mine was a proximal pole fracture (closer to the wrist) and was non-displaced.
Maybe the best thing of this thread is that some folks will realize that if they hurt their wrist, they need to get it checked. If the Scaphoid is broken, they need to know the pros and cos of casting vs surgery.

At this point, I would have preferred surgery. Less atrophy, back to activity quicker, probably a higher chance of union.

In the same crash, I cracked my TLD SE helmet, bit my tongue badly, my Rockgardn knee armor slid down and allowed the oh-so-soft rocks at Plattekill to grind all the skin off my knees. I work in a white collar sales engineering position where most people play golf for fun and get a lot of crap like "Don't you think this is a sign to stop this dangerous sport?" "You have a wife and kids..." Your lucky it wasn't worse..." Starts to make you wonder though.
 

CRoss

Turbo Monkey
Nov 20, 2006
1,329
0
The Ranch
I work in a white collar sales engineering position where most people play golf for fun and get a lot of crap like "Don't you think this is a sign to stop this dangerous sport?" "You have a wife and kids..." Your lucky it wasn't worse..." Starts to make you wonder though.
It must suck to live a life where you do not try things because you might get hurt.

I had a crash in July where I broke my arm. On the x-rays they thought they saw a crack in my Scaphoid but I did not have any pain. The Doc told me what he would do to fix it(screw) and I decided not to do it. The doc I was seeing for follow ups was convinced it was badly broken and I had to have surgery. Again no matter what he did there was no pain and nothing was tender. So I refused to let him do anything. I did wear the wrist brace, most of the time. After ten weeks he said the scaphoid was healed along with my arm. To bad he was wrong about the arm and I proved it during a crash 4 days later.
 
It must suck to live a life where you do not try things because you might get hurt.

It is certainly tough to explain to someone that riding my DH bike makes me feel alive. I always ask them, "Do you have something that you love to do? Can you imagine not doing it?"

It's obviously not an old man's sport, but as long as I can do it, I'll do it.

Besides, I drive 40K miles/ year, it's more likely that a car wreck is going to end me than a bike wreck.
 

gangstamaxx

Monkey
Sep 12, 2005
425
0
CT
Broke my scaphoid in april last season... I'm 18 years old. Was in a cast for 8 weeks and a brace for 4. After that i started lifting lightly and riding with a brace. I ordered the CTI brace and will continue to use it this season, It's definetly a good precautionary measure...

I actually just started physical therapy today because my grip strength still isnt what I'd like it to be and my wrist acts up sometimes believe it or not when playing golf and lifting weights.

Hang in there man, the CTi brace is definetly worth the money...
 

downhillracer

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2005
1,230
0
Sammamish, WA
Yes. I had that injury at angel fire at the g3 this last year in october. I just finally got back up to full pace. It was a stupid fall, but I guess it tweaked the bone just right. I didn't even know it was broken at the time so I finished my run. hahaha.
 

Cult Hero

Chimp
Dec 28, 2007
97
0
Santa Barbara
I work as a sales rep in the med device industry and see a lot of these breaks. It is not uncommon to see this break go "non-union" which is where the bone basically stops healing. Something to be concerned about especially with the scaphoid as it has a single side blood supply.

Consider asking your dr if you could benefit from a "bone growth stimulator". This is a device that assists in bone healing. To qualify for insurance you need to have a diagnosed non union fracture or other symptoms, but asking your ortho if the healing is problematic or especially slow might be a good idea.
 

gangstamaxx

Monkey
Sep 12, 2005
425
0
CT
Consider asking your dr if you could benefit from a "bone growth stimulator". This is a device that assists in bone healing. To qualify for insurance you need to have a diagnosed non union fracture or other symptoms, but asking your ortho if the healing is problematic or especially slow might be a good idea.
Forgot to mention previously, I used a bone stimulator machine... definetly very beneficial and was part of the reason why my scaphoid healed so well and quickly!



Brings back the bad memories... HEAL UP man!
 
Holy crap! I have been using a bone growth stimulator for 45 days, but ut is a small oval shaped thing that i strap to my wrist. That thing looks huge. I can wear the battery pack on my hip.

Aetna picked up the bill. After I'm done with it, I'm going to get an attachment for my 3rd leg and see how it works there.
 

BROOKLYN1

Chimp
Jul 29, 2007
32
0
did mine as well magnetic stimulator 14 weeks the whole 9 all for 25K.
got a cool S shaped scar as well
 

Cult Hero

Chimp
Dec 28, 2007
97
0
Santa Barbara
exactly. I sell the Orthologic one, and at 30 minutes a day it is a no brainer. I see you said supposed to wear. Are you wearing it the full 10 hours?
 

bent^biker

Turbo Monkey
Feb 22, 2006
1,958
0
pdx
while we're at it, I'm typing this with the brace from mine. broke it mid december, got surgery the next week and had a gnarly screw put in. There wasn't much displacement and I guess I am lucky that the er doc even saw it on the x-ray (I couldn't). I was in a hard cast for two weeks and have now been in a removeable brace for three weeks. I'm doing pt and working on range of motion. meeting with the doc on monday to see how it is going so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Fraser: What is the deal with cti regarding prescriptions and such?
 

droplover

Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
173
0
Colorado
I broke my scaffoid at Big Bear back in '03...when I was 30. It was a clean split right down the middle and I was completely healed in 7 weeks!:) I just happened to run into a pro DHer that was riding there at the time and they told me a story about how they broke their wrist a few years earlier. They told me about a couple of "quick-healing" supplements....they sure worked for me.
 

gangstamaxx

Monkey
Sep 12, 2005
425
0
CT
I broke my scaffoid at Big Bear back in '03...when I was 30. It was a clean split right down the middle and I was completely healed in 7 weeks!:) I just happened to run into a pro DHer that was riding there at the time and they told me a story about how they broke their wrist a few years earlier. They told me about a couple of "quick-healing" supplements....they sure worked for me.


what kind of supplements are ytou referring to?
 

Eren

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2006
2,874
0
mill creek, WA (now in Surrey UK)
while we're at it, I'm typing this with the brace from mine. broke it mid december, got surgery the next week and had a gnarly screw put in. There wasn't much displacement and I guess I am lucky that the er doc even saw it on the x-ray (I couldn't). I was in a hard cast for two weeks and have now been in a removeable brace for three weeks. I'm doing pt and working on range of motion. meeting with the doc on monday to see how it is going so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Fraser: What is the deal with cti regarding prescriptions and such?
stephen, not sure if they do "prescriptions" but you can get a custom one made for you. maybe i just really mid read your post. anyways, i think im gonna get one for this season. there very spendy, but worth it for sure
 

tomacdaddy

Monkey
Feb 2, 2005
224
0
Minturn, CO
what kind of supplements are ytou referring to?
not sure if this is where droplover was going, but my supplement regimine to get over broken bones, especially a bone with minimal blood flow...

1. Good daily multivitamin
2. Calcium Citrate
3. Boron (helps absorb added calcium)
4. No Flush Niacin (increases bloodflow)
5. MSM Glucosamine Sulfate (joints)

How is riding with that CTI brace? Looks like you can dial in the fit, but bulky.
 
I was more than willing to go with an all-cheese diet to get this to heal. I didn't have any of my doctors ever mention that diet could improve bone growth. Only that smoking is not good for it. I suppose, then, that it stands to reason that if there is something that can deter growth, there must be some things that can help it.
 

snowslider

Chimp
Jan 28, 2008
1
0
I fractured my scaphoid about 11 years ago and it didn't heal properly and then i broke it about 7 years ago and had a bone graph and screw put in.
last few years had a bit of constant pain and then hurt it and had xrays, bones broke again and moved apart and the screws loose.
annyone had anything like this?
like to know about any old injurys and the fixes or problems.
cheers!
 
Wow, sounds bad.

I have seen instances where they remove the Necrotic piece of the bone and the screw and it makes some things better. Probably a worst case scenario is fusing part of your wrist.

I would say you need a brace in a very bad way.

The only old/ nagging injury I have is that i had my ACL replaced in 1989. The issues as far as pain in different weather conditions exist, but I have been lucky so far. Per my brother, who is a big time, world travelling PT, he said the ACL repair is probably past its' useful life. Hopefully, I won't need to replace it.
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
It is certainly tough to explain to someone that riding my DH bike makes me feel alive. I always ask them, "Do you have something that you love to do? Can you imagine not doing it?"

It's obviously not an old man's sport, but as long as I can do it, I'll do it.

Besides, I drive 40K miles/ year, it's more likely that a car wreck is going to end me than a bike wreck.
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!