Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) Distal Radius Recovery
What can i expect pain wise and movement after surgery ?I fell while jogging on July 21. I went to the ER for a chin laceration (6 stitches) and broken right wrist. They took Xrays - comminuted fracture. I saw the orthopedic surgeon the next day. I saw the Xray and it looks bad. The orthopedist has me in a splint until my surgery. The swelling has gone done some. The surgeon told me after surgery I must have 2 weeks with no activities that cause sweating. I have an overseas trip in late September and he said i should be fine for that. I can currently close my fingers and thumb. I am taking Tylenol during the day and Percocet at night. The pain is pretty constant. I am apprehensive because I had a hip replacement in January 2023. They told me i would be back to normal in 4-6 weeks. That was not the case for me. My doctor did say I would start therapy the day after surgery. Thankfully I am left handed so i am able to do things that only require one hand.
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I do wear a compression glove at night and it does help a little bit, I'll take whatever I can get. I also do some hand exercises in the hot shower in the morning. It is a very slow process for healing.
Update:
I got a 2nd opinion and this surgeon only does surgery on hand/wrist/elbow and is rated as a top doctor locally.
He knew something was wrong right away and set me up for an ultrasound the day of the appointment. They determined that I have a compressed median nerve (which has caused acute, severe carpal tunnel symptoms). This is apparently common in fractures that result from forceful falls.
He said I would not benefit from OT until this is resolved. I tried a 5-day trial of steroid pills, but this did not work. I could have tried a steroid injection, but positive outcomes from injections don't tend to hold over time, so I am going to have carpal tunnel release surgery which releases the compressed median nerve.
I am so glad I did not follow the advice given to me by the PA who worked with my surgeon and instead sought out a 2nd opinion. I would recommend this to anyone who is concerned about their recovery and/or care plan.
Yes! Very similar experience. I just got a 2nd opinion and was diagnosed with acute carpal tunnel syndrome, which apparently can be triggered by forceful falls. I will be getting carpal tunnel surgery in the next few weeks to address this. So perhaps you could be evaluated to see if you also have acute CTS. Good luck!
Update (in case you didn't see this already):
I got a 2nd opinion and this surgeon only does surgery on hand/wrist/elbow and is rated as a top doctor locally.
He knew something was wrong right away and set me up for an ultrasound the day of the appointment. They determined that I have a compressed median nerve (which has caused acute, severe carpal tunnel symptoms). This is apparently common in fractures that result from forceful falls.
He said I would not benefit from OT until this is resolved. I tried a 5-day trial of steroid pills, but this did not work. I could have tried a steroid injection, but positive outcomes from injections don't tend to hold over time, so I am going to have carpal tunnel release surgery which releases the compressed median nerve.
I am so glad I did not follow the advice given to me by the PA who worked with my surgeon and instead sought out a 2nd opinion. I would recommend this to anyone who is concerned about their recovery and/or care plan.
I am so glad you are on your way to a solution. The same happened to my daughter after a fall and complex open fracture. She is almost 4 years out from the initial injury, and 3 from a second fracture of the same wrist and hardware, and has 85-90% function in her hand, probably the best it will get, but not enough to return to OR skilled nursing, so she is back in school for her MSN so she can teach.
Caution - both of us have learned that you almost never get to be 100% pain-free after a traumatic injury - my healed places really hate barometric changes and cold, even after many years. But it is background pain, not the severe pain you have been having.