Stiff fingers and wrist after distal radius surgery

YES! Your experience is very normal after a traumatic wrist injury.
Please see this very recent discussion on the same topic.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/right-compound-distal-radial-and-ulnar-styloid-fracture/
Also, my EMT husband would advise you to ICE...Ice...ice - several times a day. It will really help the swelling.

I had a distal radius fracture over four months ago. The fracture has healed but fingers are still stiff despite occupational therapy.The pinky and ring fingers are the worse. I have sensation in the fingers although the pinky one is a bit numb. The plastic surgeon thinks I have developed scar tissue in the fingers and might consider surgery. I mentioned to the doctor that maybe the ulnar nerve was compressed or pinched, but he disregard that option because I still have some sensation. No MRI was prescribed. I’ve read that it could take a year to get rid of the stiffness. I am still having physiotherapy because it has helped but as I said fingers are stiff.. Your thoughts

Same here I’m 2 1/2 months out from plate surgery. Fell December 24, 2024 broke both bones in my right arm. Continue to have lots of stiffness in my hand. Also the right side of my hand feels numb. I still exercise 3 times a day and the swelling is gone down a lot. I hate the pain I get when I try to bend my hand forward or backwards. It’s very stiff. Any suggestions are welcome .

I fell and fractured my right wrist with both of those bones. I have a plate and seven screws. This happened November 16 of 2024 and I still have stiff fingers specially the pinky and the ring finger with electricity all kinds of pains and aches. my doctor is doing ulnar nerve compression there’s another procedure also but I can’t remember what the name is but it’s to help with scar tissue with my wrist to help it have more rotation. I also have very limited motion bending my wrist back and little bit better moving it forward . I hope this helps and I hope you get better soon. It is a process I’m learning as well.

I underwent distal radial reduction with a bone graft in June of 2022. I went to physical therapy weekly (45 minute drive one-way) for about 9 months until I was discharged from it. I had the procedure done by an acclaimed surgeon at the facility that he helped found (They did the very first arm reattachment in the USA fith the patient regainng full use of their extremities). All in all, I have been pleased with the results of my surgery but as time has passed, I've noticed several things 'off' that are getting progressively worse. I am 43 years old and I have a sharp protrusion in the center or of the top of my wrist and the pain is getting worse as time passes. Sometimes it's tender to the touch and it looks like I have a heavily scarred muscle underneath the tissue and that knot is growing larger as well. I'm not sure what to make of it and Dr. Kleinman has since retired and he was the one who did my surgery. He was really fair priced for the amount of work he had done, btw. His fee was under 7,000 dollars to take 20ml of bone from my pelvis and shape and graft it, installed the harware (A titanium plate and 11 screws, plus some wiring), and he had to go in on the top AND bottom of my wrist to get everything put back together. I have regained 95% of function, but I have noticed that them more I use it to it's full level, the more intense the pain is. I hold no hard feelings over the fact that something is going on with it because I am sure it has nothing to do with the work Kleinman had done, but is more along the lines of my body having a hard time accepting the foreign objects. My fingers and thumb move fine, but my wrist range of motion is becoming more and more limited and the more I try to use my rehabilitative exercises, the worse the pain gets.

@bdcb Welcome to Connect. It sounds like you need an evaluation to know what is going on. My suggestion is to see an orthopedic trauma surgeon. I had an ankle fracture fixed at Mayo and later on when my body didn’t like the titanium hardware, my surgeon removed all of it and I have been fine ever since.

My surgeon was Andy Sems at Mayo in Rochester. He specializes in recreating lost structure and does things to either lengthen or reshape bones if that is needed. I think he would be the level of expertise that you are looking for.

The first thing I would suggest is to check the Mayo website for insurance information and perhaps call them to check if your insurance is accepted at Mayo. Dr. Sems is excellent and I would highly recommend him.