I fell on black ice last week and fractured my wrist. Had surgery today. Didn’t get a chance to ask my doc when I could ride again. Sounds like it will be six weeks in a removable cast.
Anyone else had a broken wrist? What were your experiences?
Ugh. Sorry to hear about your wrist. I fractured my wrist in a riding accident but I was out for an extended time due to having external traction. I did not ride when I had pins and rods sticking out of my arm. Just way too much risk and I didn’t feel up to it. I didn’t even really go to the barn like that for fear of a sudden movement knocking into my arm. Once I had the pins removed and a fiberglass cast (after week 6) then I felt comfortable getting on for walking and trotting. I was riding a sedate old quarter horse (the one I fell off of thereby breaking my wrist). Looking back, I am sure the doctor wouldn’t have appreciated me being on a horse with a cast. I had the fiberglass cast for another 6 weeks and then tons of physical therapy. It is surprising how much mobility you lose being out of commission. When I look at my scars I still remember my trusted buckskin friend with a smile.
I was in a cast for 6 weeks and then didn’t feel like I had enough flexibility in my hand for about another 3 weeks after that - so, for me, 9 weeks…
Sorry to hear about your wrist! Thankfully I didn’t need surgery when I broke my wrist so this may not be much help, but I was riding when I had a hard cast on. Even after I transitioned to a soft cast and then a brace I continued to use the brace for riding after my doctor told me I didn’t need it anymore. I found that I liked the extra support while my wrist was still a little weak. FWIW, my doctor was ok with me riding throughout the process “provided I didn’t fall off on my wrist”… ha!
I crushed “all the things” in my wrist- it was about 1.5 weeks until I could have surgery then 2 weeks after surgery until a pin was removed. As soon as that was out I rode with a very effective brace (and bandaid over the hole). It took about 2 months till I felt like it was “normal”.
Similar for me. Once I got the hard cast on about a week or so after I broke it. I made sure when they put the cast on that my thumb could move enough to hold the reins. I also used the brace for riding afterwards for a while.
I came off a sale horse a few winters ago and broke both bones in my wrist. They were able to set it, so no surgery. I actually tried the last sale horse the next morning, about 12 hours later.
The cast was changed twice in the first week to get the set and angles right, then I had a lightweight, waterproof hard case for 5 weeks.
When I got home, I continued to ride my (very safe) gelding throughout (one-handed for about two weeks, then regularly). It was hardest right when the cast came off, but strength came back fast.
I gave myself a distal radius fracture that required a plate and pins 4 weeks ago in similar fashion, slipping on a sheet of ice hidden by snow. I was in a soft case 10 days post op and am now in a removable splint so I can do my PT exercises. They didn’t want to keep me immobile for too long because they want to get the mobility back to the joint as quickly as possible.
I’m not riding at the moment but I was told that I needed to wait to return to running due to the fall risk. Though I did start running again on the 4 weeks to the day after I fell.
Be diligent about PT and listening to them with regards to any weight restrictions for the hand. I’m not supposed to be picking up anything heavier than 2 lbs with that hand for the next several weeks… at least until my follow up with the surgeon and xrays at the end of Feb. Once they see how things are healing, I’m hoping I’ll have fewer limits. As someone else said, it’s amazing how much flexibility you lose in such a short span of time.
Good luck!
friend broke her wrist; needed a plate; went back to biking to work too soon; bent the plate; needed surgery again.
so, don’t overdo it too soon–!
i broke mine in a couple places (yes, ice :rolleyes:); no surgery; 5 weeks hard cast, another three i think in a brace, then went back to riding conservatively.
Thanks, everyone! I know everyone’s situation is different but it helps to hear others’ stories.
I feel for you…I basically smashed the end of my radius the arm bone that meets the wrist…weeks in a cast pieces shifted and was in the OR for plates n screws a week before the cast was supposed to come off. LONG rehab, but luckily ended well. Hope yours is not as bad as mine, but make sure you are with a DR and PT/OT that specialize in wrists/hands (yes there is a whole special certification for physical and occupational therapists Certified Hand Specialist) and follow instructions. Did you break the end of an arm bone or a carpal bone? Was the surgery for internal fixation or external fixation?
Distal radial inter articular fracture in multiple pieces. Internal fixation. Don’t think I could handle an external one. Ew!
Plate, four screws, hard cast, then pt…total of 8 weeks until I was in the saddle again but I’m an older AA with motivation but not really any $$responsibilities like clients!
Well, I have broken both arms/wrists at different times in my life, and have had to have hardware removed (last time was just 3 weeks ago) twice. The first time I was young and dumb, I had a radial fracture and broke on of the small bones in my wrist, and even with plates and surgery there was a large gap in the bone. Took 4 months to heal the break with plates! Well, that time I was back on my horse I believe after 2 weeks with cast from fingers to above elbow, maybe sooner. Continued to show, did some jumping as well. Had the hardware removed the next year, 6 more weeks in the cast. Was showing over fences 5 days post-op. Dumb now that I think about it.
Last time I broke my arm was 4 years ago. I am a surgeon, so my hands and arms are very very important to me. My horse crashed through a jump, I landed on top of the jump with my arm conforming to a jump pole. That was one nasty fracture of both bones in my arm. Got the trauma orthopod, put two 7 screw plates on both bones. Knowing that I had to get back to work, and needed PT EARLY for mobility reasons, he took the cast off me at 2 weeks and got the PT going, and let me do some basic stuff at work. I only got on a horse one time in six weeks, barely did anything. Horse lived at trainers. Not because of lack of use in the arm, but because I knew how catastrophic reinjury could be. At 6 weeks he said I was “released”, I picked my horse up from the trainer 1 day later with a lesson that day including jumping. Was at a show the next week and won the championship for my division. Even did the braids myself.
3 weeks ago I had one of the plates taken off due to lots of problems with it. Had less pain from the surgery than what the plates were causing, including the day of surgery. I had to let the swelling go down before riding, which interfered with my grip. I was lunging the day after surgery and was already back at work. I would have ridden 2 days after surgery, but we had a snow storm. Instead went down 7 days later, and did a big “bootcamp” to start show season, riding 2-3 hours per day for 3 days. Will be showing 5 weeks post-op, barely even know they did anything to me. Just the weird feeling along the scar.
Not a wrist, but I had to have surgery on my thumb which required much of my hand and all of my wrist to be in a solid cast for 6 weeks. It was in the summer and, not willing to forego riding, I had a few lunge lessons (I couldn’t hold reins due to the cast). Because of the heat, my arm sweated under the cast and wouldn’t dry – I had to have the cast removed and a new one put on. There’s a reason it has to stay dry – fungus.
I shattered both bones in my wrist and had a plate, 10 screws, and 2 pins. I believe the cast was on for 8 weeks total. I needed another 2 weeks before I felt like I had enough use of the hand to ride, and it took another 2-ish months before I felt normal. Tightening the girth was hugely difficult.
I think the timing really varies based on the specifics of each injury.
I would completely agree with nu2u that working with a hand therapist (physical therapist that specializes in hand/arm rehab) is EXTREMELY useful & will get you back in the saddle better and sooner. They will also work with you because they realize the finger movements associated with riding (even just at a walk) are very therapeutic for wrist injuries.
Good luck!!
Agree with Paige777 that girth-tightening remains difficult for a looooong time…
Ugh. Nothing to add but I’m so bummed for you! Thinking good thoughts for quick healing!
