Help Needed: TFCC tear (wrist)--spoiler alert: WHINING

[ddskis]

Second the wrist widget. It’s specifically for TFCC and is low profile and easy to wear.
I did a nice fall onto outstretched hand (FOOSH) crossing a creek hiking, fractured my distal radius, and surely ripped my TFCC as well since it was a great twisting action in my wrist when I fell.
Never was formally diagnosed since the wrist fracture was priority and honestly probably wouldn’t have changed the treatment plan anyway.
Surgery for TFCC is a crapshoot, esp as we get older and ligament structure degrades. Other treatments like splinting, resting, activity modification, CBD, icing, PT, and my fave, tincture of time, much better imo.
It does hurt like the dickens tho and I hope u feel better soon.
And formal medical opinion always good!

 

[newboots]

How much difference in cost (approximately)? Because for the person an hour away you are adding time, gas, driving in winter stress etc. etc. The 'cost' adds up fast. AND an alternative is to schedule both but if the more $$ one is

Um: $100 vs. $250!

Anyway, here's the upshot so far. Saw a nurse-practitioner in the ortho office. She took an x-ray, ordered an MRI, ordered OT, and set up an appointment with herself and the ortho next week. And she gave me a splint! YAY!

I'm so happy. The splint keeps me from making this one movement that hurts so badly. She thinks it's TFCC, but the MRI will say more.

I'm thinking I probably shouldn't ski. Anyway, off to NYC after the MRI to get my vaccine!

 

[Iwannaski]

How’s your wrist, @newboots ? My friends and I had a spate of musculoskeletal challenges which made me want to check in.

 

[newboots]

On Wednesday I get the results of the MRI. So far, just wearing the splint most of the time and that helps tremendously. It keeps me from moving that one special way that makes it click and start to hurt. Today I went for a walk with a mitten on my right hand and a big warm sock on the left - too hard to get on gloves or mittens over that brace!

 

[newboots]

On Wednesday I get the MRI results. It feels much better now that I have the splint. It keeps me from making that one specific movement that results in a click and then pain. Even when it does happen, the pain is less because it's not happening constantly.

Today I went for a walk in the snow. I wore a mitten on my right hand and a big warm sock on my left! I only have one glove that will fit over it, and I don't want it to get all stretched out.

What are your musculoskeletal challenges? Is everybody okay? and thanks for asking!

 

[newboots]

Okay, I thought I was going to have to write that one yet again because it seemed to keep disappearing! Now I know what I did wrong.

Sorry folks!

 

[Iwannaski]

Oh, we’re all just middle aged. Living in a snowy state. We had a couple of husbands with back issues, I had a spasming quad, another friend had a foot problem.

And we had a cold snap that made it hard to do our weekly ski jaunts ... our short hills mean 10 is my floor for temperature, b/c you spend half your time on the lift. There were two weeks in the last three where we just couldn’t meet that temp threshold on Wednesday, which is when we like to/can take the kids.

That made the two of us who go the most (and our little skiers) fairly touchy. LOL
But, we’re going Wednesday this week and then we’re taking the kids to Granite Peak (the biggest in WI, I think) for the weekend.

 

[WaterGirl]

@newboots how is your wrist doing? I used my splint for several months - (only at night) and my issue subsided greatly.

 

[newboots]

Thanks for asking!

I had an MRI that showed TFCC tear caused by overuse, some arthritis, and nothing too severe, just several mild areas of deterioration (like the rest of me!). I started OT yesterday, and she taped it with kinesiology tape and gave me some isometric exercises.

It hurt a lot more after all the OT testing, but that’s temporary. She validated my worry that the hammer exercise was not appropriate for this level of injury. Maybe later for strengthening.

All in all, I’m very happy I went to the doctor, the orthopedic hand specialist, and now the OT! And I got the encouragement to do this despite the advice of my PT from the Divas!

 

[ddskis]

OTs and PTs are my heroes!! Glad it was nothing surgical. Kinesio tape can be so helpful- good for carpal tunnel also. Aging certainly isn’t for wussies.
Hang in there and heal well!

 

[newboots]

Update!

Occupational therapy is lots of fun, and I’m getting much better! OTs are hand specialists, and I’m really glad I’m with an expert. I wear the splint when I’m doing heavy work and skiing.

And I’m thanking a Diva for sending me a wrist widget! Not sure if she wants to be identified, but this is not the first act of great generosity I’ve gotten from this wonderful group of women!

 

[fgor]

That's wonderful to hear! Also I forgot about wrist widgets - they are fantastic little devices. I went through a lot of physio for some fairly severe chronic overuse wrist issues about a decade ago. My hand/wrist/forearm specialist physio gave me a bunch of wrist widgets and they really did help a ton! (I got given a few in the end because the velcro tended to stop working so well after a while :'D )

I didn't actually know what a TFCC tear was before this thread and I never knew my wrist diagnosis, all I cared about was that it improved in the end, because I neglected it for so long so it got pretty bad. Wrist injuries are so frustrating, I really empathise with your pain and your relief as it improves!!