Broken Bone

Flixie00

I have a suspected scaphoid fracture (a small bone near the thumb and wrist) and I am currently sporting a plaster cast. This is not a sports related injury, and if confirmed could result in a long spell in plaster.

I work out a lot, both cardio and strength training, and obviously this injury will limit what I can do. I have been avoiding weights and anything which involves lifting, pushing and pulling. My work outs are currently limited to cardio and lower body bodyweight exercises and I have been spending less time in the gym than I normally would.

I have had a lot of success with upper body work outs, and I am concerned that I will lose muscle tone due to this injury. I also have had people suggest that I should not be working out at all, and that this could hamper the healing process.

Has anyone had a similar injury? did it set your fitness back? did you carry on working out? and can anyone recommend alternative exercises for upper body which will not put a strain on my wrist (the only exercise I hate doing is yoga)? Should I be exercising at all?

pet1127

yes exercise
BUT if it hurts back off a bit
as for upper body work out I would just use your own body weight no lifting
same movements as if you had weights just more reps because you are not holding weights
It will atleast help keep some of the muscle tone
When you go back and see your Dr. ask them what you can and cat do

dhakiyya

can you get advice from a doctor/physio regarding what lifts you can and can't do? Also if the injury's in the wrist/thumb area, maybe you can still do most things if you use a machine rather than free weights. a lot of people think machines are no good, but they are ideal for situations like this so you can carry on training while resting up an injury. Training your legs won't hamper the healing process in your wrist. The main thing to watch is your grip, so pretty much everything with free weights would be out, but many machines you don't need to grip in order to do the exercise, you can push with your legs, have the weighted part resting on your shoulders, etc. But do get advice from a physio or doctor who understands about sport, etc.

I have to have surgery next week so I'm going to be in a similar situation, i.e. wanting to get back into lifting as soon as possible without hindering the healing process. I'm going to see if I can see a physio for advice about how to get back into it safely and as quickly as possible.

letjog

Dont do anything which could impair the healing (ie don't do ANYTHING which hurts the fracture) - scaphoid fractures are risky as the bone has a poor blood supply and there is a risk of something called "avascular necrosis" - google it.

Flixie00

yes exercise
BUT if it hurts back off a bit
as for upper body work out I would just use your own body weight no lifting
same movements as if you had weights just more reps because you are not holding weights
It will atleast help keep some of the muscle tone
When you go back and see your Dr. ask them what you can and cat do

Can you suggest upper body bodyweight exercises which don't involve the use of the wrist? I cannot do press ups, dips, and chin / pull ups. I can do planks.

sijomial

Dont do anything which could impair the healing (ie don't do ANYTHING which hurts the fracture) - scaphoid fractures are risky as the bone has a poor blood supply and there is a risk of something called "avascular necrosis" - google it.

Second this - scaphoid fractures are hard to diagnose (don't always show up on a standard X-ray view). Very common injury for motorcycle racers. Take some time out and get professional advice before exercising it.

kvhmc

I broke my scaphoid bone when I was 10, had to have a cast on for several months. Since being a medical student I've come to realise the significance of this fracture (depending on the position of the break) - if you don't let it heal properly then necrosis can occur which can lead to loss of use of your thumb in years to come. I wasn't lifting weights aged 10 so that wasn't a problem for me but had to adapt to a different technique for playing instruments, what you want to avoid is using muscles that will move the thumb (which originate at the elbow and below). This means you can still exercise your biceps/triceps if you can find a suitable move that doesn't involve gripping with the thumb. Think I agree with the person above, using weight machines would be a good idea if you can find ones that doesn't involve any serious gripping. Hope that helps!

Flixie00

I broke my scaphoid bone when I was 10, had to have a cast on for several months. Since being a medical student I've come to realise the significance of this fracture (depending on the position of the break) - if you don't let it heal properly then necrosis can occur which can lead to loss of use of your thumb in years to come. I wasn't lifting weights aged 10 so that wasn't a problem for me but had to adapt to a different technique for playing instruments, what you want to avoid is using muscles that will move the thumb (which originate at the elbow and below). This means you can still exercise your biceps/triceps if you can find a suitable move that doesn't involve gripping with the thumb. Think I agree with the person above, using weight machines would be a good idea if you can find ones that doesn't involve any serious gripping. Hope that helps!

Thank you.

I was wondering if I could still do some simple weight exercises like French press, bicep curl etc. My PT is back from holidays next week, so I will discuss my options with him, and also when I go for a 2nd xray next week. Although I still want to exercise, I am not going to risk longer term damage.

I am also considering taking up swimming again (you can buy cast protectors) which should help.

Oddly, its the little things that cause pain, i.e. turning taps, pulling up underwear, opening my purse etc.

kvhmc

Thank you.

I was wondering if I could still do some simple weight exercises like French press, bicep curl etc. My PT is back from holidays next week, so I will discuss my options with him, and also when I go for a 2nd xray next week. Although I still want to exercise, I am not going to risk longer term damage.

I am also considering taking up swimming again (you can buy cast protectors) which should help.

Oddly, its the little things that cause pain, i.e. turning taps, pulling up underwear, opening my purse etc.

I'm not sure you'll be able to do those weight exercises, it depends on how you cast is positioned really, but since they involve gripping I won't think they'd be good for you to do. Swimming sounds like a really good idea though! I do quite a bit and it's really good for building/maintaining upper body strength, especially if you use a pull buoy.

Obviously I can't diagnose it over the internet, particularly without an x-ray or MRI, but those moves sound exactly like the sort of things that would cause pain. I had to get an MRI to confirm my fracture as they can be difficult to see on x-rays!

dittmarml

Talk to the doctor, a sports medicine specialist and/or to a physical therapist, not folks on an internet forum.

If unavoidable, a few weeks or months of relatively diminished activity is far better than months or years of difficulty due to poor healing.

sylviatx

I broke a toe in September so couldn't walk (my 2nd preferred cardio exercise). I swam instead, and luckily it didn't bother the toe at all.

But I exercised a lot less than if I hadn't been injured. My advice is to listen to your dr and your body. You'll heal soon enough and can get back in top physical shape.

Don't forget to use tools when possible for every day household activities. Things like scissors, pliers, tweezers, clothespins can all be used to advantage. When I had tennis elbow really badly I could use a clothespin to pull up underwear. TMI, I know!

Best of luck to you in your healing!

Sycoholic

Broke my wrist this summer while mountain biking. It was July... that only matters because I took and passed the Army APFT in October.

Now, your main focus is healing your wrist. Doing ANYTHING to aggravate it will do more harm than good. I have seen straps to use on cable machines. You can put these straps over your forearms to get a workout. How about the pec/dec machine at your gym? Anything that doesn't involve your wrist is ok. You do want to stay in shape, but you just have to be extra careful. Your muscle will come back. Regaining what you lost comes a lot easier than building what you never had. I still experience a sharp pain when doing push ups, but it's getting better. I bought a set of gloves with wrist wraps for weight training. It provides a little extra support when I hit the heavy stuff. Now, I didn't even run, except closer to October because the jarring aggravated my wrist. It sounds like your fracture is a lot worse than mine was so I'd be extra vigilant at not doing any further damage to it. Good luck and happy healing.