Wrist/Arm Fractures

[Horserider]

Relax I haven't broken anything, this is for a story. Swear.

Anyone know anything about wrist or arm fractures? My MC (main character) fell off her horse and broke something and I need info so I can write it.

Which takes longer to heal: a broken arm or wrist?

[Sundays Man]

I'm no doctor, but I would have to say wrist. I have had broken bones and in about 8 weeks you're good to go. I have sprained a wrist and it took forever to get better. With all of the moving parts, ligaments, joints, etc I would think a broken wrist could take a long time to heal. My mother broke her wrist, but it required surgery to put it back together and six months or longer before she could get back to normal movements.

[luckydoublesranch]

Hmmmm...I would think a wrist, due to not being able to immobilize it as well as an arm...but I'd bet there are a lot of variables. Green break, one bone involved, mulitiple bones, etc. Boy, I'm a lot of help aren't I?! LOL! :)

I broke both the radius and ulna when I was little. My father didn't know for sure what was wrong until I went to use the "potty". You know how little kids use their arms to scoot up onto the seat?? Well, mine buckled in the middle to a 90 degree angle. UGH!!! 3 hours later at the ER the doctor comes in and looks at my Dad and says, "Well, she broke her arm.." .....NO, Really!?? ;)

[WashingtonBay]

I broke both the bones in my forearm in high school falling off a horse. Broken all the way through and offset... it was ugly. Took 8 weeks to heal in the cast.

Wrist might be more problematic later on because it's a moving part, lots of little bones, lots of opportunity for ongoing problems.

[Ranger44]

Here's my horror story! I hurt my wrist playing football in HS. I went to the doc got x-rayed and they found nothing. Two more weeks of football and half a basketball season and it was hurting so bad I went back. They found a break this time. I wore a cast for 6 weeks, nothing healed. I had surgery and they removed the "liquid" part of one of the small bones in the wrist and said it should grow back. It did some after looking at x-rays done about a week ago.

I was 16. Now at 51 the arthritis is creeping in and carpal tunnel doesn't help. Pain enough to prevent sleep and lack of strength are my problems now. I went to the doctor a week ago to see if anything could be done. I go back this week for some testing and we'll decide later if surgery will be done and what kind of surgery.

Oh, so my vote is a broken wrist is worse. :)

Sorry for the long story/details.

[Horserider]

Ow Ranger! I've already written the initial accident and the trip to the ER. Anything about the healing process and/or the follow up exam? She had a fractured radius.

[JackieB]

This has been said, but I think your character is at risk of losing some mobility/usefulness in his/her wrist. There are so many small bones in there. I think sometimes they have to fuse them together or just take the bone right out. My best friend had this and he has very little range of motion in his wrist anymore.

[RipSpark]

I broke both my wrist and my arm. What I broke the bone in my arm it got sliced totally in half. I got a cast and after 6weeks got it taken off and went to six flags right after that. It healed nicely. My wrist on the other hand still gives me trouble 9 years later. Nothing major but if I don't wear a watch on that wrist it really starts to hurt.

[Ranger44]

My options for the wrist other than the now routine carpal tunnel surgery are"

1. to fuse the little bones in the wrist and lose some motion
2. put a plate in to fuse the whole wrist and not be able to bend it at all.

I can't imagine the wrist being painful enough to want to do the second option. I'm hoping the carpal tunnel surgery will help for at least a few years. I won't consider the other two at least until I retire. It's my right hand and my gun hand.

[quest]

Depends on the type of break. Compound? Greenstick? Shattered? Etc.

[luv2show]

Hmm, I don't know!

But I broke one of the bones in my arm this thanksgiving as well as fracturing my hip! Lovely eh? Friggin' horse.

[starkitten]

I agree probably the wrist. My SO broke a bone in his wrist and the doctors were freaky about it not being able to move at all (apparently there is some bone that gets dang near no blood supply in the wrist or something). I can't remember exactly how long it took, but it seemed like forever(he is not a good patient ;) ) And then the physical therapy afterwards....

[FoxFireEMT]

It hurts. LOL. Sorry, couldn't resist. Can't wait to see your inserts from your book! **wink wink**