Wrist Fusion - Will Be Able To Ride My Motorcycle?
Aug 25, 2013
I am in a few weeks having total wrist fusion (left). Will Still be able to ride my motorcycle after?
View 1 RepliesI am in a few weeks having total wrist fusion (left). Will Still be able to ride my motorcycle after?
View 1 RepliesI'm 18 and have a lot of issues with some tendons and joints and dealing with pain, especially in my left wrist. I've never injured it. It developed so that there was nothing actually holding my thumb in place and was pretty much dislocated, so I had an operation to take tendon from my arm and use it to stabilize my thumb. That worked fine, now my thumb is better.
However, the wrist has always had problems to. Being in a cast for over two months made all of the problems worse. My wrist got so stiff, most of my physical therapy time was used to try and loosen it up.
I had an X-ray today and my doctor said it's actually gotten a lot worse. There's this moon / crescent shaped bone, and it's dislocating on it's own. It's very out of place now. None of bones in my left wrist look normal. They just grew to be this way.
Anyway, I have three options. One is to just leave my wrist as is and wear my brace, but I don't want to just leave it because when I take the brace off and try to move my wrist around and stretch/strengthen it, it hurts so so much. Another options to take out a couple of bones and form a new joint, which will help a little bit with pain and leave me with some mobility (but not much). Even if I do this, I'll have to get a total wrist fusion in about 10 years. Third option is to just get the wrist fusion surgery now, which will solve the pain problem but my wrist will never move up and down again.
My mother wants me to get the surgery where they form a new joint that leaves some mobility. She said that would be best, since they're always coming up with new technology and surgery and "in 10 years, you might not even need the fusion because they figured out something new!" (Her words, lol)
I don't really agree with her. I now just want to get the fusion surgery over-with already. It'll probably be easier to adapt because I'm a teen, but if I wait, I'll be in my late twenties and needing a full fusion.
Yet, I'm worried that having my wrist fused will prevent me from doing simple little things I like, such as playing video games, sculpting, lifting my niece, get my first job, etc. Will I be able to do stuff like this? I know it seems dumb, but I'm worried about it.
Anyone else have problems like mine? My doctor think all my problems are connect and I might have a genetic condition(s) that caused my body to develop this way. My wrist is messed up, my elbow doesn't extend all the way, one knee is very slightly higher than the other, knee pain, extremely high arches in my feet and hammer toes, etc. It all causes pain, but I can still function. I only take an over-the-counter pain med, but I'm certain it's all going to get worse as I get older. Walking around the store makes my feet swell up and my knee throb. As of right now, slight movements in my wrist cause a lot of pain. That bone that is dislocating itself sort of "catches" on something in there and hurts a lot.
I injured my right wrist in April, and had surgery for it in the beginning of September, I have had two pins put in my wrist to allow the ligaments to heal as well as to align my bone which had dis aligned. I'm supposed to get the pins out in two weeks, and the pain has been absolutely unbearable. The pain is on the left side of the wrist where the pins are supposed to be taken out, located just under pinky. I am told that the pain is normal but I am looking for a second opinion as even slightly I'm bending my arm causes pain in my wrist.
View 1 RepliesI had metal plates put in my wrist about 3 weeks ago and am in a removable cast. I have unbearable pain at one spot on the side of my wrist under my thumb. It's real painful when I take my cast off and even with the cast I'm only comfortable holding my hand pointing up. Gravity seems to hurt my hand and can't even put my arm in a splint because it hurts. 2 questions:
Had anyone experience this to give advice on what you did to get comfortable and how long this pain lasted?
Any advice on the best position to sleep? All positions I've tried put pressure on that side of my wrist. I tried finding a position where my thumb is pointing up, but haven't found a good position that doesn't lock my shoulder. I haven't slept in 2 weeks and really need some sleep.
When I received my diagnosis a month or so ago, I spent a lot of time reading this forum and learned an overwhelming amount of information. One post that stood out was someone who had managed to somewhat reverse their fusion with a baking soda spray treatment. I can't find that post, or remember what thread it was posted on, and I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. If there is anyone else who has managed to reverse their fusion.
View 4 RepliesMy surgeon and I met today to discuss the continuing problems I am having with my left ankle. We started to talk about a fusion and I suggested an ankle replacement. He says I am too young for a replacement. I am 42 and he said they like to only do them on people in their mid-50s or older.
Has anyone had a replacement that is younger than mid-50s? Any recommendations regarding which surgery would be better?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Just very frustrated with the lack of function and level of pain at this point after 4 surgeries.
after contracting cervical spondylosis through an industrial accident i have taken many different forms of medication, namely diclofenac, tramadol and co-dydramol, none work, two disc replacements later, c5-c6 c6-c7, still symptoms persist, tramadol are horrendous, sleepless nights itchiness mild vertigo drowsiness, a truly awful drug, diclofenac caused some form of breathing difficulty, although im not an asthma sufferer, i think the only possible cure for this illness is a spinal fusion, my surgeon seems reluctant in doing this as he is trialling new discs, i never wanted to be a guinea pig, i just wanted to be cured, four years later im worse than ever, no work cant drive cant sleep at night, any ideas?
View 1 RepliesI had a fusion of my big toe on October 28, 2009. As I approach my first anniversary, I am happy with the results. My joint was severely damaged. The surgeon said I had two choices, cheilectomy and fusion. He did not think the cheilectomy would work for me and if it did, it would only likely last a year. I did some research and realized that I was headed for a fusion. I decided on that and I am glad I did.
My recovery has been good. I did have a couple of scares when the radiologist suggested there might be a bone infection. Fortunately, that turned out not to be the case. I suspect he was confusing healing with signs of infection. At any rate, now that it is a year later, I have pretty much no pain. I am walking every day, usually at least a mile or two each morning. Sometimes I walk up to five or seven miles in one walk. My foot is up for the task. I have started curling for the season now, and my foot is great. The last time I curled, my foot was very sore (pre-surgery). It was so nice to curl without pain! Also, with all my walking, I am in better shape than before, so I curled amazingly well. Scary.
There is some misinformation about fusions I'd like to address: Your gait will be altered with a fusion - my gait was altered by the sore foot and limited range of motion from the arthritis. Now my gait is normal, I toe off the big toe again. That means that now my hip feels better. You won't be able to run or be active - fusion is actually recommended for people who wish to remain active. At least if the foot is damaged beyond a certain point. I am more able to run now than I was pre-surgery because I have a stable foot that does not hurt. Surgery is painful - yes, I had about four days of pain that required medication. After that, as long as I had my foot elevated, I was fine. I think bunion surgery is much more painful
Fusion is certainly a drastic procedure that probably should not be considered lightly. At the same time, if it is the right procedure it is fabulous.
My last back surgery was a T12-L5 fusion to correct scoliosis. I would say it's a failed back surgery because my back is so weak I must use either a cane or walker most of the time. I have constantly had a burning pain in my groin and lower back for which I take oxycodone and use ice to relieve the pain.
Now the question: for more than a year (the surgery was 2 years ago) I have had swelling with fluid around one of the T12 screws. X-rays were done then and again the last of May and both show the screw has backed out somewhat but is still intact. In fact, the more recent x-ray is exactly like the first one, so it seems it isn't moving. My neurosurgeon said he could remove the screw and cut the rod down if I wanted him to. At the time, I said, "No, not yet." That was a couple months ago. However, the edema is getting larger, moving to the right side of my spine and moving lower. It's also getting almost impossible to get a good seating position because of it.
Sorry to be so long about this, but I'm wondering if any of you have had this problem, and if so, what did you do about it? At the moment, I'm facing a total shoulder replacement surgery in 2 weeks, and then possibly eye surgery after that, so I can't do anything soon, it seems. Just trying to see what my options are.
Saw an orthopaedic consultant yesterday who confirmed, after an xray, that the osteoarthritis in the big toe joint is getting worse. He suggested two different types of surgery: a fusion of the bone or a replacement of the joint. I am leaning towards the latter although I don't know much about it and the consultant admitted the success rate isn't great! Has anyone had it done or know more about it?
View 8 Replieshow to remove this disgusting eczema on my hands i have it between on my fingers and the wrist
View 4 RepliesI had metal plate inserted in wrist after accident last year..today I was walking my dog and he strongly n quickly pulled on leash and hurt my bad wrist..im now in pain and have restricted movement I am also experiencing numbness and cold tingling down in my and into my fingers.
I think I have a wrist strain or sprain in my left wrist. I can hold my hand straight out, fingers stretched out, & when I turn it to the left (sideways, palm side down), it feels like a catch & may be a little popping at times. Is this indicative of a strain or sprain?
View 1 RepliesI have been suffering from nerve pain that ran down my left arm and shoulder and fingers from a bulging disc in the C-5- C-6 so i had been taking oxycodone 10-325 but when we decided to do surgery we cut that down to oxycodone 5/325 since that is what the surgeon would be giving me after surgery so i said okay no problem. I had surgery on 2/26 of this year, But after surgery come to find out he dropped me to a hydrocodone 7.5/325 and can't understand why the 7.5 hydro's weren't working to take away the pain. I had been having a lil bit of pain on the right shoulder before surgery, but nothing like what i had been having in the left so the surgeon side well "let's hope this will fix this side too" well it didn't. In fact it made the right side worse, I now feel like i have a hot knife twisting at the base of my neck whenever i turn my neck to the right or left, which in turn runs down into my shoulder blades and into my right shoulder which makes my shoulder feel like someone it trying to tear my shoulder off at the cuff along with weakness in my right arm which i never had before .. I have also started to notice a tingling in my right pinky finger and ring finger. I have told him over and over about this but all he does is get the X-rays and says the fusion is looking fine. and my primary can't do anything since he told her he would treat my pain for 6 weeks and he is refusing to do anything about the pain what so ever. i am to my wits end and any advice would be welcomed.
View 1 RepliesI am almost 2 years post op from an L5 - S1 spinal fusion. I had three surgeries in 9 months before the fusion. I have never been 100% since. The pain is not as severe or crippling, but there is much that I am unable to do. I cannot stand for more than 20 minutes, cannot walk around for more than 30 minutes and have to alternate sitting with laying down. I take Vicodin 1-2 times each day for the pain. I also have numbness in the left foot from the middle toe to the pinky and around the outside of the foot to the heel. My concern now is that I hear a "clicking" when I get up from sitting or lying down. I live in Minnesota and the winter is brutal! I suffer more with extreme cold and damp weather. Is this something to be concerned with or just another item to learn to accept? Is it possible to have an MRI after a fusion?
View 3 RepliesAfter being diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis in 1992 and undergoing several other treatment options that were not successful, I had back surgery, a laminectomy w/bone fusion. I then developed urinary incontinence, which is still a problem for me. and also lost my mobility. I am now spending most of the time in a wheelchair, although I am able to use a walker for very limited distance walking. I still suffer from back pain but do get some relief from a prescription pain med. I just wondered if anyone else had developed urinary incontinence after having back surgery?
View 2 RepliesI thought I would share my story and healing process as I am recovering from a ladder fall from about 8-9' up onto concrete in November, 2014. I welcome any and all advice and hope my story and (hopefully) regular updates on my own progress will help others who may go through this same event.
On Nov. 30, 2014, I fell from a 10' ladder as I was trying to hang a Christmas wreath above my front door like I had done for the last 14 years! I tried doing this without my wife spotting me on the ladder and, when I reached to try to hang one of the wreath wires, I lost the center of gravity on the ladder and had no option that didn't involve me likely killing myself other than jumping off the ladder onto the concrete patio below. I was wearing running shoes and, after landing and gathering myself after a couple of minutes from the shock and immediate pain, thought I might have ruptured my right Achilles tendon. After inspecting the back of my heel, though, it was apparent that the tendon was still intact and I then realized that I likely had broken at least my heel bond (Calcaneus) as I could not tolerate even the lightest touch on any part of the bottom of my injured foot. I was home alone and had to hop into the house to retrieve my cell phone, spraining my good left knee in the process.
A trip to the emergency room and an x-ray later, it was confirmed that I had suffered a Calcaneal fracture.
I was 57 years old at the time of my fall, just two weeks shy of my 58th birthday. I had gotten in pretty good shape over the course of the year, having gotten back to a regular gym routine and running with frequency, as well. I am 5'11" and weighed around 195 lbs. at the time of my injury. My ideal weight is likely around 180-185, so I was at least 10-15 lbs overweight at that time.
After finding the best qualified orthopedic specialist in the area (he is a part of the top ortho group in the area and is the only surgeon in their 12-15 member practice group that does NOTHING BUT foot and ankle surgery. Lesson #1 learned: Find a surgeon whose practice is all but focused solely on the foot!! I have complete confidence that I could not have found a better doctor to do this surgery in my area (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas).
I had a CT scan performed a week after the injury and after some of the swelling had subsided - it showed a Comminuted Fracture (essentially shattered into three large pieces and many smaller). My surgeon could not have stressed enough how important it was to keep my foot elevated above my heart in the several days prior to the surgery and told me that, had I been much older, surgery might not have been advised due to deteriorating circulation issues in feet for patients over 60 years old. This was, in fact, his major concern throughout; namely, that adequate blood supply would allow for healing of the surgical wound required for the surgery.
I had my surgery on December 11, 2014, and stayed overnight in the hospital. My surgery involved an open lateral incision on the outside of my heel with the insertion and fixation of a titanium plate and eight screws that extend nearly all the way across the width of my reassembled heel. Because my subtalar joint was also severely damaged in the fall, my surgeon had advised me that a fusion of the Talus with the Calcaneus was likely after he visually surveyed the cartilage and he did, indeed, also proceed with this fusion procedure which resulted in about a 5" long screw being inserted from the very back of my heel near the base and extending into the Talus bone above. I was told I will lose most of my lateral flexibility in my foot but should eventually recover most of my front-to-back foot flexibility.
I had been given a nerve block after surgery and felt no discomfort at all until the nerve block wore off the next evening. When that block wears off, it does so with a vengeance! I took Oxycontin for the next couple of days, then switched to Hydrocodone for pain and Naproxen Sodium for swelling thereafter. I got off the HC as quickly as I could (3-4 days later) and still take naproxen on a regular basis to manage the lesser pain and swelling.
I will follow up in the next few days with my thoughts on my recovery progress and outlook since then - I know this post may have some overkill from a factual standpoint but I wanted to include information that I personally would have liked to have known in reading other threads.
Back in 2012 after 2 years of severe sciatica that was treated with painkillers, I finally got an MRI which showed disc herniation at L5/S1, I had a microdiscectomy & the surgeon said it was a difficult procedure as the disc had calcified. I did however have some relief & a huge reduction in pain.
After about a year the pain had increased to the point my mobility was affected & I was referred back to my neuro, he carried out MRI & another micro discectomy & unfortunately this actually left me immediately in more pain.
So I had another MRI which showed again more herniated disc trapping my nerves, this was only 6 weeks after my 2nd op, my surgeon said he could do no more for me but he then referred me onto a colleague for a TLIF fusion of L5/S1.
Which was done, but again no significant improvements so after 12 weeks my neuro sent me for more MRI & CT scans, this showed halo's around my fusion screws, crowding at L5/s1 & a post op collection around the incision site, he prescribed 6 weeks antibiotic course & re-did the scans.
There was no change to the collection & he then decided he would need to operate again in case of infection.
When he operated he found no infection inside but there was 'bugs' in the fluid collection in my back.
He said the fluid was seroma & he was confused as seroma fluid never has bugs in it?
Whilst he was in my back he did yet another discectomy & laminectomy, he said he did not check the fusion itself as it meant disturbing scar tissue.
At this point he said nothing more can be done for me.
This is heartbreaking to me, I'm 39 yrs old, I have a physical job as an electrician & I don't want to be sat about or lose my job.
My pain is still extreme in my right leg & hip, my buttock still feel numb & my calf feels tight & achy.
My last op was only a week ago but after 4 surgeries on one small place, I still feel in excruciating pain & it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, my back around the incision site is still swollen like it was before this surgery & I'm worried the fluid is coming back, the build up of that fluid had caused problems on my left side & had not got any smaller in the 5 months between the surgeries.
I'm 5 months post op from MIS fusion of l4/l5 and in pain.
Had microdiscectomy at the same level november 2013 without any relief. The back pain only got worse. The disc was completely dehydrated and I was offered the fusion 6 months later. Not that much pain after the operation but it has increased a lot. Severe back pain in the lower back and all the way up to the shoulders.
During push up I think I have hurt my wrist. Now during dorsiflexion of the wrist it hurts. it's been 2 months. there is no swelling and doesn't hurt normally. just during flexing.
View 1 RepliesMy wrist has been hurting on the pinky side for about three weeks. It hurts the most when i put pressure on it and move toward that direction. It started hurting after i slid into third base in softball (i sometimes drag my hands) i think this could have hurt it. What should i do?
View 1 Replies