Success rate of TFCC repair

[sangy]

I had a wrist injury 4th July 2007 and Dr diagnosed it as ulnar styloid fracture and TFCC tear (3rd degree). I had TFCC repair in Oct 2007 and was in cast for 6 weeks and then had therapy and kept recovering well till June of 2008 and then while vaccuming my wrist starting hurting again and have developed similar symptoms like the original injury.
Do u think I have the tear again and do u think I should to go through the surgery again? What is the success rate of this surgery the first time and then the 2nd time around?

[JohnnyLewissr]

I had wrist surgery on my left wrist and was in a cast for 6 weeks, I had very little movement in the cast but when the cast came off and went through therapy I still had the same movement as if I was in a cast. I had 100% movement before surgery, after surgery I only had 45% movement in my left. Is that common or not and what kind of surgery or procedure do I need to have more movement because therapy is not working.

[laundry379]

I had a TFCC tear in my right wrist that took the Work Comp doctors two years to diagnose.  I had the surgery in October 2010. The worst for me was I was in a cast up to my armpit for 8 weeks and I am severely claustrophobic.  Therapy was tough and very painful but I would say my surgery was a success.  My full range of motion didn't come back but I am thankful my pain went away.  However I believe that I may have re-torn the TFCC again.  I just hope I didn't because I do not believe I would survive another 8 weeks in a cast.

[Ashley1000]

Hi. Was your tfcc retorn after the surgery?

[gracesvelasquez]

I was in an automobile accident on a freeway were I was hit from behind at 50mph+.. because I braced myself by gripping the steering wheel.. i was diagnosed with a TFCC injury 6wks later.. I had carpal tunnel for 15 years and thought it was a really bad flare up.. only it never got better and only worsened with any activity. I had the surgery and shortening of the Ulnar bone but was told that my central tear was not repairable... its been almost 7months. My wrist is stiff, hurts,no strength, and I still can't rotate my wrist with a palm up position nor can I do a complete palm down with discomfort. My job is on the computer all day and I really fear I can not do it anymore. Just in typing this .. I am having a hard time. My pinky and ring finger don't do what I want them to all the time and sometimes my fingers aren't strong enough to push down the keys. Well, thats my injury and all I can say.. Is i hope the best for all of you.. For me, My life has changed

[jenjade]

i got into a car accident two years ago, i had pain on m left wrist, i went to the dr and he couldnt find the reason for the pain. so for two years i was having pain, finally got to the point that i couldnt take the pain anymore. i also had barley any motion. so finally after 2 years they figured out the problem i had a loose ligament and torn tfcc. something like that. and i did the surgery. so i guess my question i still have pain, its not the same excat pain bout pain none the least, its been 3 months since the surgery. ive been told that the healing process can take up to 6 months, i guess what i want to know is if im always going to have pain or will it one day fade away? by the way i still hardly any motion.  

[sydneylou]

I acquired tears in both wrists as a result of my profession - Massage Therapist. In March of 2006 I had my left TFCC operated on. I had my ulna shortened and arthroscopic to the dorsal aspect of the wrist done at the same time. It is now December 2008 and I am still not back at my profession and experience various degrees of pain in my left wrist. The pain affects activities of everyday living (i.e. stabilizing a vegetable when I chop it, pushing out of a chair/off the floor/out of the bath and holding onto the leashes of my 2 dogs when I walk them... and they don't even pull on their leash!!!) I have some numbness around the incision area and I wear made-to-measure splints at night as needed. Needless to say, I am not having my right wrist operated on. It's just not worth it for me. I am at a total loss and pop Advil from time to time to help ease pain and inflammation. Acupuncture also helps relieve pain for a few days but the results do not last. Since this is a mechanical injury and an avascular area, I am not optimistic about the prognosis.
I'm not suggesting not having an ulna osteotomy but in my case it was not helpful in relieving my pain. To be quite honest, the only thing that eliminates my wrist pain is not moving it. Not exactly realistic!!!
Best of luck and wishing you pain free range of motion!

[cjsmom95]

I had the tfcc repair 8 months ago I now have no range of motion and that's after 4 months of pt. Did you have anchors? I have anchors and one is coming out and they have to fix it.

[dr_simran]

Hello dear,
Age-related degenerative changes in the wrist might contribute to poor outcome and a TFCC tear resulting from minor or repetitive trauma. Loss of wrist rotation, grip strength, and ulnar positive variance are factors that are correlated with poor outcome. The central 80% of the TFCC is essentially avascular, thus tears in this region are thought to have poor healing potential.The success rate varies fro 70-90% and the pain usually persists for a long time.You shoulsd see your orthopedic physician for the new symptoms.

Refer http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749806305006924
Best