post TFCC repair still painful

[mandy197]

I had the TFCC repaired in my right wrist in Sept '07.  There were no post-op complications.  It is now six months post-op and most days the lateral side (TFCC area) still aches, especially at the end of the day but even during the day if I've had to do anything that required even a little bit of strength (Like opening a jar etc).  Oddly, driving seems to irritate it too.  Is it  normal for it to still ache?  Is it possible that the repair came undone a little? It was a peripheral tear.  I think he said it was torn off of the foveal attachment?  

Also, the L-T ligament is torn in my left wrist.  It is somewhat unstable and aches daily as well.  My doctor scoped the joint in Dec '07 to make the diagnosis and then, because there were areas that were too tight to get the scope into he ordered an MRI a few weeks post-op too.  He cleaned up the joint while he was in there but did not repair the tear.  He said he does not believe in repairing the ligament because the repairs often fail.  Since I have an ulnar variance he recommends that I get ulnar shortening when the pain is so bad that I can no longer live with it.  To me that seems like an odd approach.  The problem for me is that I can not take NSAIDs because they cause a flare up of ulcerative colitis for me.  He put cortisone in that joint area about a month ago and that helped with pain for a couple of weeks.  I'm looking for advice as to what to do next for both of my wrists.

Thanks

[magichead0105]

i had the same type of pain after a fall on my wrist, and had multiple unsuccessful cortisone injections, and a negative mdi, i am only 19 and decided surfer was better than living with the  pain for the next 70+ years and they found a tear in my tfcc. it's a 3d trampoline like piece of cartilage in between the tiny bones in your wrist, and tears often don't show up on imaging. i would talk to your doctor about this.

[ladylightsout]

Check out new information on UT split tears- the pain and distribution is VERY similar to TFCC tears. They have only recently been discovered and most surgeons do not know how to treat them (or that they even exist). Many patients with UT split tears are told the pain is made up, imaginary, or all in their head. The UT split tear will not show up on MRI's, arthrograms, CT scans, x-rays. Hope it helps.
Look at Mayo clinic website videos (3) with Dr. Berger:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/ulnar-wrist-pain/
Jason Werth also had this treatment and info is on you tube.

[blindl2]

I have had a wrist problem for over a year now.  I have recieved multiple cortizone injections in the wrist joint. This would bring little relief from the pain.  I was a tennis player and played a lot.  I also fell on my wrist a while ago but after the fall there was no instant pain. It came on grandual.  I have had an MRI and the results were inconclusive.  I did therapy for tendonitis to no prevail.  I went to see a Orthopedic and he said to wait as long as i could to get a scope done to see what is wrong and to fix it.  The pain started on my ulnar or pinky side but within the past couple of months it has grown to my entire wrist joint.  The most pain is caused when i push my wrist back or forward.  What should i do??

[usarmymedic1]

The TFCC tear will most likly give you trouble for a long time in my experiance that is what I have seen TFCC always have trouble with pain yes surgery goes great but it has seemed like that I have treated about 35 TFCC repairs for therapy and it goes that way most are in pain for a long time if it even goes away.

the other oppsion for L-T tear would be a four corner fussion but ulnar shorting procedure is comon but I don't see how that will decrease your pain?? have to look it up