wrist fusion surgery????......really bummed

[jeremy714]

two years ago i hurt my wrist snowboarding......i didnt see a doctor until a couple months had gone by........a few doctors, mri's xrays and arthrograms later i found the wrist doctor for the lakers. he came to the conclusion that i tore a small ligament in my wrist causing the instability and pain at the base of my thumb and wrist.  my grip isnt too bad but it hurts to do anything, especially exerting pressure with my hand.  the doctor said the only realistic option would be to fuse the wrist, however he thinks id be better off living with the pain. id like to do that but its getting worse. seems the fusion is inevitable.
im an active 32 year old who lives to surf and snowboard. will i be able to do these things anymore let alone work?...................super worried and depressed.............

[barnzy901]

Just found this site yesterday and am very greatful for the info.  I am a 44 year old with what I have thought was a "problem" wrist for years.  I am a former professional motocross racer so exactly when I may have injured it, or even how many times, is unknown to me.  For the past 15 months I have been getting injections every 8 weeks.  Dr finally told me no more, it was time to fix it.  Very reputable Dr.  I go in two weeks to have a lot of work done.  Getting both my CMC and ST joints cleaned up, also have a torn scapholunate lig the extent of which is unknpown and some degree of scaphoid degeneration.  Whether he can repair the ligament will depend on the extent of the damage to the scaphoid.  If it is too serious, they will perform the four-corner fusion.  I am really worried about the loss of motion.  I still ride motorcycles with my 9 year old son and am scared that it will come to an end.  Appreciate all your experiences.

[hawkeye793]

Hi, I have this same injury from falling off a bicycle. I chose to live with the pain because fusion of the wrist turns it into a one way joint (down or up) all rotation of the wrist is lost. There will be a cure some day but it is not available to us yet. Do hand strengthening exercises and wait for the more reasonable cure to surface. Dr Roger R Dodds

[sixdeep357]

Hello,

This thread has great information! I also have a collapsed wrist from multiple sports injuries over the years. My scapholunate ligament is torn. I figured the doctor could just reattach the ligament, but I was shocked when he said the only thing they could do was a wrist fusion. I'm 34 years old and very active, but I quit softball and basketball because of pain, and even playing my guitar is tough now. The surgeon advised me to wait on surgery because of my age and activity level, so that's the plan for now. It sounds like my condition will continue to get worse and when I can no longer stand the pain, I'll get the surgery. It ***** that we're all here in this situation, but it helps to know that I'm not alone.

Thanks again for all your posts,
Greg

[RB19]

I am now three years post STT fusion. I am very active, bike riding, snowboarding, strength training. My wrist is awesome. A fracture along the fusion line is more common in the beggining. I have fallen several times on my fused wrist and it has all checked out okay. Heal up from the fracture and I am sure you will love your new wrist. It has been great for me.

[mbhelmick]

Had scaphoid ligament repair in nov 2011, helped some but intense pain came back. Severe arthitis at scaphoid area. Had stt fusion done in marxh of this year, some tenderness but otherwise was doing great...had kids at beach first week of july and my 4y/o little girl jumped and grabbed my hand. Pain was nearly instant and worsened over past three weeks (already had surgical followup for this past the thursday) explained to doc and did xray...I have a fracture of the fusion. In a fracture splint for the next month then back for check up...anyone have any ideas what I should expect??

[Rez17]

I had a wrist arthroscopy 4 weeks ago and the surgeon found shredded ligaments. ext appointment in 1 month but experiencing more pain than before the arthroscopy. Will I need a wrist fusion to diminish the pain? Any other options?