Anyone else fractured a wrist? How long til I can ride?!

[DonskiWA]

How long did they take to heal up?

6 weeks ago I hit the deck with my right hand tucked under and my arm/wrist hitting the ground during a Xc lesson. I had plates and screws inserted and then plaster for two weeks. I've been in a brace now for 4 weeks and have just started physio. The hand is still swollen and I have 5% normal range of my motion, so a lot of work ahead of me. I broke the ends off both my radius and ulna.

It's my dominant hand so it's been a pretty frustrating time. Not riding has been depressing. The physio reckons I shouldn't ride til I can make a fist, he suggests 10 weeks. My horse is quite spooky, so falling off is always on the cards!

How did anyone else go with your healing process? Any stories out there to cheer me up/depress me further?!

 

[nix123]

When i had pins & plate in mine (i broke my radius 2" above the wrist) i found i could happy hack and maybe manage trott after 5 weeks. But to be fair my horse is very good and soft mouthed so i do everything from my seat. If i lunged i had to put both lunge line and crop in the same hand as my broken one was too weak to hold anything. I would practise your physio at home. Just remember everyone heals at a different rate so what might take one person 4weeks will take another 9weeks. The physio can only give you a rough estimate on timing. You'll know when you can manage to do things and you'll ache if you do too much.

 

[wiglet]

I broke my wrist - it wasn't pinned & plated though. Took 6 weeks to mend but I was back on within a fortnight - just gentle hacking though as it was still sore. I couldn't of lunged though nor could I lift buckets or anything heavy. Only reason I could hack was because my mare was very quiet and I could ride with one hand.

Fractures take as long as they take to heal - everyone is different. Don't rush back too soon - much better to let it heal and get back on when your fit enough especially if your horse is spooky. Is there anyone else you could ask/pay to ride your horse to keep him ticking over? Or at least just to take the edge off before you do get back on?

Get well soon

 

[Pasture Mix]

SS kicked me in the wrist when I was 14 & broke one bone (go figure!) but I only had it manipulated back into place which meant a cast for 6 weeks. They tried to make me have physio, but I didn't want it.. 2 or 3 days after having my cast off, I was back on board with a wrist support. It was a bit sore at first & I stayed in the sand school until it got a bit stronger (SS was a nightmare back then) & it didn't take too long.
But then mine was only swollen when I woke in the morning & hadn't moved it all night & I think I had about 75% movement when they took the cast off, so yours might not bounce back as quick.
Perhaps you could ask to borrow a quieter horse first & see how you cope physically just with riding & judge from that?

 

[Casey76]

It took me longer for me to be able to pick out feet than to ride.

I broke and dislocated the distal radius, was plated up, and started physio 4 hours after surgery (nothing but efficient the Swiss!). I was back on board as soon as I could drive to the yard, though I had to get someone to "dress" my horse for me as I couldn't do anything which needed me to turn my wrist over.

TBH I didn't do much riding for a good couple of months, as I was moving house at the same time (moving house with a broken wrist is a major problem!)

It took me months before I was capable of picking out feet well though - and that was with my non-dominant hand being broken!