Anyone else had a TFCC wrist injury?

[kimblebee]

Its a pretty specific injury so I’m hoping I’m not alone.

This type of injury happens usually when you put your hand out to brace yourself from falling and it jolts the wrist. The tfcc is a tiny ligament in your wrist and when it hurts, you know it. Pain is usually noticed when doing things like using a key to unlock something or turning a doorknob. For me, the worst pain is when turning on a light switch.

I had this injury three years ago after stumbling and bracing myself on a wall. I went to a clinic that specializes in joint, ligiment, and tendon injuries. They said the best treatment was immobilization so I was in a cast for two weeks. After that I was fine, but avoided strenuous activities like grating cheese and vegetables and not carrying too much weight.

Two weeks ago, I was kneeling bread for Thanksgiving dinner and my wrist started aching again. It’s been off and on for the past few weeks but it’s to the point where I can’t use my keyboard..and that’s my job. So, tomorrow I’ll go back to the clinic and beg them for a cast again. I need short term relief and pills only work so well. They’ll do a X-ray and mri at the same time.

Sorry for the novel..has anyone else gone through this in roughly the same way? If I get the cast and if the pain happens again, I may have to look at surgery. Another option is cortisone shots but I’ve heard they aren’t long lasting and frankly, that idea scares me.

 

[piglet too]

My daughter has, it was a cheer injury initially. She tore it once, had surgery. Reinjured it, had a second surgery. Started having pain again, and we went to a different doctor. It was torn again, but we also discovered her ulna was too long. They removed part of the ulna, and she has been “fine” for going on two years. In reality, after three surgeries in 1 1/2 years, she will always be weaker in that wrist and is prone to spraining/straining it.

Did you have a MRI the first time? If it is torn, surgery is probably your best option.

 

[kimblebee]

My daughter has, it was a cheer injury initially. She tore it once, had surgery. Reinjured it, had a second surgery. Started having pain again, and we went to a different doctor. It was torn again, but we also discovered her ulna was too long. They removed part of the ulna, and she has been “fine” for going on two years. In reality, after three surgeries in 1 1/2 years, she will always be weaker in that wrist and is prone to spraining/straining it.

Did you have a MRI the first time? If it is torn, surgery is probably your best option.

I did have an mri but it wasn’t that day. I honestly can’t remember what the results were. I remember maybe hearing about surgery to clean it up.
I’ve had tons of surgeries but that type scare me because you’re awake and can imagine what they’re doing. I’d be ok if I was put in twilight.

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what they say tomorrow. I just want it to stop hurting.

Thank you for your response.

 

[ronandannette]

I did have an mri but it wasn’t that day. I honestly can’t remember what the results were. I remember maybe hearing about surgery to clean it up.
I’ve had tons of surgeries but that type scare me because you’re awake and can imagine what they’re doing. I’d be ok if I was put in twilight.

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what they say tomorrow. I just want it to stop hurting.

Thank you for your response.

The last several "awake" procedures I had, they sedated with a combination of ativan and fentanyl and I was totally gone. I don't remember a single thing until post-op. It's not technically "general anesthetic" but it might as well be.

 

[piglet too]

Maybe because she is younger (13 for first surgery) but my daughter was not awake. She had a nerve block all three times, and was given general anesthesia too.

 

[piglet too]

How was your appointment?

 

[smokeyblue]

I had a TFCC tear about 5 years ago. I assumed it was a repetitive stress injury and just lived with it for awhile. Did injections, did a wrist/thumb spint for several weeks with no relief. Did an above the elbow splint that didn't allow any rotation at the elbow for 6 more weeks and back to the less restrictive splint for a few more weeks. The splinting healed the tear, but I was still having problems and went for an MRI. I ended up having 3 more diagnoses. I had Dequervian's tendonitis (basically the tendon on the inside of my wrist wouldn't move smoothly in the tendon sheath), a ganglion cyst that had an artery wrapped around it and a trigger thumb. Surgery could repair all 3, but the ganglion cyst was the most risky of the 3 because of the artery involvement. I opted just to have the Dequervians release surgery which just involved a small incision and cutting the tendon sheath open. That surgery pretty much was the end to all my problems. I'll have a little bit of an ache here or there, but nothing that even compares to what I had going on before.

Just a note, I do kind of agree that the cortisone shots don't work all that long. They are pretty effective, but I'd only get 2 or 3 weeks of relief tops.

 

[kimblebee]

How was your appointment?

I went to the clinic and they did xrays and said it’s just tendonitis. No cast, no brace, no meds..they just said take it easy. It’s feeling a little bit better so I’ll kust have to remember not to do anything too strenuous with it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I went to the clinic and they did xrays and said it’s just tendonitis. No cast, no brace, no meds..they just said take it easy. It’s feeling a little bit better so I’ll kust have to remember not to do anything too strenuous with it.

If you go to somewhere that sells medical splints, you can buy your own wrist splint that would help immobilize your wrist while whatever is aching heals. I've bought one at Walgreen's. ETA and what are you taking for analgesia?

 

[sarahann77]

I did have one last year. I wore a wrist brace that immobilized the thumb as the thumb movement was shifting the ligament. With talking to my occupational therapist cousin shortly after it happened she confirmed there wasn't anything much the dr could do so I never went. I had the brace on for probably 6 months. When I stopped needing it I actually forgot it had stopped hurting so not too sure how long it was - Thanksgiving to May roughly

 

[Wendy31]

When I was a junior in high school, I broke my wrist attempting to break myself from a fall.

Years later, that wrist is still weak - I have a hard time lifting anything heavy & turning/twisting w/ it (like the motion of trying to hold onto a mixing bowl w/ the hand w/ the formerly broken wrist while turning the bowl to empty into a pan).

After I spend a lot of time typing, my wrist will ache. And any kind of weather change (barometric pressure, cold, rain, etc.) will cause it to ache as well.

Although it's never been officially confirmed by a doctor, I'm sure I have arthritis in my wrist now. 9 years ago, my wrist ached daily throughout the last few months of my pregnancy w/ our youngest. (It didn't ache or bother me w/ my 1st 2 pregnancies.) At the time, my OB told me there was probably arthritis in my wrist, & the extra blood volume of the pregnancy was causing a lot of extra inflammation in my wrist.

Anyway, when my wrist is really aching, & I'm in a bit of a flare for several days, I'll wear a sleeve-like brace - it's almost like a compression brace. I also have a set of copper bracelets that I'll wear.

And I've found that, when I'm eating less gluten, my wrist will ache less.

 

[amberpi]

I hope you're feeling better!

When I was relearning to walk I fell (insult to injury, right) and broke my tail bone, and also did a number on my wrist trying to break my fall. Not to the degree of what you're describing, but man, that hurt. Hopefully, yours will be cleared up soon!

 

[amberpi]

The last several "awake" procedures I had, they sedated with a combination of ativan and fentanyl and I was totally gone. I don't remember a single thing until post-op. It's not technically "general anesthetic" but it might as well be.

Ativan and fentanyl should put you out! I was a drip of it for a long period and it kept me loopy...but pain free.