Set back

[mee]

Well I took a bad fall and broke my right wrist completely a long with several splinters, I am 57yrs old. Anybody ever go through this, will I be able to play again? Of all the things I now cannot do, it is not playing my mandolin that hurts me most. I am concerned that my wrist will never be the same.

[AlanN]

Oh man, so very sorry for you.

[bigskygirl]

Dang, so sorry for you.

[HonketyHank]

1. I add my commiserations and hopes for fast healing.
2. Be fanatically diligent with rehab.
3. It is quite possible to play good stuff using a stiff wrist.

Hang in there. We are all ready to provide cybersupport as you recover.

[Tobin]

Well I took a bad fall and broke my right wrist completely a long with several splinters, I am 57yrs old. Anybody ever go through this, will I be able to play again? Of all the things I now cannot do, it is not playing my mandolin that hurts me most. I am concerned that my wrist will never be the same.

Back in 2004 I was trampled by a horse, which shattered my right wrist. On top of that, it got infected from thorns that were in my hand that the ER people failed to detect and remove. So I had to go through a couple of rounds of antibiotics before they could do the surgery to repair my wrist. In that time, the pieces had already started to fuse back together incorrectly. So they had to re-break the pieces, shave off the newly fused areas, and put it all back together with a plate and 11 screws.

It took me months of physical therapy before I could even close my hand firmly enough to hold something, much less use it for anything. It was several years before it started to feel normal, where I wasn't getting regular shooting nerve pains. But even to this day, 13 years later, it still aches when a cold front comes in. And if I use it too much for hard outdoor work, it will hurt. I get occasional twinges and shooting pains, but thankfully not that often. But if I bump my wrist where that plate is, it hurts like a son of a gun. And I never got back my full ability to bend my wrist back, or rotate it like I could before. My mandolin picking dexterity is just not the same as people with uninjured wrists, and I've come to terms with it. I just work around it.

In short, there is a chance that your wrist may never be the same as it was. That's just a fact when it comes to broken bones. You need to get the best medical treatment you can, and make sure you follow their directions when it comes to PT and exercising it to re-train everything. And just be patient, with the realization that it may take a long time before you can do some of the things you could before. Don't push it too hard, but make sure you are working on flexibility as you heal (once you're allowed to).

The human body is pretty amazing in its ability to heal. But it has its limits. How yours heals will depend a lot on how it was broken in the first place, as well as how you treat it as it heals. Make sure you ask your doctor about which supplements, vitamins, dietary choices, and other holistic health choices you should be making. These have a lot to do with it as well.

[allenhopkins]

Shattered my left wrist in a car accident, Sept. 2013; fractured both ulna and radius. Two surgeries, first to insert, then remove pins. A small bone fragment remained unattached, but the wrist healed, albeit a bit crooked. Six or more weeks in casts, hard and soft, and a wrist brace. Physical therapy two-three times a week -- range of motion stretched by machine, weight training, squeezing putty, stretching the fingers against an elastic web. A full schedule of daily home exercise as well. Numbness from the accident and from the surgical nerve blocks, gradually dissipating as the nerve tissue regenerated. Range of motion now about 90% of what it was, strength pretty much back to normal. Was able to start playing by January 2014 –– first mandolin and banjo, with smaller necks, then on to guitar, bass fiddle, etc. Pretty much back to normal. (Also had a carpal tunnel release during the second surgery, since my ortho surgeon said there was usually bleeding into the tunnel from surgery, requiring a later extra operation, and I might as well have it all done "up front.")

Now, this was my fretting hand, rather than picking hand, and that's surely different. You may have to modify your technique in the short term, or permanently. But good surgical care, good physical therapy, and strictly following directions as to exercise for months at home, brought me back to near-normal. I'm doing all the musical things I did before the accident, and I was almost 70 when I broke the wrist. If you have good medical care and are willing to put in the often painful work to rehab the wrist, I expect you can get a similar result.

[Ky Slim]

I broke my left wrist in November of 2015 in a mountain bike accident. Like Allen's break it was both bones - mine was a distal radius and ulnar styloid fracture. I was 38 and it was so scary wondering if I was going to play music again. The ortho surgeon promised that I'd be fine with a plate and some pins. For about 3 months after they removed the cast I couldn't roll my hand outward (no supination). This made playing mandolin or guitar impossible unless I held the neck straight up and down. But with time it started loosening up and now I'm probably 80-90% back to where I was before. Sometimes the plate and pins will click or pop and sometimes there is some pain but not enough that I can't play. Truth is, I have aches and pains in my other arm that bug me more than the arm I broke.
I'm sorry for your pain and for not being able to play right now. Try to stay positive! Perhaps work on singing or playing a keyboard with your good hand. When the time comes take the PT seriously. Good Luck!

[rockies]

So sorry to hear that ... however in a positive light.. think Sam Bush, playing with a movement restricted wrist didn't seem to hurt his playing a lot. He adapted around the handicap, and if you have one after healing (I hope not) so will you !!! Good Luck !
Dave

[mee]

Thank you all for the insight and encouragement. I have conflicting opinions from doctors, one wanted to do immediate surgery, another wanted to reduce? Reset and soft cast for a week and hand surgeon to check then. They did not give any sympathy or encouragement concerning my mandolin playing. I knew I could find encouragement and support here.

[Ky Slim]

I have conflicting opinions from doctors, one wanted to do immediate surgery, another wanted to reduce? Reset and soft cast for a week and hand surgeon to check then.

I'm no doctor and not really sure what "reduce" means but my surgery was called an "open reduction and internal fixation." I think "reduction" can be open (surgery) or closed (no surgery)..

[yankees1]

Most important after the splints are removed is to follow through with rehab exercises ! Check with your insurance to see if they will cover the expense.

[jhowell]

A couple of winters ago I was running with my dog across a frozen pasture (I know, I know) and I slipped breaking my left wrist and bonking my noggin pretty good. I ended up losing pinch grip strength and the immediate ability to really move my left ring finger.
the strength isn't coming back, but I can get in and out of an Am chord now. Wrist doesn't bend well enough to play guitar, but most folks around me think that's a good idea anyway... Be religious about your rehab and also be patient, as an old guy, my wrist incident has taken about two years to get mostly over. Best wishes for a full recovery.

[greenwdse]

One day at a time Mee. Patience first. Everything that slows us down and forces us to be patient is a good thing.

[belbein]

Thank you all for the insight and encouragement. I have conflicting opinions from doctors, one wanted to do immediate surgery, another wanted to reduce? Reset and soft cast for a week and hand surgeon to check then. They did not give any sympathy or encouragement concerning my mandolin playing. I knew I could find encouragement and support here.

First, sorry for your accident. That sucks. So ... I've never broken my wrist, but God knows I've banged myself up pretty good in my life, joint by joint, organ system by organ system. Here are three things I've learned:
1. This is going to take a long time. Be patient. Give yourself a break (ugh! n.p.i!). Know that the fears that "this is never going to get better" and "I'll never have my old life back" are just part of the healing process--they're not rea evaluations of your situationl. When you think them, laugh at them. Think of them like junior high school bullies who just need to be disarmed.
2. Do your physical therapy. Do it exactly as prescribed. That's the thing that gets you the best possible result.

Corrollary A: Your physical therapist will have a better idea about whether you will be able to play or not, than your doctor. If you can find a PT who plays guitar, mandolin, violin, that's the person you need to talk to about the future. If you need a name, there's a guy here who's a PT/Guitar player who I've had very good luck with, and he may be able to point you in the right direction. Just send me a PM.

Corrollary B: Doctors don't know diddly squat about functionality. PTs do. Don't let the doctors give you a case of depression. Remember all those people who played instruments who were missing thumbs, fingers, eyes, musical ability ...

3. You can look at this as a tragedy. Or you can look at this as an opportunity. There's a lot of stuff you can do with one hand, even musically. Take on any one of them, it doesn't matter which, and the energy you put into it will take your pain and depression and disappointment away. Harmonica? Learn to play piano with just your "good" hand? Learn to read music AND play piano? There are lots of things that you can use the "down" time for, if you don't let those "bullies" I mentioned beat you down.

[AlanN]

There's a lot of stuff you can do with one hand, even musically. Take on any one of them, it doesn't matter which, and the energy you put into it will take your pain and depression and disappointment away.

There's an episode of M*A*S*H where Charles Emerson Winchester III advocates this exact motif with a wounded soldier (trained as a concert pianist). It was encouraging, realistic and positive.

Best of luck.

[Louise NM]

No broken wrist, but other hand problems.

Consult with a hand specialist, and not just the veterinarian who was on call at the hospital that day, if you haven't done so already. There is a difference.

Ask about benefits and drawbacks to both courses of treatment offered. You do have a few days to decide.

Orthopedist are almost all a bunch of jocks, and they don't get the music thing. Be really clear about what wrist movements you want to regain. Show a quick video of your role model (or yourself if you have) to help make it clear. Having this discussion may help them help you make the best decision. If it was your golf swing at stake, they would be all over it.

[Folkmusician.com]

Another, "no broken wrists", but have broken both of my legs, and torn both ACLs. Never fully recovered and it is progressively more of a problem as I hit middle age. There is no going back and it is what it is. There is no reason to expect a full recovery. That doesn't mean you can't play, and you never know, you may become an even better player as a result (not as fast, but more tasteful). You just never know. Don't let it get you down.

[LadysSolo]

No broken wrists but broken/dislocated fingers (my last one was age 59, so no kid.) I have 95% range of motion back, and about 95% strength also. I also advocate being RELIGIOUS about the physical therapy - it will be the biggest thing in getting back closest to where you were. And ASK who is the best - when I was in the emergency room, I asked the staff who they would send their family to for hand care, and went with that person. Ask around - different orthopedic people have different specialties. They may have to give you more than one name (to avoid showing favorites but if you get the same name from more than one person that is who I would go with.)

[sbhikes]

Well I took a bad fall and broke my right wrist completely a long with several splinters, I am 57yrs old. Anybody ever go through this, will I be able to play again? Of all the things I now cannot do, it is not playing my mandolin that hurts me most. I am concerned that my wrist will never be the same.

I read a story of a guy who broke both his ankles. His doctor said he would never walk again. He started with trying to wiggle his toes and he gradually worked up to where he could squat 600lbs. I am 52 years old and a lady and I can squat 200lbs. If we can do stuff like this, you can heal your wrist.

[Eric Hanson]

I am terribly sorry for your pain and fears. They can be quite overwhelming.
I am in total agreemant with the previous suggestions aout best possible medical care, along with following the PT instructions.
With this in mind it might be good to think of a few solid musicians who had terrible hand injuries themselves.
1) I spoke once with the guitar player for the John Cowan Band. Amazing speed and refinement in his playing. I offered a word or two of praise. He said, "Before I broke my wrist I could play even faster." He shrugged it off as if it were a war wound that he wasn't going to allow to take him out.
2) Les Paul. Take a look at his history and the injury that just about caused his arm to be amputated. Fortunate for him one of the docs in the surgery/trauma room recognied him as a great guitar player and simply demanded that they shold not amputate. They set his arm to heal in a position that would allow him to hold a guitar with greater ease. It healed that way, and he continued to wow crowds and individuals with his amazing music prowess.
3) Django Rhinehart.
From Wikipedia:
Despite having two of his fingers disabled from a fire, he overcame the handicap and went on to forge an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique (sometimes called 'hot' jazz guitar), which has since become a living musical tradition within French Gypsy culture.
4) Another story I heard was of a famous Mandolin player that had his wrist fractured in a band van when a band mate closed it, not knowing his hand was still in it. He went on to play THAT NIGHT (The show must go on), and just adjusted his playing style. Instead of
Pivoting at his wrist, he did so at the elbow. He became accustomed to this and to this day still has this as his playing style.
What am I tying to say? A rock in the road can be a stumbling block, or it can be a stepping stone.
It is a great thing to have a resource like this to find encouragement and good words. Sounds like we are all pulling for you. Please keep us posted on how it plays out for you.

[mee]

Well one positive thing I see out of this is I am gaining strength and coordination in my left hand.

[Paul Busman]

Mee-- what bones exactly did you break? Did the fractures extend into the joints? How well did they go back into place?
A good hand specialist/surgeon is the way to go. It may or not need internal fixation like screws,plates and pins. If the reduction is good (all pieces put back where they belong) and seem stable, casting may be all that's necessary. Ask for fiberglass! It's much lighter,stronger and cooler. Those splinters may or may not be a problem that needs to be addressed. If you do need fixation, the modern hardware is superb and gives a great correction.
I don't see any reason why you shouldn't play the mandolin again, although you may need to make some adjustments. By all means get all the PT you can, including getting exercises you can do on your own. Be patient! Fractures, whether major or minor take many weeks to heal completely. Figure on a year before your hand and wrist are as good as they're going to get. You'll be very functional long before that though. Hang in there!
(Note that these are my comments based on my years as an OR nurse and shouldn't be taken in lieu of a specialist's care).

[tiltman]

I believe that Sam Bush also broke his right wrist...he seems to be able to play OK. You're in good company!
But seriously, best of luck for a speedy recovery.

Kirk

[Willie Poole]

Well with all of the stories I`ll post mine....In Oct. of last year I fell down 10 steps in my garage and broke my left hand and was in a hard cast for 5 weeks...I asked the doctor if I would be able to play mandolin when it healed and he said "Sure", I said "That's good because I never could before"...Just a little light humor but I did have to learn a way to make the chords by only using 2-3 fingers and that cut down on the chop but I have worked hard to find a way to make the 2 -3 note chords sound like a chop and I am still able to play up to speed so it may take some time but I am sure you will be able to once again play if you try your best....I am also a few years older than you but I did heal up pretty fast according to the doctor...To my way of thinking the left hand would seem like more problems than the right hand...

Good luck and don`t let this get you down....

Willie

[mee]

Bye bye calluses