Wrist surgery with plate and screws - please share your experiences

[Bea1314]

I broke a wrist just over 2 months ago and had it fixed with a plate and screws 7 weeks ago. Waiting for physio to start next week, the doc says it healed well, but the wrist is still extremely stiff and weak. I know we are all different but any experiences out there??? Miss driving, cannot really use the hand much (luckily it's not my dominant hand) and it is really getting me down. How long will it take before I can get back to some normality, even if not 100%????

Not wrist but I did have to have my hand screwed together. It was very very stiff after the cast came off, I couldnt bend a couple of my fingers at all and no way I could make a fist or do anything useful like open a bottle. I was given exercises and they made a huge difference very quickly.

Just make sure you do follow the instructions to the letter and if they tell you to do the exercises throughout the day be sure to really do that. The more you can get the muscles stretching and moving the more flexible and strong they will get.

Thank you so much for your quick response, I hope you are back to normal now! :)

This is exactly what physiotherapy is for, the physios are very knowledgeable and can use a variety of techniques to get you moving again.
They will give you exercises to follow at home and it’s really important you follow their plan. It may be a long haul until you’re back to full/nearly full use, but you may also see initial improvements very quickly.

I feel better after your answers, was really a bit down today, 2 months after the surgery and the wrist is very stubborn.....

Ei found the Occupational Therapists much better than the physiotherapists after mine, try and get referred for both.

Do your therapy. I injured my wrist (no surgery needed fortunately) 18months ago but was braced for a couple of weeks.

Post bracing it was the hand therapists who got me back to work. I'm an anaesthetist and use my hands a lot at work - cannulation, lines, nerve blocks, intubation, airway positioning etc.

That's totally normal for 2 months in. Do the exercises and it will unstiffen but it will take time. Mine was around a year before it felt normal again.

I am seeing a senior physio to start with, I guess he will come up with a plan and involve a hand therapist if necessary....I will definitely ask about his plan....perhaps I just need to be more patient and accept it may take a while.

Just asked DH who had this a few years ago.

He remembers 2 weeks with a cast, 2 weeks with a brace and then after that it still took a couple of months to be mostly back to normal.

I had plates put in after a broken wrist - apart from a high scar I have forgotten it happened and my wrist healed completely - however I do remember that it took some time to get full strength done - I started yoga soon after I had it repaired, and had to amend some of the poses so that I didn't put full weight on my wrists, but noticed within time that my wrist regained its full strength.

Mine was extremely weak I thought it was ruined for ever. You’ll be surprised how much and how quickly the physio will help when it’s time. I couldn’t pick up a pea for weeks but now I can grip really hard again. Go on Amazon and get some physio putty - sit and squeeze and mush it it every evening in front of the tv. You’ll be fine

Thank you to all of you!
I have started physio and the wrist is getting more functional, I even started to drive, so happy.
However, the stiffness is still bad, the consultant is not worried as he can see improvement, how long did stiffness last in your case? It is 12 weeks since the plates surgery today .
I really appreciate your input!

I noticed improvements week on week as soon as physio started, within about 3 months it was pretty much back to normal but I did need to keep doing the exercises to stop it stiffening back up for a while after that. Even now several years on I notice my hand stiffening in the cold but doing the exercises loosens it aback up.

If you have scars from the surgery I highly recommend the silicone sheets, you can buy them on Amazon. They're like gummy textured plasters, you can leave them on for several days at a time and they really reduce the scar down, flatten it and remove the redness.

My partner broke his wrist and had a plate and 8 screws put it at the start of October. It's only really recently that it has started loosening up. He was really struggling with one particular door handle at work but is finally managing it. His strength is increasing all the time but still no where near what it used to be. He is a tradie and is only just looking at being taken of light duties at work.

Have they put you in the bendy machine at the physio? I don't know what it is actually called but if you have used it, you will know... I hope you things keep improving for you.

@BridgetsBigPants so it looks I am one month behind your partner, my surgery was the end of October. Hopefully I will make more progress soon . Is your partner having a lot of physio appointments?

Thanks @FatAgainItsLettuceTime , maybe I should do more exercises in between physio appointments which are once a week or fortnightly depending on availability.

He works away so only has monthly physio appointments. He has been given exercises to do each day though and they have increased the exercises and reps with each appointment. He was also told to massage the scar daily with vitamin E cream to keep the scar supple.

@BridgetsBigPants my physio hasn't used any machines, only manual manipulation.
Really stressed about it all so really appreciate your responses.

Did the physio not give you exercises for at home? That has been the norm for any times I've seen the physio whether it be for my hand, or when I've had back/knee problems. Generally speaking exercises need to be done regularly to see the benefit.

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime Yes, I have exercises. I am just not sure I do them well enough. Or often enough. There's progress but very slow 😔

I had the same surgery at the end of September and my wrist has felt back to normal for a while. I bought a Powerball and various accessories to rebuild strength and mobility as the physio exercises weren't helping much. Expensive but I've had really good improvements with it. Good luck.