United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I broke my Scaphoid early May and went about three weeks before learning it was broke. I got it casted up to the elbow. I just wanted to know what kinds of pain are normal during healing and what are signs of whether or not it will need surgery. Yeah these are questions for my doctor but what can I say military doctors it seems every time I go in I see a new doctor that doesn't know my case guess it doesn't help that I'm stationed in the middle east either. The pains I normally feel are a dull ache in my knuckles that if I don't take my meds right away leads into a bad ache. Is this normal? I go back to my doc in a couple of days but I don't seem to get much info from them so I thought I'd go to an outside source.

Thanks in advance
Angel

I broke my scaphoid, i'm not sure why your knuckles hurt becase the scaphoid is right below your thumb. Normally you will have the bone pinned back in place and you will have to be splinted. Pain is different for everyone, i had no pain after the break, just a little sore.
Ed

I didn't have much pain when I broke it either. Partly why I didn't have it looked at for three weeks. The pain would come and go. I know the bone is below my thumb that's why I thought it was werid that my hand was hurting. Do you have any limitations with you wrist or did it heal nicely? I'm wondering because with my job I do quite a bit with my hands.

Dear Angel

Do you also have some swelling, now that it is casted?

A friend of mine fell and broke her wrist two years ago. She had it casted and since she had no experience with this, trusted her doctor. There was year of unsuccessful Occupational Therapy following the removal of the cast. She told me how at the original time of the break etc, she had swelling & pain with her casted area, that the Dr. dismissed. Although, her break was to her wrist, she even ended up with a frozen shoulder, and her O.T. therapy was for that too.

One year after the original fall and casting (last year)I took her to Chicago for corrective surgery on her hand so she could once again grasp with her fingers.

Just this week again she went back to Chicago for additional corrective surgery for her little finger. So you are right to question this. Good luck

I have limitations with my wrist but that is because of a severe break to my wrist and hand, i don't have any limitations because of the scaphoid, because it i had a operation to fix it, you may want to look into this option. You may also have something else broken in your hand, go to a specialist if the military will allow it.
Ed

I'm not sure if I have any swelling it doesn't feel like it my cast is somewhat loose I can move my hand side to side a bit. I broke mine on May 11th while riding ATVs for work. At he time it felt like I just sprained it. So I thought nothing of it. On May 30th I got it looked at because it was still sore and they casted it on the 31st. I've been in a full arm cast that goes above my elbow for almost 6 weeks. Monday I switch over to a shorter cast that stops before my elbow. I have pain in my hand and sometimes in my elbow. I think the elbow is just because my are is in a 90 degree bend but the pain in my hand confuses me the break is in my wrist but my wrist doesn't hurt. I'm worried about limitations because I'm a cop and I need to be able to work with both my hands. They ex-rayed my whole hand I didn't see any other breaks when I went to the doc it was cause my hand had been hurting. I don't know if I'll be able to see a specialist I'm stationed in Doha, Qatar near Saudi Arabia.