# scaphoid fracture



## Trentmeyers (Apr 3, 2009)

hey everybody i broke my scaphoid 5 weeks ago biking and getting my cast off next week. Im worried its still broken because Ive heard a lot of stories. I did not need surgery tho. And it was only a crack. But it does still hurt a bit. Anyone have a experience? And how long should i wait to go back to the technical single track which is hard on the wrists? 
Thanks for the help! :thumbsup:


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## robm6107 (May 23, 2009)

Yea. Me Too. Just about to finish my 5th wk in 2nd cast to go to splint for a wk. Been doing lots of research on scaphoid fractures. Looking to get wrist supports. Would like to see some postings regarding post wrist fractures, riding difficulities.


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## Trentmeyers (Apr 3, 2009)

Ya scaphoids are not a great bone to break haha. And ya wrists supports are a good idea, for sure going to try that! And yes Hopefully there is not too much riding difficulty!


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## EpicProportions (Jul 8, 2008)

Stripes, cardio isn't going to do anything for a scaphoid fracture. Scaphoid fractures typically break in the middle, separating into two halves. Think of the bone as a peanut shell. Common fractures occur at the bones narrowest point. The scaphoid bone gets its main blood supply (i.e. artery) from one end of the bone. Therefore, when the break is significant, one half of the bone has a limited blood supply. All the cardio in the world isn't going to bring blood to the bone half that lacks its arterial source. Nice thought though.

Most scaphoid fractures heal with casting alone. However, the bone heals SLOWLY. It would not be uncommon to treat the fracture in a cast for several months. 

Trentmeyers, pain in the area is common. It can be normal to have pain in the area after the cast is removed. However, persistent pain can sometimes suggest the fracture hasn't healed. Common sense should dictate when to return to full activity. If the wrist hurts more after riding, then you probably are doing too much. If the wrist doesn't bother you, then no worries, the bone has probably healed.


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## EpicProportions (Jul 8, 2008)

Not to beat a dead horse, but Stripes I still don't think you get it. But that's OK. It isn't a low flow area. Non-union occurs typically because the fracture loses its direct blood supply. Blood supply (plumbing) is required to create bone healing. Without adequate blood supply (broken pipes), the bone may not heal. Raising your blood pressure doing cardio isn't going to bring blood to the source (the pipes are broken). When the arterial source is interrupted, neovascularization (new blood vessel growth or fixing the pipes) has to occur before bone growth and healing can result. That time delay often leads to bony non-union. No amount of exercise is going to speed up the body's healing at the microscopic level. Enough said. All you will do is develop a stinky cast!  Been there, done that. Oh and by the way, it took 3 months for my scaphoid fracture to heal (without surgery).


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## Trentmeyers (Apr 3, 2009)

_*Thanks Guys for the help. It has healed and i now have the cast off, Still alot of pain from the stiffness. Now i cant wait to get back riding. Maybe a couple more weeks! Anyone with stories put them on here to help out anyone else with the same injury. Thanks again!

ps: for stripes.. interesting that you thought cardio would help, I did do some, but that was more to keep in shape. I defiantly will have to look into that!*_


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## Francine (May 26, 2004)

*Cardio and healing?*

Good try, but doing cardio will not help your scaphoid heal. My profession is PT and believe me, I have seen many non healing fractures.


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## drdoak (Feb 7, 2005)

I've had the same thought of cardio and its relation to blood supply. I currently have an ulnar non-union, been in a cast 4 months, and have done a lot of cardio during this time. I know the blood supply is low, but I feel like forcing more blood to flow near and around the break might encourage faster growth of "plumbing" required for growth.

Maybe not a valid thought, but if anything the cardio is good for my mental health.

To the OP, maybe look into some softer grips? 5 weeks seems short for a scaphoid break, my ortho tech broke his and was out for almost 9 months because it wouldn't heal. I was told 2-3 months after a cast before I could get back to serious riding without high risk of re-breaking. Take it easy and get regular x-rays.


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## dlt794 (Nov 14, 2007)

I broke mine last December, cast for 8 months, came off healed. Was really in the duldrums during the casting, so I started running all the singletrack in the rain. Additionally, I lifted weights to keep my upper body fit (minimal weight - 8-10 pounds). If I don't keep my upper body strong through biking or lifting of some sort, my vertebral fractures from 6 years ago come back to haunt me.

In any case, after the cast was off I was cycling that afternoon. Quite stiff, and a bit painful as a result, but the best recovery is to start using it. Within a couple days I was singletracking again, and even built a second bathroom in the basement.

Common sense will dictate your activity level, but plan to do as much as before, and to turn around early if it gets too much.


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## solocycles (Jan 30, 2008)

You guys wanting wrist supports check out unicycle.com for Kris Holm products. He's a professional off road unicyclist. He has gloves with support built in. I haven't seen anything like these in the mtb circles.

Marty


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