update on my wrist

[Monique Y. Mudama]

I don't know if anyone cares/remembers, but here goes.

I've had wrist problems for almost a year now. I think it might have started
when I was poling a lot across/up the snow during ski season. It never went
away completely, but came back with a vengeance after a trip to Walker Ranch,
where it seems like I carried my bike as much as I rode it.

Anyway, I informally got adjustments at the chiro and had my massage therapist
friend work on it. Then I actually went to my doctor, who had xrays taken
(nothing found) and sent me to a PT. They suspected the tendon sheath; six
visits produced no improvements. I went back to the doctor, asking about a
cortizone shot, and she referred me to an orthopedic hand specialist instead.

This hand specialist suspects a TFCC tear. That's apparently the cushion
between the arm and and hand bones. So, I had an MRI today. Not as scary as
I thought. I see the doc for the results on Thursday. Nervous doesn't begin
to describe it. Some 'net research makes it look like I'll either be in some
sort of immobilization device to protect it, or I may actually need surgery.
At least that would feel like progress. Then again, who knows what the doc
will say.

I hope those Colorado passes and the 4pass to WP aren't wasted ... hell, if it
looks like I'll be out of commission all winter, maybe someone here can use
the 4pass =)

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
> I don't know if anyone cares/remembers, but here goes.

I do, because I'm wondering if I'm having similar problems. Does it hurt to
open door handles with that hand? Can you strike a certain part of your
wrist and bring about the pain? Or can you lightly tap a part of your wrist
on a table and cause pain?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-10-26, Phil, Squid-in-Training penned:
> Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
>> I don't know if anyone cares/remembers, but here goes.
>
> I do, because I'm wondering if I'm having similar problems. Does it hurt to
> open door handles with that hand? Can you strike a certain part of your
> wrist and bring about the pain? Or can you lightly tap a part of your wrist
> on a table and cause pain?

For most of the last year, the pain has been caused by trying to turn my right
palm fully up (I am missing about 15% of full motion according to my PT) and
by trying to pick things up with my palm turned upward at all. The pain is by
the bony protrusion on the pinky (ulnar) side of the wrist. In the last few
weeks, it seems like it's progressed to aching slightly all the time.

I personally do not feel pain on impact; just on use. It hurts to pick up my
cat, to grab a pot of water, to lift a bicycle wheel, to hold a book open in
front of me ... pretty much anything where my palm isn't fully down. Yes,
opening doors can hurt -- the round knob types are worse than the handle type,
because the knobs require twisting.

http://uconnsportsmed.uchc.edu/patientinfo/whathurts/wrist/#Triangular

My wrist also clicks, but then, all of my joints click and pop all the time,
so I'm not convinced that that's significant, although the ortho doctor seemed
to think it was.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[bomba]

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 12:11:50 -0600, Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

> Nervous doesn't begin to describe it. Some 'net research makes it look
> like I'll either be in some sort of immobilization device to protect it,
> or I may actually need surgery. At least that would feel like progress.
> Then again, who knows what the doc will say.

As the old saying goes; 'If in doubt, amputate'.

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
> On 2004-10-26, Phil, Squid-in-Training penned:
>> Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
>>> I don't know if anyone cares/remembers, but here goes.
>>
>> I do, because I'm wondering if I'm having similar problems. Does it
>> hurt to open door handles with that hand? Can you strike a certain
>> part of your wrist and bring about the pain? Or can you lightly tap
>> a part of your wrist on a table and cause pain?
>
> For most of the last year, the pain has been caused by trying to turn
> my right palm fully up (I am missing about 15% of full motion
> according to my PT) and by trying to pick things up with my palm
> turned upward at all. The pain is by the bony protrusion on the
> pinky (ulnar) side of the wrist. In the last few weeks, it seems
> like it's progressed to aching slightly all the time.

Exactly the same here, except it comes and goes... it's not a constant thing
for me, and it doesn't usually ache unless I've just "overextended" it while
riding... then it hurts for at least a few hours afterwards. The rotation
thing is definitely the activating cause.

> I personally do not feel pain on impact; just on use. It hurts to
> pick up my cat, to grab a pot of water, to lift a bicycle wheel, to
> hold a book open in front of me ... pretty much anything where my
> palm isn't fully down. Yes, opening doors can hurt -- the round knob
> types are worse than the handle type, because the knobs require
> twisting.

I feel pain upon impact on the bony protrusion, and round knobs are worse
for me too. Wow, that last sentence is fodder for Sorni.

> http://uconnsportsmed.uchc.edu/patientinfo/whathurts/wrist/#Triangular
>
> My wrist also clicks, but then, all of my joints click and pop all
> the time, so I'm not convinced that that's significant, although the
> ortho doctor seemed to think it was.

Lots of clicking in the wrist that *doesn't* hurt here...

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-10-26, bomba penned:
> On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 12:11:50 -0600, Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
>
>> Nervous doesn't begin to describe it. Some 'net research makes it look
>> like I'll either be in some sort of immobilization device to protect it, or
>> I may actually need surgery. At least that would feel like progress. Then
>> again, who knows what the doc will say.
>
> As the old saying goes; 'If in doubt, amputate'.

Yup, I've joked about that frequently. At least it would get rid of *this*
pain ...

Though, I guess I've heard that amputees often have phantom limb sensation, so
maybe it wouldn't ...

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[MattB]

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
<snip>
>
> I hope those Colorado passes and the 4pass to WP aren't wasted ...
> hell, if it looks like I'll be out of commission all winter, maybe
> someone here can use the 4pass =)

I skied a season with one arm/pole (friends called me the one armed bandit).
Maybe you could come up with something similar. Another solution is to just
have a pole cut (or adjusted if your poles do that) short so it doesn't
contact the snow, but you have something to hold for balance and to help
with making symmetric motions.

Hope it works out ok for you which ever way it goes!

Matt

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-10-26, Phil, Squid-in-Training penned:
>
> Exactly the same here, except it comes and goes... it's not a constant thing
> for me, and it doesn't usually ache unless I've just "overextended" it while
> riding... then it hurts for at least a few hours afterwards. The rotation
> thing is definitely the activating cause.
>

Mine was acting like that for months, which is why I didn't drag my carcass
in to see a doctor. Then it started getting worse ...

My recommendation is to go to a real live orthopedic doctor who specializes in
sports-type injuries, not a regular doctor. Neither my GP doc nor my PT
recognized these symptoms, so they figured it must be a tendon based on the
location of the pain. The ortho doctor recognized the symptoms, which match
the canonical TFCC complaints to a "T", instantly. I wasted at least two
months by going to my regular doctor first (normally, I go straight to a
specialist, but I thought this would be simple).

Of course, I haven't actually seen the ortho since the MRI, so who knows?
Maybe it will turn out to be something totally different, after all.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[small change]

MattB wrote:
> Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
> <snip>
>>
>> I hope those Colorado passes and the 4pass to WP aren't wasted ...
>> hell, if it looks like I'll be out of commission all winter, maybe
>> someone here can use the 4pass =)
>
> I skied a season with one arm/pole (friends called me the one armed
> bandit). Maybe you could come up with something similar. Another
> solution is to just have a pole cut (or adjusted if your poles do
> that) short so it doesn't contact the snow, but you have something to
> hold for balance and to help with making symmetric motions.
>
> Hope it works out ok for you which ever way it goes!
>
> Matt

skiing completely without poles is excellent for balance and technique.

Or you could use a ( I think it's called a) lurch favored by luddite tele
skiers.

Penny
(still recovering from the ski swap)

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

> Mine was acting like that for months, which is why I didn't drag my
> carcass in to see a doctor. Then it started getting worse ...

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely look into it, once I find out what's
covered under my student insurance.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-10-27, small change penned:
>
> skiing completely without poles is excellent for balance and technique.
>

No doubt, but falling on a recuperating injury is almost certainly not the
right way to go.

It's not the skiing without poles that worries me; it's the falling, with or
without poles. I'm sure that I could find a way to fall even on a smooth
groomer. Just the fear of doing so would make it a reality.

Anyway, no point in gnawing this bone too much till I hear what the doctor has
to say.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-10-26, MattB penned:
>
> Hope it works out ok for you which ever way it goes!
>

Thanks! Me, too!

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[Super Slinky]

Monique Y. Mudama says...

> I don't know if anyone cares/remembers, but here goes.
>
> I've had wrist problems for almost a year now. I think it might have started
> when I was poling a lot across/up the snow during ski season. It never went
> away completely, but came back with a vengeance after a trip to Walker Ranch,
> where it seems like I carried my bike as much as I rode it.
>
> Anyway, I informally got adjustments at the chiro and had my massage therapist
> friend work on it. Then I actually went to my doctor, who had xrays taken
> (nothing found) and sent me to a PT. They suspected the tendon sheath; six
> visits produced no improvements. I went back to the doctor, asking about a
> cortizone shot, and she referred me to an orthopedic hand specialist instead.
>
> This hand specialist suspects a TFCC tear. That's apparently the cushion
> between the arm and and hand bones. So, I had an MRI today. Not as scary as
> I thought. I see the doc for the results on Thursday. Nervous doesn't begin
> to describe it. Some 'net research makes it look like I'll either be in some
> sort of immobilization device to protect it, or I may actually need surgery.
> At least that would feel like progress. Then again, who knows what the doc
> will say.
>
> I hope those Colorado passes and the 4pass to WP aren't wasted ... hell, if it
> looks like I'll be out of commission all winter, maybe someone here can use
> the 4pass =)

I had a cortisone shot this last Thursday. Very large needle directly
into the left elbow. This is from being hit by a car two months ago road
riding. Ironically, riding on the road is one of the few physically
demanding activities I can do right now. Mountain biking is out of the
question since I can't tolerate jolts or do simple things like manuals.
The cortisone shot did a minor miracle for pain and stiffness, but they
are controversial because the overall health effect isn't necessarily
positive. My MRI came back with plenty of findings, but nothing that can
be fixed with surgery. My doc said that it was disturbing that it hadn't
improved in two months, but the only purpose surgery would serve would
be to go in there and try to find something that isn't showing up on the
MRI. My physical therapist told me that lots of injuries don't show up
on MRIs.

 

[Bruce Edge]

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

I had a similar thing after an endo onto concrete. Don't ask.
Anyways, after all the PT's MRI's etc were done, nothing really conclusive.
I got some EVS wrist braces, they are really coor for riding because
they don't intrude on your your palm. You just put them on as tight as
you need. Tighter = less range of motion, but more support.
Over a year or so I gradually kept loosening them until I realized they
were just a PITA as it didn't hurt anymore.
They did save me from re-injury too in a more than a few biffs. In fact,
I ended up wearing one on each wrist as I did an endo-to-handstand and
toasted the other wrist. The pre-injured one with the brace was fine though.
Definitely recommend them.
Save one for riding and use the other non-stinky one for formal events


-Bruce

 

[Scott]

Hey I wish you all the best. Good luck.

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-10-27, Scott penned:
> Hey I wish you all the best. Good luck.
>

Thank you!

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

Apparently they screwed up my position on the MRI, so instead of getting some
answers today, I have another MRI tomorrow and a doctor's appointment next
week on my birthday.

Not a happy camper.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[Slacker]

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:05:59 -0700, Bruce Edge <[email protected]> wrote:

> I had a similar thing after an endo onto concrete. Don't ask.
>
> -Bruce


Come-on man, you should know better than that. Now cough it up!

(this should be good)
--
Slacker

 

[bruce edge]

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 21:10:29 -0700, Slacker wrote:

> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:05:59 -0700, Bruce Edge <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I had a similar thing after an endo onto concrete. Don't ask.
>>
>> -Bruce
>
>
> Come-on man, you should know better than that. Now cough it up!
> (this should be good)

You're right I should known better.
I was way ahead of the pack after a run down an intermediate rubble/rock
run called "dead cow", named after the old skeleton on top of it, before
a bunch of kids pummeled into dust. It drops out into $1Mil houses in
suburbia. As I came out onto the road from the steep chute that is the end
of the trail, right as it flattens out I looked over my shoulder to see if
anyone else was close, and I didn't see the brand new chain they had
strung about a foot off the ground.

See where this is going?

Anyways, .00001 second after I turned back around, I had bottomed all 5
inches in front and had my rear wheel 4 feet in the air, still clipped in.
So, the resulting lopsided handstand on the concrete sidewalk on the other
side of the chain tweaked my wrist pretty good.

My ego was trashed too.

No, no pics, sorry.

Thanks for making me relive that. I had almost forgotten about some of the
details, like that little skruntch sound that came from my wrist

-Bruce

 

[Slacker]

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 09:28:55 -0700, bruce edge <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 21:10:29 -0700, Slacker wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:05:59 -0700, Bruce Edge <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I had a similar thing after an endo onto concrete. Don't ask.
>>>
>>> -Bruce
>>
>>
>> Come-on man, you should know better than that. Now cough it up!
>> (this should be good)
>
> You're right I should known better.
> I was way ahead of the pack after a run down an intermediate rubble/rock
> run called "dead cow", named after the old skeleton on top of it, before
> a bunch of kids pummeled into dust. It drops out into $1Mil houses in
> suburbia. As I came out onto the road from the steep chute that is the
> end
> of the trail, right as it flattens out I looked over my shoulder to see
> if
> anyone else was close, and I didn't see the brand new chain they had
> strung about a foot off the ground.
>
> See where this is going?
>
> Anyways, .00001 second after I turned back around, I had bottomed all 5
> inches in front and had my rear wheel 4 feet in the air, still clipped
> in.
> So, the resulting lopsided handstand on the concrete sidewalk on the
> other
> side of the chain tweaked my wrist pretty good.
>
> My ego was trashed too.
>
> No, no pics, sorry.
>
> Thanks for making me relive that. I had almost forgotten about some of
> the
> details, like that little skruntch sound that came from my wrist
>
> -Bruce
>
>
It was decades ago.... riding our skateboards at night. This church had
one of those low slung chains in their parking lot; Those chains were
deadly. A friend's parents ended up suing the church for the injuries. We
told him that, if he wasn't already heading there, he's surely going to to
hell now

--
Slacker