Another question for the PT's out there...

[beccaB]

My husband has a wrist injury that's more related to a tendon connected to his thumb. He's had as much PT as our insurance will allow. He's debating having surgery and the orthopedist says it's an easy recovery, about 3 weeks. I'd have to dig for the paperwork to be specific about what his injury is called, but he turns a wrench for a living. The PT seems to think the surgery isn't as easy to recover from as the Orthopedist is telling him. My husband has been biking all along and says it doesn't hurt to do that, but he's pretty much given up on his weight training, which he misses a lot. My question is to anyone familiar with this injury-is it as easy to recover from as the orthopedist is telling him?

[KnottedYet]

Do you have a hand therapist near you?

They are Occupational Therapists with advanced training in hands (essentially hand PT... but don't tell any OT's that I said that! )

PT's are faaaaabulous, of course, but if I had a hand injury or was contemplating hand surgery, I'd find a certified hand therapist for a pre-surgical consult.

If you have a hard time finding one, try calling the OT department of the hospital, ask if they have (or can recommend) a certified hand therapist.

[beccaB]

Actually yes, she is that kind of occupational therapist. I went with my husband during one of his sessions and talked to her quite a bit. I'm considering going back to school at some point for Physical therapy assistant, even though I'm middle aged crazy. I'm going to have to wait a while though because I'm getting ready to have 3 kids in college with in a year. Yikes. The part I'm worried about with my husband is if the recovery takes longer that he was told he will be so frustrated. He's already had to give up some of his workout routines and we have some pretty nice fall centuries around here that he doesn't want to miss, and I don't want to go without my training partner. He was hoping to get more improvement from the therapy, but he's still in pain. He has another condition that makes it not feasible to take cortisone injections as well. I don't think he has any more options than the surgery, but we're wondering when to do it.

[KnottedYet]

Hey, I went back as almost middle-aged, and I wasn't even the oldest person in my class! (the oldest was 52) Go for it!

Did the hand therapist have any suggestions for splinting? Silver ring splints are popular for people who work with their hands. Totally depends on what is going on with the hand, of course.

If the hand therapist says it takes time to recover, I'd go by what she says.

[beccaB]

What is the silver ring splint you're talking about?

[KnottedYet]

Kind of like a thumb spica, but you can still use the thumb for work.
There are a gazillion different kinds of silver ring spints for all kinds of hand and thumb issues. http://www.silverringsplint.com/prob...-mcp-problems/

[beccaB]

It's De Quervain's syndrome. He has a consultation with the surgeon at the end of this month.

[snowroo]

I have that. For me it was brought on by kayaking. It got so bad I couldn't use my hand or even turn my wrist a tiny bit without excruciating pain.

For me, a thumb wih half wrist splint worked (half longitudinally). I had to wear it for months. I now wear a full rigid wrist/thumb splint for kayaking and the half wrist if I feel it flaring. The little pica splint did nothing.

I'd have the surgery if they'd offer it to me.

[Reesha]

I may get some flack for this because I know the md vs. chiropractor argument is alive and well, but my cousin had some major problems with his hand/wrist (he's a drummer) and went to an ART certified chiropractor. POOF, wrist/hand problems subsided during/after the therapy. It might be worth checking into. If something wasn't obviously torn, I would consider a non-invasive solution first before resigning to surgery. If it works, hurrah! And no surgery.

[abejita]

Along those same lines...I sometimes have tingling sensations down my arm, ring and pinky finger and it would fall asleep sometimes when I was working on my laptop. According to my chiro, it was a pinched nerve in my spine. After his adjustment, I no longer have that problem. But, I never had pain, and I never had to stop doing any activities.

[beccaB]

I'll suggest that to my husband, but I have a feeling he won't be interested. He's kind of a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy. Also, our "gatekeeper" HMO doctor doesn't like to make referrals, or maybe that's just if you're a woman. Don't get me started on that one. It took me 3 years to get him to take my shoulder pain seriously and refer me to an orthopedist. The last time I started to have an issue with pain I asked his office to send me right to the orthopedist instead of having to pay the co-pay to get looked at first by the "gatekeeper." I firmly believe athletic people know their bodies pretty well and at that time I knew beyond any doubt that I had elbow tendonitis, and I didn't need to pay the doc extra money on top of the orthopedist. I would like the medical establishment to take women's issues seriously, but then that is another thread.

[Reesha]

My mom had that problem with her primary care physician... and then she switched and they've been wonderful.

I understand what you mean about the 'meat and potatoes' guy thing. Chiropractic isn't really valued by everyone-- heck... even I can't fully put my trust into the back adjustments. However, I did date an ART specialist once, and he did the most amazing work on my pulled muscles and sore sports. No 'cracking' necessary.