Hurt wrist, thumb, and hand

[tgb]

It has been seven weeks since I fell in the shower and my Wrist, hand, and thumb are still sore. I fell on an outstretched hand. I got soap in my eyes and as I tried to turn around I slipped while I had both hands on the wall. My right one in back of me and my left on the side of me and as I fell, both hands went all the way down until I reached the tub surround. My left thumb bent inward underneath my left hand when I hit the tub surround. The pain immediately begun and it was awful. Do you think it might be more than just a sprain?

I got it checked out and they diagnosed me as a sprained wrist and hand. But it is still sore, swollen, and bruised, so I got a referral to Orthopedics. It is swollen on the palm side of my hand where the thumb is and near the wrist and there is a bump also on one of my thumb bones.

This was because when I got surgery on my ankle in April, a few weeks later, I tried to take a shower and not put alot of weight on my ankle and that is how I fell. As I turned around I slipped.

[Sue Pendleton]

This doesn't sound like it's related to your spinal injury. Sprains can stay around for a couple months before the soft tissue heals.

[sjean423]

Do you use a manual chair? Repeated use may be slowing the healing.

[Tom]

As Sjean pointed out, you could be turning an acute injury into a chronic one. I once slept for 5 hrs with my thumb jammed up in a similar manner between the tailgate of an SUV and the top of my head. I didn't think much of it but instead of getting better it grew worse and worse to the point my left hand was pretty useless. Turned out to be what's called 'Dequervain's tendosynovitis.' Thankfully it healed up but it took about 9 months and it was difficult to force myself to not use the left hand. In light of this and my more recent rotator cuff problems, I'd wager many folks cause or aggravate what might originally be a minor injury and eventually end up with a much more serious problem requiring medical intervention simply because being active means using an injured hand or joint.

Tom

[dev]

you should visit a doctor or do an X-Ray as it may be that your bone MAY be fractured! so it will be better if you go because medicines will not heal it!

[tgb]

Thank you for replying. I went to a hand specialist and got a cortisone shot. He said if that doesn't work than I will need surgery. The cortisone shot made the pain worse and I can hardly move my wrist and hand so I will call the surgeon soon and schedule the surgery. My diagnosis: I have a hairline fracture and a partially torn ligament. I also have clicking in my wrist when I move it. The doctor said that it is from the torn ligament.