how long until you were back on the bike again? i’ve got my cast off in 3 weeks, but i’m planning on going to the Alps in July… am i fooling myself?

and yes i know everyone’s different, just wanting to know the experience of others

have you had confirmation it’s knitting (no, the other kind) ok?

yeah, i’m 1 week into my 2nd cast, 1st one was on for 3 weeks and the doc said (and i quote) “it’s healing nicely” before i had the new cast put on

Broke mine (along with capitate) last spring. Was in plaster over 3 months – they said 4 weeks to me at first, then a few months of physio before being able to ride again.
Most of the time spent off the bike once out of plaster was due to the time I was in plaster, not the actual break. Things go rather stiff and weak when they aren’t allowed to move for a long time!
Started back on the road bike first but had to ride with one hand if I saw any rough surface, drains, potholes as the jarring of the bars was so painful.

Oh, and I had 3 or 4 x-rays where they missed the capitate break, was only once I’d paid for an MRI that they noticed it, although it was healed by then anyway.

Good luck, some heal quickly, some don’t. Just keep on top of your sanity if you’re in plaster for a while, didn’t take long for depression to set in without me noticing it.

Not the same but did a bone in my thumb and it was just under 3 months break to getting back on the mountain bike.

Getting the movement back after the cast took time and lots of doing what the physio said. I pushed it as I had a race/riding holiday booked and was advised that I was not allowed to fall off. Took a bit of time to get back to riding properly, swapped to twist shift as my thumb wasn’t up to repeated shifting too.

Mine was a few years ago but I was in plaster for 12 weeks in the end.
I reckon that may have been because I told them I was due to go on an mtb holiday in the Alps, and I’d done it crashing my bike so they made sure the extra few weeks of cast wearing took me past my holiday date!
(My wife was a nurse in the ED at the time)
was a bit weak and inflexible for a while afterwards, was in a brace when riding and got sore quite quickly.
I still suffer from aches and pains in it in damp conditions 12 years later…

tell me about it… we’ve had some lovely weather of late, and i’ve been unable to ride, i feel the very low level of fitness that i had, just dropping away 🙁

swapped to twist shift as my thumb wasn’t up to repeated shifting too.

Oh yes, forgot about the first time I tried to push my reverb button! 😆

tell me about it… we’ve had some lovely weather of late, and i’ve been unable to ride, i feel the very low level of fitness that i had, just dropping away

As rubbish as I found it, I did take up running while in plaster as a way of getting out in the sunshine and maintaining a little cardio fitness.

And it makes you feel more defiant if you’re running in plaster, people look at you like you’re Rocky*.

*people may not be thinking you’re like Rocky, more that you’re going to have a heart attack if your face gets any more red.

we’ve had some lovely weather of late, and i’ve been unable to ride, i feel the very low level of fitness that i had, just dropping away

I did mine at the start of summer 🙁

Broke mine day 2 into a weeks skiing. Didn’t realise, just thought it was a bit tender. 6 weeks in a pot, no keyboard, no bike. No after effects.

Did mine years and years ago also did my ankle in the same off, ankle got all the attention and wrist wasn’t x rayed. Still causes me some gip even now. It must be psychosomatic as it has just started is usual ache 😆 how weird is that?

Broke my scaphoid and trapezoid (base of index finger) in the October and it was April before I could ride the mtb. Don’t underestimate how long you will need to get the movement back after the cast comes off.

Edit: mine aches when it rains (four years after I did it)

Broke in late August, failed to heal so Herbert screw and bone graft in Dec, riding carefully in April, back to normal by july

Yeah have broken both of them

First one healed up OK although still 11 weeks in plaster & a horrible withered forearm prob a year or more before it was ‘OK’

Second one went undetected had to have it re-broken/pinned/bone graft has never been right since

Good luck with the Alps trip there are some nice walks

6 weeks start to finish for me, but it was only a crack

some good, mostly bad…. hmmmm….

Crack here last early June, wrote off most of the summer 🙁

11 months
first of three ops
getting there
back on the bike

“It’s healing nicely” sounds good. When did you break it and do you know what tyoe of fracture it was?

ok, looking at your xray, my fracture isn’t anything like as bad as yours… and 11 months?!?, oof 🙁

shermer75 – Member
“It’s healing nicely” sounds good. When did you break it and do you know what type of fracture it was?

4 weeks ago (today!) and no, not sure what type it is?

Speak to your doctor, the bone may well have healed by the time they take the plaster off. However, as above, your arm will be weak and maybe a little stiff. You will need to work on this! Your physio will tell you what to do 🙂

4 weeks in a splint, 12 weeks in a cast. Didn’t heal got worse. Pinned together, 12 weeks in cast again then 3 months out of cast before the break had fully joined. It’s a swine of a break.

Having men pinned tomorrow after going unnoticed since February even though it had been x-rayed. After reading this looks like the summer will be a right-off. Hope you get to your Alps trip.

oh christ, there’s some horror stories in here 🙁

After reading this looks like the summer will be a right-off.

The above fractures had complications, this doesn’t seem to be the case with the OP. I’d be surprised if his wrist isn’t healed in time for his holiday.

Get yourself some proper wrist/hand support to help.

Get out riding GENTLY as soon as you can!

2 years ago i broke my wrist 6 weeks before my yearly alps trip, was in cast for 4 weeks, so had just two weeks out of it before trip.

Did a lot of very gentle riding, but was still very sore/stiff at the start of the week in the alps. Used wrist support and built up a lot of strength and movement through the week.

My physio was amazed at the difference in movement over a single week (went from 63% of normal range to 93%), but slightly less impressed when i told her what i’d done all week……..

good call on the wrist support

Broke Scaphoid and Hamate last May was in plaster for a month then I was riding on the road with my splint for 2 weeks, after that I was riding off road with a splint for a couple of weeks. Then I used a 661 wrist guard and no splint kept it careful for a month or so before getting cracked on.

Broke it mid May was racing again mid September I probably could of raced mid August to be honest.

The key things are hand exercise, minimum time in cast and then a gentle build up when out of cast and more hand exercises. I was recommended a powerball for building wrist strength and it was fantastic.

Meant my summer not the ops.

661 do a wrist guard that I wore for a few weeks after doing mine. There’s some stiff plastic inserts in them that you can remove.. Then wore for a few months after on the mtb

13 weeks in plaster for me. At least 6 months before I got proper strength and movement back.

Still gives me grief from time to time and that was over 20 years ago.

Give it the time it needs!