[Closed] Metacarpal Fracture

Broke two, plus two fingers and one wrist bone. I got laughed at for suggesting I'd be ok to go on a snowboarding holiday the next day*.

Took 4-6 weeks to heal without serious ill effects. That said, the metacarpals fused squint. That hand is now a different shape, the finger span is 1inch wider than the other. I now struggle to open jars; hand easily gets tired doing stuff like sawing. And my handwriting is now shit. This sometimes happens without a full hand plaster cast.

But that is better than surgery to plate them - there's a lot going on in there without a whole lot of room, surgery could damage the nerves or tendons packed in there, which may impact on motor movement if damaged.

* I still went on another snowboarding holiday 3 weeks later, with cast

They've put me in a cast to just below my elbow. My concerns lie around future issues holding on too handlebars. Small bone to break but with some implications for a biker. Thanks for the advice.

This:

Took 4-6 weeks to heal without serious ill effects. 

And this:

That said, the metacarpals fused squint. That hand is now a different shape, the finger span is 1inch wider than the other. I now struggle to open jars; hand easily gets tired doing stuff like sawing. And my handwriting is now shit. 

Duz not compoot

Having done a placement in hand therapy I don't see a reason why, if properly treated, you shouldn't be able to regain full function from a metacarpal fracture

OP: more details on the nature of the fracture would be super useful, an X-ray would be amazing if poss. There are many different types, ranging from the minimal (hairline) to the nasty (comminuted and/or open (compound)).

Because hands are so important health care professionals tend to be (understandably) quite conservative with their assessment however you can expect to be a fairly firm callous after 6 weeks and a rock solid union after 12 weeks, assuming you are of reasonably young age and you don't smoke or have diabetes etc. Remodelling takes 24+ months so you may have a bump for a bit.

By which I mean you would prob be ok if

1) The course isn't too strenous and DH-y
2) You don't have another major off and break it again

Shermer thanks for the comments. At the moment I've not got a copy of the x ray or been told in detail the type of fracture. I've been through A&E at Merthyr yesterday after it happened and been to my nearest A&E today as instructed for them to reasses and refer as necessary. I have an appointment at fracture clinic Tuesday so will bear your comments in mind as things I need to raise. Mid thirties but with an underlying auto immune illness Ulcerative Colitis.

I did base of 4th and 5th at BPW. Merthyr A&E. Likewise full cast to elbow.

Had to get local A&E to refer to fracture clinic but was going to be weeks. Cast was way too tight and cutting off blood flow so managed to get quicker appointment and they took cast off to redo x-rays, then just left me with a Bedford splint.

Wasn't much of a concern and usual 6 weeks to heal.

Unlike the other hand where I'd ripped ligament off the bone and much longer time to sort out and physio to get moving again. Though I was still on the bike, for gentle rides, with a splint after a month and bit. Just I had to use different finger to brake as was my index finger 😀

Couple months later was in Morzine. The metacarpal break was no problem. The other finger still didn't bend properly but I was able to brake okay.

Result of this is I need to learn not to stick my hands out when crashing 😀

Broke one of mine last year, tried to carry on riding but I couldn't pull the brake so knew something was up. Meant to be 8 weeks off the bike (I lasted 6 which almost killed me!) did a little road riding for a couple of weeks then got back on the mtb and carried on.

Hand is a slightly different shape in that my little finger points in more on one hand now, other than that is business as usual.

You'll know when your ready to get back on the bike, if it's to soon it will probably be pretty uncomfortable.

I fractured my 2nd and 3rd metacarpals in my Xmas 2013 rta, one was a clean perpendicular, the other was a long angled fracture. Both were screwed back together under a neural block.

I told them the cast felt too tight, but they insisted it was fine. Cast came off, hand swelled up like a balloon and the only movement I had in my fingers was ~5mm at the knuckle joint!

Ended up in the Odstock Road specialist physio unit in Salisbury, Monday morning to Friday afternoon for six weeks, using the brilliant League Of Friends accomodation and going home for the weekends. Structured physio day was 0900-1700 with three breaks.

They were amazing, I got back an awful lot of my hand movement, albeit not quite as dextrous as before. I was finally allowed to ride again ~10 weeks after the rta, hand hurt like hell for a few weeks, but I had physiological road riding issues to deal with!

Had a proximal Phalanx fracture on on my right middle finger after falling over the dog and hitting a wall. It was manipulated under block in A&E and sent home with a splint. Attended fracture clinic and they suggested it should be operated on with a fixation, however I declined as i didn't want time off work.
Bit silly really as it still won't straighten properly 4 years later.
I wore my splint at work and it took about 8 weeks for the pain to subside.
Fracture healed but due to not having surgery it probably won't be straight ever again.

I commute by motorbike and couldn't ride it for 6 weeks, Mtb I just didn't bother till week 12.

I broke the 5th metacarpal few years ago,luckily it healed pretty straight and never needed any pinning or a cast,just a splint,6 weeks and i was riding again,Albeit i was a bit tentative to hit stuff i had before,but soon got my Mojo back and was riding and hitting bigger stuff

I do suffer in the colder morning as i was told by the Doctors would be the case,