Alex's snowboarding injury

_{The patient's perspective}

The problem..

Whilst skiing in Niseko, Japan, I decided to have a go at snowboarding on a miserable, windy day when only the nursery lift was open. I had a great time learning however when we were on the last run of the day, before a well-earned beer, I caught an edge on a flat and icy part of the slope at the bottom of the run. I fell down with a lot of force on both of my wrists and, possibly due to my previous history with wrist injuries, my left radius decided to give up at the distal end and misplaced itself. This fall caused rather a painful experience for me over the next 12 hours whilst I waited for the local health clinic to open. Once it did, they reduced the fracture under sedation and put me in an enormous cast for travel back to London. Once back in the UK, I saw my GP and was referred to the hospital, where it was confirmed that the fracture had moved back to its original position despite the reduction. 

Outcome and experience

After the surgery, I used my hand as little as possible and had a removable guard for it in the upcoming week. I then enjoyed a rapid recovery after that, returning to day-to-day tasks like typing and drinking tea. After two months I achieved the biggest test, when I returned to the squash court and was amazed that, apart from some weakness on the back hand, my wrist felt great and my game was essentially the same as it was before. Alongside squash I went swimming, scrambling over mountains and generally experienced little or no complaint from my wrist.
My arm has improved to the point that I don’t really notice the difference anymore, I’m occasionally reminded by a slight ache if I do certain strenuous things, but motion is back to the full range and my grip strength is the same between my two hands. There’s definitely still some strength work to do, as my left arm should be stronger in general.
 

The surgeons perspective

Seeking treatment 

I met Alex for the first time soon after he returned from his trip. Very sensibly, he decided to return to the UK for his definitive treatment – many people who sustain injuries while skiing feel pressured into having surgery almost immediately while overseas. In fact, most fractures of the hand, wrist, elbow and clavicle can safely be treated with surgery within two weeks of the accident, allowing people enough time to return home in a plaster or sling. 

Alex is a young professional who sustained a typical ‘high energy’ fracture of his wrist. This means that a huge amount of force was required to break his healthy, strong bone.