Did you break your wrist too?

Managing the first year of the recovery process from a broken wrist - my experiences

Anne-Wil Harzing - Tue 7 Apr 2026 10:08 (updated Tue 7 Apr 2026 11:16)

When I broke my wrist – by tripping over a tree root and catching the fall with my right hand – nearly a year ago, I was completely unprepared for how long the process of “getting back to normal” would take. I didn’t know anyone who had broken a wrist, arm, shoulder, foot, knee or leg, and the medical professionals did nothing to prepare me for it either.

Looking back on the year, what was most frustrating is that nobody ever properly explained what caused my symptoms, let alone told me what I could expect in terms of recovery. So when I was writing my latest white paper (Why waiting for your first publication as an ECR and having a broken wrist have a lot in common), I decided to write up the full story.

If you were unfortunate enough to break your wrist (or another body part) too, you may find my reflections below helpful. If you are curious about what it is like, or are supporting someone who has a fracture, you may want to scan this white paper too. Others might still find my tips on managing injuries helpful when experiencing other injuries or illnesses. Below is a table of contents in case you want to skip to specific sections.

Table of contents

My experience – the first stage

Note: everyone’s experience is different. I am not a medical professional. I am just reporting my own experience here in case it helps you ask the right questions or at least be a little less apprehensive about the journey ahead of you.

In May 2025, I tripped over a tree root and fractured the distal radius bone of my dominant arm. I also had a small nick to my ulna. It is important to be exact as there are 12-13 wrist bones and  another 15 finger bones. I fractured them by falling on an outstretched hand (abbreviated as a FOOSH) when walking on a stretch of woodland. I felt a bit sick and woozy and had to sit down; my wrist looked a bit crooked and was very white. The pain wasn’t too bad, but I have a fairly high pain threshold, and – as I discovered later – I didn’t have a complicated fracture.

My husband called 111 and we were advised to go to A&E and keep my wrist above my heart to reduce the swelling. We were able to fashion a makeshift sling from my blouse. As we were in the middle of nowhere, we walked another 2-3 kilometres to a supermarket parking where we had called for a taxi. This got us to the nearest A&E in about 25 minutes. The acting intake nurse quickly established that my wrist was indeed broken and gave me a proper sling and dose of paracetamol, and – a bit later – an ice-pack.

As I had been at A&E a month earlier, I knew that I would have to wait for triage and with the ice-pack the pain wasn’t too bad. As it had been established that my wrist was broken, I didn’t have to wait too long for an x-ray. Then, at triage, it was decided that I didn’t need an operation; my wrist would be treated with “closed reduction”. This sounds a bit weird, but it basically means that they pull and shove your arm until they feel it is in the right position to heal.

As this is extremely painful you are given a short-lived anaesthetic. In my case, I was asked to suck on a device that looked a bit like a vape inhaler. This allows you to dose your own pain relief. Initially, I apparently didn’t suck hard enough, and I was in a lot of pain while they were manipulating my arm. But ultimately, I must have been out for most of the plastering process as I don’t remember much of it.

I knew they were going to put my arm into plaster as the area had plaster materials and there was a small layer of plaster dust everywhere. This somehow calmed me down as it reminded me of my childhood (my father is a sculpturer; he made plaster casts over wax sculptures). You will get temporary plaster back slab (a half plaster cast) first as the wrist and arm swell up a lot in the first days.

After 4-5 days I had an appointment at the fracture clinic to get my permanent cast. This was quite an interesting process, and I was impressed with the smooth collaboration between the team of three who did this and – as in my previous A&E visit – fascinated by the mix of ethnicities, accents, and nationalities. They were excellent at explaining what they were going to do and had a nice treat in store, you could choose the colour for the final layer of the cast. I chose purple (see the picture at the start of this paper).

A week later I went for a follow-up appointment and had an x-ray taken. The acting doctor appeared a little insecure and mumbled something when looking at it. My husband innocently asked him “so, are you happy with that”. That apparently triggered him to ask the head of the clinic to join us. The head of the clinic then explained that my wrist had been set at a slight angle, bending back a little.

It was just at the cusp of the angle at which they would consider breaking it again and operating. But he also indicated there was every chance I would regain full range of movement with “conservative treatment”, i.e. no operation. I was given a free choice, but as I had just had an operation the month before, and any operation in such a “crowded” area of the body carries the risk of further damage, I decided against this.

My experience – the second stage

After four weeks the cast was removed. I was really looking forward to this  as I still naively believed I was nearing the end of my recovery journey. My expectations quickly came crashing down when I realized how weak my wrist was and how little movement I had in my fingers. I was so grateful to get a wrist splint; I really felt like my hand would fall off otherwise.

Beyond a referral to an NHS physiotherapist – who turned out to be useless – and some very general exercises, I was given no instructions on how to manage my recovery. I would have found it very helpful to receive information on the various tools that could have helped me with recovery (see Get yourself an assortment of recovery tools). Later, my private physiotherapist told me that I should have been advised to use cold packs and compression gloves from the start to reduce the considerable swelling.

Even so, I still thought it would all be ok once I went to the NHS physiotherapy appointment two weeks later, where I expected to be given a structured path to recovery. Unfortunately – as you can read below under “exercises and physiotherapy” – that appointment was one of the worst experiences I have had with a medical professional, both on a medical and on an interpersonal level. If I had not had our Positive Academia Professional Development Workshop at the AoM conference in Copenhagen (see picture of me wearing a splint at the metro stop close to our hotel) to be preoccupied with I would have been quite down.

After investigation and due consideration of the substantial cost, I decided to go for private physiotherapy. My physiotherapist, Zack Constantinou, was a lovely young man who was – for the first time in the process – able to explain to me what had happened to my wrist and what the recovery process would look like. However, my progress stalled after 4 weekly treatments. I still had significant swelling, constant tingling and numbness in my middle finger, and a lack of progress in my range of movement. So, Zack suggested further examination for nerve entrapment or other fracture complications before continuing his treatment. I was then more than 3 months in the process and wasn’t even able to bend my fingers, let alone make a fist.

I got an appointment with a musculoskeletal (MSK) specialist at my GP practice pretty quickly. However, he took only a very cursory glance at the physiotherapist’s report, did some very quick standard nerve damage tests, and was very dismissive of my concerns, basically telling me to wait until things got better. I pushed for a referral for a nerve conduction study, which I got. But I later discovered that he had noted that it wasn’t urgent and that the patient needed “re-educating” about revalidation. It took three months for this referral to lead to an offer of an appointment for a nerve conduction study, a very long time to wait if I hadn’t pursued other avenues. [Of course I canceled it the moment the offer arrived so someone else could use it.]

As I wasn’t happy with the MSK specialist, I asked for and got an appointment at the fracture clinic with the specialist a week later (the fastest appointment ever!). An x-ray was taken which showed the bones had healed properly. But the clinic specialist basically did the same as the MSK specialist at my GP practice: ignore the physiotherapist letter, do some basic tests to rule out serious nerve damage, and telling me to just be patient. I didn’t get any further details about what I could do to progress my recovery. However, when I said that the 24/7 tingling in my middle finger was driving me mad, he also requested a nerve conduction study. I decided to let both referrals proceed to find out whether one was quicker than the other.

I am glad I did as this referral led to an appointment for a nerve conduction study a mere month later as someone had dropped out. This confirmed that there was significant median nerve compression impacting my middle and index finger [my thumb wasn’t tested even though I had more pain in that] and I probably had carpal tunnel syndrome. But I didn’t get a copy of the actual results, which would have allowed me to research what I could to alleviate the problem, as they go to the fracture clinic. After waiting for 5 weeks, I finally got another appointment at the fracture clinic to discuss the results. I thought that was where I would finally get some resolution about what was going on.

But no, I was out in less than 5 minutes, the acting doctor took several minutes to find my record, looked for 10 seconds at the nerve conduction study results, and told me I needed to see a hand specialist before deciding whether to go for an operation. Surely, I didn’t have to wait 5 weeks and come all the way to the hospital for that? She alluded to this clinic being on Thursdays, implying she thought I would get an appointment the next week. It took another six weeks (i.e. 11 weeks after the nerve conduction study) for this appointment to materialize and then it almost didn’t happen as it was accidentally canceled the day before.

I managed to sort it out and  was lucky to get a responsive young doctor this time, who spoke to me as an equal (see Don’t patronize), clearly grasping that I had researched a lot about the condition. He explained – for the first time in 7 months – what the impact was of the bone being set at an angle. He also clarified that a carpal tunnel operation is only suggested if symptoms are getting worse, so if there is gradual improvement – as there was for me – operation doesn’t make much sense. In all, he was very empowering (see empower rather than create dependency), indicating that it was better for me to monitor my symptoms and the effects of my actions than for him to prescribe me what to do.

In the meantime, I had started seeing my acupuncturist Mana Wright, her treatment has helped me more than anything else. She also explained very carefully why my bone set at an angle would mean permanent limitations, especially combined with my arthritic shoulder on the same side. But instead of the “operation or nothing” vibe that I got from the medical professionals, she gave me confidence that I could manage these limitations and that gradual improvement was still possible.

She has turned out to be right. My fingers are still very stiff in the morning and continue to be somewhat stiff during the day, and I have limited flexion (about 60-70%). But swelling has gone completely, and my other metrics – extension, pronation, supination, radial and ulna deviation – are all in the 80-90% range. Apparently, further improvement can still occur in the second year after your injury. I will update this white paper if there are any significant developments.

Some tips that may help you manage your injury

Pain management immediately after the injury

Make sure you carry reasonably strong painkillers (e.g. paracetamol with caffeine) when you go walking and also take a small first-aid kit. I was able to make a makeshift sling from my blouse, but having some bandage to do so will help you raise your hand to your shoulder immediately after the break. Keeping your wrist elevated above the heart level is important to reduce swelling and pain by improving blood circulation.

When your fracture is being manipulated, suck hard on the device with the anaesthetic so you get pain relief quickly and fully. I didn’t fully understand the instructions (lots of different accents in A&E and you are stressed) and didn’t suck hard enough initially. This meant the manipulation was initially very painful.

X-rays

When having your x-rays taken ask explicitly for the right position and try very hard to get your arm in it even if it isn’t easy (as I have severe shoulder arthritis limiting the range of movement in my shoulder it wasn’t easy for me). Also try to remember the position it was in. That way later x-rays are taken in the same position (they weren’t for me which complicated my diagnosis). You can’t rely on the radiologist to do this for you; remember they are taking 10-20 x-rays an hour for hours on end.

Also ask for an x-ray immediately after you get your permanent cast, so that any misalignment of the bones can be discussed there and then and possibly fixed. Although I cannot be sure, I believe the misalignment of my bones was created at the time of permanent casting. This might be because the arm of the chair I had to sit in was broken and my arm had to be held up manually. [Another reminder of how important routine maintenance is]. I only got an x-ray after a week when I came for my check-up. At that stage you are already two weeks into the “recovery programme” and have just mastered living with a cast. So even when given the option of an operation, you are likely to hesitate.

Ask questions & get information

Ask whether you can have time to reflect on key decisions. This might well be standard practice, but it wasn’t mentioned in the appointment where I was given the choice to operate or not. I felt I had to decide there and then. At that time, I was still processing the fact that my bones had not been set optimally, and – having had my first ever operation  a month earlier – I couldn’t face another operation.

I probably wouldn’t have taken a different decision anyway, but it would have been nice to know I could. In contrast, the last doctor I spoke too explicitly told me that I could “reactivate” myself in the system at any time and could ask for the carpal tunnel operation if I felt I needed one after all. That really reassured me.

Reading about the experiences of others may help you.The website patient.info contains lots of leaflets, symptom checkers and tools, but also "patient communities" a forum with patient experience. This means that there is a lot of collective experience around; I often turned to the forum whenever I was feeling a bit down. You need to be able to filter out bad evidence from good evidence and specificities from general patterns, but as an academic you should be used to that.

Exercises and physio-therapy

Exercise your fingers and thumb and elbow as much as you can when you are in the cast. You probably will feel sorry for yourself and not be in a mood to do the exercises you are recommended to do. I wasn’t, though I did manage to do them once or twice a day. But really try and do them as many times a day as you can. Rest assured that unless you start carrying heavy things you will not be able to do damage to your healing wrist. But by moving your fingers and elbow you will decrease the chances of problems later on.

Unless you happen to luck into a very good NHS Physiotherapy practice, don’t bother with their appointments. There is very little actual physical therapy or attention to your symptoms. Mine didn’t even look at the very extensive pen and paper survey I was asked to complete at reception. He pretty much only looked at his screen, typing up my responses to his questions about how the fall happened and my background. These were all questions that had already been asked and typed up several times by other health care practitioners in the past month, or that were included in the survey.

[This is my overriding experience with the NHS, the number of times you get asked the same question by different people; in my first A&E experience it was half a dozen times for some questions. You would think they have a central information system].

He then took very inaccurate measurements of my range of movement as he never explained to me how to hold my hands when he took them. As “treatment” he simply sent me an email with a link to some exercises I had already found myself two weeks earlier. He told me to come back in 3-4 weeks. He also scared the hell out of me by brusquely pulling the Velcro strap of my splint and slamming my hand onto the table, and implying I was a weakling for wearing it 10 days after my cast came off. I went private with weekly treatments.

If you can afford private physiotherapy, I suggest going for 3-4 sessions just so you get some guidance on how to do the exercises. If you cannot afford this, just continue to do exercises at home, ideally 2-3 times a day for at least the first 3-4 months after the cast comes off. If you are young and your bones were set right, you might well be able to stop then.

I am still doing my exercises a year after breaking my wrist, but I am at an age (60) where RSI and arthritis start to catch up with you. Arthritis is very common after an injury unfortunately. As I am semi-retired, I do my exercises in the morning with a nice cup of coffee, slowly waking up, and at night when watching television. But if you are working don’t feel shy to do them in the train or on your lunch break. You’ll be surprised how many people give you a smile of recognition and sympathy.

 Get yourself an assortment of recovery “tools”

Living with an injury can really get you down sometimes, especially dealing with the uncertainty of whether you will ever recover. So, you may as well try and make your life as comfortable as possible with the following recovery tools:

• A comfortable sling. You will get a sling from A&E which is perfectly serviceable. However, there are more comfortable and practical slings available. I found one with a wider shoulder band that distributed the weight better and a nice pocket for my mobile phone.
• A comfortable brace. Again, you will get a splint with a metal bar at the hospital, I have used it during my first weeks after the cast came off and later when traveling (see picture earlier in this post). However, if after a while you still feel you need a brace at night you might be better off with a stretchy brace without metal.
• Compression gloves (see lead picture with the bear) help to reduce both swelling and pain in the first months. In my case, they also relieved the feeling of numbness and tingling due to median nerve compression. Even now, after nearly a year, they help me to not notice the remaining stiffness in my fingers so much.
• Cold packs help to reduce the swelling and dull the pain in the early months. Heat packs warm up your muscles before doing your exercises and enhance your sense of well-being.
• Pain management. If – like me – you are not too keen on taking too many painkillers, local application of something like Voltarol gel might help dull the pain, especially at night.
• Therapy putty in different strengths (light to dark blue in the picture below) is very helpful in keeping your fingers moving. Keep a tub on your desk and use it to do your exercises (out of sight) during boring online meetings.
• Small weights (1-1.5kg) can be used to build up strength after your bones have healed completely.
• Resistance bands (red in the picture below) come in different strengths and are a more flexible way to build up strength as they can be used in a variety of ways.
• Hand massager, a device that you put your full hand and wrist in. It applies compression, vibration, and/or heat to relieve pain and improve circulation.
• Massage gun, whilst of limited use for hands and wrists (you can massage the palm of your hand, but the rest is too bony), they might be helpful for arm massage. Your exercises might trigger muscles in your lower and upper arm that you don’t normally use.
• Infrared light lamp and sauna, see my discussion under alternative treatments below.

I have found that building up a routine, but allowing for some daily variation, is the best way to keep using these tools.

Consider “alternative” treatments

Plaster casts have been around since the middle of the 19^th century (see here for a nice history). Many of us will remember putting our names on a classmate’s cast in our youth. These days the execution of the casting process is a bit more sophisticated with different types of bandages and a nice colorful exterior, but its drawbacks (heavy, itchy, uncomfortable and smelly) remain. So, if you get a chance to try out an alternative cast (see e.g. Cast 21), I would go for it. They have the added advantage that the muscles can be stimulated whilst the arm is in the cast, possibly leading to faster recovery.

If you can get past a fear of needles, try acupuncture. I am not a fan of alternative medicine; it easily descends into quackery. However, I do buy into the more holistic approach to recovery that is part of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Acupuncture is a big part of this. It is now used by many physiotherapists too, but a good TCM professional will treat your symptoms with a bespoke treatment that may also include cupping and acupressure massage. My practitioner – Mana Wright (see below) – has golden hands and her treatment has helped me more than anything else. I am not just a “broken wrist”; I also have an arthritic shoulder with severely limited range of movement on the same side. None of the medical professionals took this into account, but Mana treats both as they are clearly interconnected.

A broken wrist causes inflammation and joint stiffness. This is aggravated if you also have poor blood circulation, which is often the case for older women in particular. An infra-red sauna and red-light therapy (either ceramic infrared or led-light infrared) can help address these issues. I have had an infra-red sauna for twenty years, but a Beurer ceramic infrared heat lamp is the latest addition to my treatment plan. I have found it to be both helpful and versatile. Beyond my wrist, I use it for back pain, shoulder arthritis, stiff neck, painful knees, and an old ankle injury.

Shifting your mindset: fear, blame, frustration, acceptance

Apart from the physical recovery tools, shifting your mind-set is crucial. In the first month after your fracture, you are likely to be in fear mode. You hate people getting close to you as you think they may hurt your arm. You see every bump in the road as something you might trip over. You see your original fall played out in your mindset a dozen times during your normal daily walks. This is simply your body’s way of dealing with being hurt, and it will get better quickly.

After that, you may start blaming yourself for being so stupid. I started blaming myself for being foolish enough to trip over a tree root. That’s even though I walk 4,000 kilometers a year, often on uneven terrain, and have only tripped a few times (and never broke anything before). I also asked myself why we decided to walk that particular way after the route we originally wanted to walk was blocked. The main reason why I tripped is that our alternative route included a lot of road walking over roads with limited visibility, and cars that were driving too fast. As a result, my attention briefly lapsed after the relief of finally getting off a narrow country road into the woods. And that’s when I tripped. So, if the original route hadn’t been blocked… But blaming yourself really isn’t very helpful, there are a zillion “sliding doors” moments in our lives where a single small decision may change your life course.

Frustration usually comes next. In the first months you tend to take practical problems with washing, eating, dressing etc. in your stride. But if – after three or four months – you still have major limitations, as I did, your patience can start to wear a bit thin. You start to miss the things you were able to do without any thought before, and your mind creates doom scenarios about the ultimate outcome. For me this was the sign to start reading more about recovery, finding new treatments (such as acupuncture and red-light therapy) and doubling down on stretching and exercises.

For most of us, the last stage is some level of acceptance that our wrist/hand/fingers might not “get back to normal”. This is especially true if – like me – you are over 60 and your bones were not perfectly aligned in the casting process. You may well end up with arthritis in the injured parts of your body. But you’ll learn how to manage these symptoms too. Most importantly, you learn to appreciate the parts of your body that still work well. And if you think about the number of bones, tendons, and muscles squeezed into such a small area it is a miracle our hands and wrists work as well as they do.

That doesn’t mean you don’t revert back to blame and frustration occasionally. You might even have the occasional fear episode when tired and walking on uneven terrain. But that’s useful as it puts you on high alert. Most importantly, you learn to accept your injured body part as part of who you are, rather than hating it because of the trouble it is causing you. Yes, I realise that sounds a bit like new age mumbo-jumbo, but I have found that it does allow you to move forward.

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