RacerOne

Broke on of the little bones on the opposite side of my thumb in my right hand Saturday in a CX race. I'm in a velcro on stabilizer wrist thing. Any of you guys have some ideas for what worked for you to make your riding less painful while it's healing up?

datlas 

I hope it's not your scaphoid bone.

I broke mine several years ago, it's tough to get it to heal. Mine never healed up actually....

I say rest up and use the trainer, as you don't want to fall on it and re-injure it.

Oh yeah, and don't get medical advice on the 41.

RacerOne

Not the scaphoid, either the pisoform or lunate. Not looking for medical advice, I can ignore my doctor for that :-) Just ideas on fit, padding.. whatever might have help anybody here.

Hot Potato

Not trying to be difficult here, but I would recommend letting it heal first. If its hurting while you ride, you are impairing the healing. This is not a macho thing. HTFU does not apply to the healing of those poorly vascularized, small wrist bones. Non union fractures are difficult to treat, can require surgery, and can cause many months to years of pain and impairment. I don't think a few weeks of riding/training is worth the risk and aggravation, but that's up to you. Just consider how much more time you could lose if it won't heal properly when making your decision. But in the spirit of not just giving medical advice that you don't want, perhaps a cast would do a better job immoblizing and controlling pain if you decide to keep riding while it is healing.

rebel1916

Aleve, and lay off the whacking...

surgeonstone

See a doctor and do what he says.

Looigi

Doctors are far from infallible. I strongly suggest getting a second and perhaps even a third opinion, preferably from a sports orthopedic specialist. Check with your insurance first. They'll almost certainly cover it, but sometimes require preauthorization. In my case of a broken collar bone it went from "stay off the bike 8-12 weeks" to "ride as soon as you feel like it," which was 10 days.

Pug

Heretic!

ADSW

+1 to the posts saying to lay off it for awhile. If you MUST get on the bike, use a trainer and apply as little weight as possible to it. Maybe tape some foam or something to the handle bar for more cushion. That way you can still train (albeit not as efficiently) but at least you'll be getting your HR up still.

bobonker

+1

Bob

rebel1916

Well, I just finished healing up a broken elbow, so I know what I speak of...

abstractform20

********** what is "whacking"?

rebel1916

If you don't know, you must be under 11 or so. So ask your parents.

datlas 

revolator

Not advised, but if you must, get a tt aero bar, also wear wrist brace
https://www.google.com/search?q=wris...JYjf0gG80oHQAQ

dpicare26

no amount of padding is going to reduce the pressure of your weight on the wrist as you are extending/flexing it (especially in the drops as you are in ulnar deviation, thus putting the most pressure on medial structures, ie. the pisiform). Best thing would be to immobilize the wrist. But above all, REST!

RacerOne

So the overwhelming concensus is rest. Ick.

oldbobcat

I cracked the nevicular in my left wrist years ago. I was in a cast from the palm of my hand to half-way to my elbow for about six or seven weeks. Around week four I started riding again, and I even managed a few days of downhill skiing. The cast really tore up the bar tape and a ski mitt.

Here's what I remember about riding. I did nothing really long, about 35 miles max. Hands were on the tops of the bar more than usual, but I had good control over the hoods, too. Out-of-saddle efforts were short because of difficulty holding on. This was a good test of my positioning, balanced over the saddle with little or no dependence on the arms for support.

Once the cast came off it was gentle exercise and rest because the forearm muscles had forgotten how to support the hand.