Major setback to riding from past wrist injury...any ideas?

I broke my scaphoid (at the time, it was called a navicular) when I was 17. Being young and stupid, I ignored it b/c it didn't hurt that much and I thought it was a sprain. A year later, I smashed up my ankle pretty comprehensively on a CR500, and had a cast from toe to hip and I was on crutches. I told the ortho that my wrist hurt when I was using the crutches, and he said "get it X-Rayed, it's only $20 ... in 1982! I knew I was fucked when he came back into the office looking at the X-Ray, put his hand on my shoulder and said "Son, you have a problem."

He explained that the navicular only gets blood flow from one side, and it simply won't heal left to its own devices. Plus, mine had degraded badly due to my abuse & neglect. He took a chunk out of my hip bone and grafted the two ends of the navicular together, and used 2 wire loops to hold them in contact. It did eventually heal, but it was a long time in a cast, iirc, 5 months (the ankle break was also a 6 month deal - I spent nearly a whole year in one or another cast.) There was also a micro-voltage bone growth stimulation thing going on with the wires - I clipped them to a box every night as I slept. When the cast came off, he grabbed the wires with pliers and pulled them out, which felt very oooogy.

Anyway, long story short (too late!) yes, it still hurts. It hurts most if I lift heavy things over my head, or I bang it somehow - for example, I tried swinging a sledge hammer to break concrete a few years ago, and the shock *really* aggravated my wrist.

Whenever the wrist gets pissed off, I do 2 things: #1, ICE IT, and the sooner the better! #2, I wear a wrist brace for 1~2 weeks. My favorite wrist brace is an older rollerblading wrist guard with the palm slider removed.

SO.... regarding your situation, I think you're due for a second opinion, from a hand and wrist specialist. I don't think I'd be inclined to grant full and complete trust to the guy who installed a screw that came loose. I wouldn't be too excited about diving into a wrist fusion without a 2nd or even 3rd opinion, and I'd expect your insurance to support that.

Also.... if it's not offered, be pretty insistent on getting PT after the cast comes off... IMHO, doing the PT *religiously* has a LOT to do with improving the outcome of any surgery.

I am somewhat of similar opinion, but not quite ape hangers. The dual sport/off road and the flat track seating/bar set up is my style. Pretty much a neutral upright position where I can still lean in a bit if needed. I found I could not ride a sport bike, when I tried an Interceptor with 2" higher Heli bars. My wrists were hurting in less than 50 miles. I lean toward a sort of flat track bend with bars back a bit.

Seems like the advice is more about medical options and second opinions. Maybe good advice.

For motorcycles, I think you may have been on to something about minimizing the vibration and the other inmate about getting weight off the bars (elevated, back grip placement).

I have read the inline of the XR can be VERY buzzy and at least the early ones had many comments related to addressing the bar vibes with weights. My only 4cyl BMW experience was the opposite, my 99 KRS was smooth amd when compared to the boxer I also had at the time (1150GSA), the K bike was much less vibes on the grips though the boxer wasnt bad.

Try cycle-ergo.com and find a bar height that keeps body weight off your wrists. Read forums about the models and vibration concerns. Consider larger bars with grip puppies. Get and use electronic cruise control. Consider a bike that shifts smooth to minimize gear shift feedback into bars. The DCT recommendation was a good one. Quickshifter bikes may help, if you dont have to clutch, you dont have to grip as hard with your right hand to hold on.

I'll chime in on this as I had a nonunion and necrosis. After talking to numerous docs that recommended a salvage procedure and partial fusion I went to the hospital for special surgery in NYC. took bone from the bottom of the humerus and made a new scaphoid. works better than my good wrist. I highly recommend them.

Done both scaphoids. Right one when I was 16, water skiing in the sea -- flew off a large swell and landed on my ass on the water, ski either flew off and hit the wrist or just hitting wrist on the water did it.

X-raying doc said everything was OK. Went to work that summer on a seismic crew. My job was gathering up geophones on these giant safety pins, which required a lot of repetitive and complex bending of right wrist. Went home for Xmas in agony. X-ray said scaphoid busted in two, and rubbing. Had a bone graft from another area of the wrist and a plaster cast. Went back to work two weeks later in the snow with cast. Snow melted hand area of cast. Idiot me cut off cast with Swiss Army Knife saw (no quick task) because it wasn't hurting much. Worked a couple of weeks with no cast. Finally decided I was in fact in a lot of pain all the time. Went for another x-ray, got fibreglass cast. Had to wear it six months because of my moronity. It bothered me a lot for about a decade after, then settled down.

Broke left one mtn biking in Moab in '08. Decided to do right thing. Kept cast on for 8 weeks. No problems with it since.

Moral: Don't fuck around with a busted scaphoid or it will fully fuck with you.

+1 get a second opinion, preferably from someone who specializes in sports wrist injury

More masturbation's will strength you wrist .

I don't know shit about wrists but I'm pretty expert on the airhead beemer. The engine has perfect primary balance. no four can match it. But The engine also has a natural rocking couple (think vibration) noticeable at idle and 4100 rpm. Other than that it should be very smooth. If it's "lumpy" there is a tuning problem. Poor carb sync is common. Most shops and many owners don't know how to do it. Vacuum methods are good enough but not the best.

It is possible the engine has a balance problem in the pistons and rods. rare and subtle. There can be occult stuff like the torque on the engine mounting bolts. But ridden off road with an aggressive tire the vast majority of the vibration will be coming up from the road and changing engine type will not help. Suspension tuning may or ride a less aggressive tire on smoother stuff.

Ergo changes will help as has been mentioned.

If the pain causes you to stop and stretch at X the you need to be stopping at X/2 and stretching. Push till it hurts and you do damage. Diclofenec Sodium Topical may help.

Any way you could provide more information on this procedure like doc or hospital?