Thank you so much for your videos. I have watched both of them at least a dozen times. I am now 4 weeks post op. You got me through every step of the way.
robert wanamaker Hey, thanks for watching and appreciate the comments. Sounds like you are past the roughest part. Wishing you best of luck with your rehabilitation!
I had the surgery this morning at 9am. Injured playing sports. The nerve block thus far is the worst part. Tomorrow will be the pain. A huge thanks for the videos because it walks me through exactly what to expect
Vet Drunga Hey, wishing you best of luck. You are definitely in the toughest part right now. Hope you can get some sleep, and remember it will get better!
Great video man, thank you. It helped me greatly to know what to expect particularly in regard to the nerve block. I am having this procedure done on Dec. 16. Thanks again!
Just had the surgery three days ago. Tore mine in gym too. Spot on in your description. What a pain in the butt. I have three pins in. Look forward to upcoming videos.
Thanks Jack, excellent review and post op understanding. Go in for this surgery next week, and like you, I am extremely active in tennis, cross-training, and hiking. I believe that if you know what to expect, you will do way better! Great job, and here's to recovery and active lifestyles!
@@jackharding144 Good morning. I have done really well, and only used pain meds for 48 hrs. Hard cast is now on for 4 days, 2 1/2 weeks out. Thought I would be on easy street with hard cast, but swelling is not decreasing in my distal cast area and am more sore now than with soft cast. have continued elevation and warm compresses to no avail. Dr wants me to totally move my fingers and thumb, but swelling and cast are stopping this. Any thoughts? Thanks
@@jerrymayer5897 Glad to hear you are doing well, and off paid meds quickly. My swelling was bad throughout my entire recovery . . . including a prolonged period during my physical therapy. It seems to vary from patient to patient. In fact, the swelling in my fingers has never quite returned to previous state. I had to get my wedding ring resized after waiting 6 months after surgery. I am now 1 year removed from the initial injury, 9 months from first surgery, and 6 months from pin removal. Am back to all normal activities with no pain or discomfort. Only advice I can offer is the improvements will come in small increments, so be patient and work the PT program to get the max gains in strength and range of motion during your therapy. Best of luck and Happy New Years
@@degsy4934 Hi, you may want to look at the 2nd video I made, which is all about the pin removal and rehab/therapy. To answer your question, yes . . . I was cleared immediately by my Dr. to begin light (machine only) weights and running right after pins removed
I’m scheduled for this surgery on May 7th. I find these videos both helpful and encouraging. Your videos are the first ones I’ve come across that are not super young people. Let’s face it, we heal differently at different stages in our lives. I’m by no means “old” (only 58), but again, it was encouraging to see your results you’ve shared. Thank you so much for making these videos. 😊
Hi Christine - you will be fine! My biggest tip would be to be aggressive at rehab and using your wrist/hand/fingers as much as possible to regain strength. I am now 6 years post op and like it never happened. Best of luck!
Thank you so much for posting this. I have a significant partial tear of that same scapholunate ligament. My doctors highly recommends doing the reconstructive surgery. I believe a full tear and significant partial tear is the same exact surgery procedure for both. I hurt it from doing olympic movements during crossfit specifically doing squat cleans, hang cleans, power cleans. Too many repetitive reps caused it to wear and tear and eventually partially tear that ligament. I don’t have the strongest of wrist, have a small wrist and forearm compared to other males so that doesn’t help. This video is giving me great insight on what to expect post surgery in regards to the process, pain, and what i can or cant do.
Hey@@thefutureh, I had a preliminary arthroscopy and the doctor found that I had an older injury that made repairing this one impossible. I was given three options, the first two of which were for me no-go's, so I took option three, which was physical therapy. Although the ligaments are completely ruptured, I was able to gain 85% motion and I'm up to around 75% in strength. I was pretty distraught when I got the news, but I have to say, it feels OK now. I get the typical stiffness when I don't use it, but the muscles I'm building up are compensating for the ligament damage. Keep in mind, I'm 33 and this type of "double" injury happens usually in older folks, so if you're going through the same surgery, you probably don't have that pre-existing injury. What's your situation?
@@anthonyarmiger8216 am 26 years old . had 100 percent scaphalunate tear ... did surgery after 6 months from intial injury but it was a fail because there was no ligament after 5 months repeated different surgeon whom was better than before .. took a tendon and plant in between scaphoid and lunate .. .. what is the gap between your scaphoid and lunate ?
@@thefutureh Wow, really? Do you mind me asking what hospital/doctor you went to? It was a 7 to 8 mm gap. I did it in Nov. last year, so if there's a chance to get it fixed, I would definitely take it. I went to a few different docs and they all had the same opinion, but I only went to one in the US (in Baltimore where I'm from). The other opinions came from doctors here in Germany. How does it feel now?
Hi Jack - thanks for posting. I unfortunately have this injury as well. Newly diagnosed and I'm 10 weeks post-injury. I couldn't tell from your video how long it was between your injury and surgery. My doc thinks 10 weeks is fine and the ligament has a good chance to heal. However most journal articles say that ligaments deteriorate rapidly in the first 6 weeks. Thanks again for posting this - very helpful to all of us.
Had a fall from ladder which resulted in essentially the exact surgery for a lunate dislocation, broken radius & ulna, and ligament damage. This happened 6 days ago and I had the ligament repair/pinning done yesterday. The ligament surgery started with a "happy medicine cocktail" (as they said), followed by the nerve blocker. My blocker was administered near my armpit, so lower than this gentleman's. I was out before I knew it from the propafol. Surgery went well, but boy was he right in that it was very uncomfortable with the block in the first 24 hours alongside the pain from pins, incisions, and inflammation. Surgery itself took a little more than an hour. Notes of my first (almost) 24 hours after surgery: *immobile arm from block (this was uncomfortable and blocked actual pain for about 12-14 hours) from mid bicep to fingers. *block feels like your arm is asleep from laying on it, but with more pressure from the inflammation and such (quite uncomfortable). *Pain becomes much worse as you surpass the 12-14 hour mark after returning home. This is where my block wore down (in area) from mid bicep to mid forearm resulting in my hand being quite uncomfortable and in pain. *Currently elevating, icing, and cycling Oxycodon 5mg + Ibuprofen + Tylenol Extra Strength. Honestly, maybe it's all things considered with my personal injury, but the pain is quite unbearable sitting here and currently 21 hours after surgery. *the discomfort from the block fading out naturally allows the pain to become reality while also giving off a burning feeling within the nerve (you'll feel this from your elbow to your fingertips in random locations). *I still have tingling and a concentrated feeling from the block in my fingertips. I also can't move my fingers beyond a simple wiggle, which that alone gives off pain within the ligaments. *attempting to move the thumb hurts the worst. *I keep my splinted arm in a sling when not elevating or icing. I WILL UPDATE THIS AGAIN IN THE COMING DAYS/WEEKS. Hope this gentleman recovered nicely and stayed the course on his positive trajectory.
Hi M H - this is the guy in the video 😬. Good luck with your recovery- you are right at the worst part of the process. I promise you it will get better, keep the faith! Not sure if you saw my second video on this topic, but 3+ years later my wrist is as though I never hurt it (except for some slightly less range of motion).
Thank you! 24hr post op and this video made me calm down a bit. Pins and needles from the block took 36hrs to reduce. Pain after the morphine subsided was high, needed max allowed dose of codeine for the first days.
Jack, Thanks so much for your 2 videos on this surgery. I have this surgery coming up next month. I've tried Physical Therapy and rest for months, but those haven't worked. When I finally had an MRI done turns out I had a torn scapolunate ligament. Happened from playing tennis. I've been a little unsure about getting the surgery. Tennis is the main thing in my daily life that I can't do. I can play pickle ball without too much pain but I love tennis and was playing most every day. And I don't think I could do a pushup if my life depended on it. But most things during the day I can work around. I have twinges as I go thru my day, but not a lot of pain. Wanting to play tennis and avoid arthritis in my wrist are my two main motivating factors. My main hesitancy is my age. I'm 71 and my doctor has said that because of my age, the results of the surgery may not be as good as I hope for. Watching your video has given my a realistic view of what I'd be going thru. Since your surgery was quite a while ago- 4 years- I am wondering if your wrist has continued to feel good after all that time.
Hi Ron - sorry about your injury. The short answer to your last question is my wrist feels 100% normal these days. As I've said to other folks, I literally have to think for a second to remember which wrist I hurt. I realize everyone's situation is unique, but for me my Dr. said if I did nothing my wrist would get progressively worse and likely would need to be fused. For me that was a non option, so I had the surgery. As I noted in my videos, I worked really hard during therapy and it took a while to get back to normal. But nowadays I am 60 and still hit the weights/pushups/pullups nearly everyday with no issues, so for me the surgery was absolutely the right choice. Best of luck with your decision!
How are you doing now? I tore mine playing tennis as well. Had the surgery 4 months ago. I couldn’t imagine swinging a tennis racket right now, but hopefully in another month or so.
@@jennycreative1 sadly my surgery didn’t work. When they pulled the pins out the bone went back to where it had shifted. I’ve since injured my other wrist, so I’m crossing my fingers on that one! Haha. I guess I have weak wrists! But I’m crossing my fingers you are doing great.
@@mreedbro9 Oh Matt, I'm so sorry to hear that. My wrist has good days and painful days. Painful mostly due to scar tissue when the barometric temperature shifts. But I have pretty much full strength back and 90% flexion and flexibility which works fine for pole. Can they repair that wrist again? It just sucks getting cut into.
Thank you for the video! I was in a car accident this past Sunday and X-Rays showed a tear in this ligament so I'm trying to prepare myself for all the different options possible. This helped me get an idea of what I could be expecting after further examination in 3 days
Having this surgery and the ECU tendon reconstructed on Wednesday. Thanks for posting your story because there’s not too many experience videos out there.
How’d it go? I’m having the same exact surgery in a few weeks and I’m starting to get nervous. I’d probably be less nervous if it was just scapholunate surgery but knowing there is also ECU reconstruction just seems a lil too much for me lol
@@noone2194 it has gone really well. The recovery is a huge mental game but I’m 8 weeks post op this week and I’m probably going to be cleared to go back to work. Personally, my reconstruction was one of the worst my surgeon has seen and had to have a graft placed, however my pain has consistently been far less than before surgery. I think the hard part is the fact that I feel great, but I can’t do the things I want to do yet because of the weight restrictions.
@@nataliewhisnant8280 that’s what I’m scared of the most! The recovery and knowing that it probably won’t be back to 100% ever again. Good luck with your recovery! Btw with the ecu reconstruction, did you have an above elbow cast or a short one?
@@noone2194 hey don’t count it out never being back. I’m only 8 weeks out and I have 80% motion back already and my surgeon says it’s likely I’ll have greater than 95% of function back. I started out in a Sugar tong splint for 5 days, then I had an allergic reaction to the bandages and got taken out, cleaned and put in a long arm to the shoulder hard cast until 2 weeks post op. Then went to a Munster cast until 5 weeks post op. At 5 weeks I went to a removable Munster and started hand therapy. In the last 3 weeks we’ve gotten almost all of my range of motion back and I’m supposed to go to a short arm removable splint tomorrow and start weight bearing exercises more than the 5lbs I’m allowed right now. I will never regret this surgery and my pain is entirely gone, so even if I don’t get 100% motion or function back, I’m so much better than before surgery.
Good news! I was making some progress with ROM after two months of being out of the hard cast but it wasn’t enough so PA gave me a steroid injection and that was extremely helpful! Back to riding on pavement with a brace but know I’ll get back to trails sooner now!
I am battling workman's comp right now to get t his surgery approved. I have been in pain well over 5 months. Seeing this helped me understand what is going to happen to me. Thank you
Thanks for your story. I finally got my MRI done after a 5.5 month wait and it’s a complete tear. Im from Canada and our healthcare isn’t great hence the long damn wait. Now I’m waiting for the surgeon referral and with any luck it’ll be less than a 6month wait. Crazy how easy it is to tear that part of your hand. Hope you healed right up. I’m definitely looking forward to getting this thing done and moving on.
@@jackharding144i am surprised that for a recent injury the surgeon offered you a ligamentoplasty(using a part of your tendon). Here in france they do a kinda capsolodesis (Mathoulin method). Have your surgeon considered this as an option too and you choose the ligamentoplasty? Happy all went well for you!
@@jackharding144 i think it is more like a method, fully torn ligaments need dorsal reconstruction. Did he tell you the success rate btw? If you don't you mind sharing your surgeon details please don't hesitate. Many thanks
@@ZizouMars The surgeon was Dr Marc Lamb. I don’t remember him giving me a success rate, I do remember him indicating that given him my high level of activity his confidence level was high that it would work out fine for me, which, in fact it did.
Had one and 1st day after is so bad on swelling. My fingers were purple but after 2 days it was going to normal. Different here in Canada I say comparing. Currently in postop week 1. From Saskatchewan Canada
Hello Jack Harding... It's been awhile since your surgery.. Could you give an update on your PT and range of motion about your hand? Please give details.. Thanks!
Hi Jack, thanks for sharing this video. It's really helpful - as are all the comments below. I have my operation on Wednesday. I wondered when you were able to use a computer after surgery - particularly being able to type with the affected hand?
@@MissyKinTN Hi again - as you are well aware you are in the toughest phase immediately after surgery. Hang in there, I promise it does get better!. Good luck
@@jackharding144 I’m at 3 weeks, 4 days post op and should be getting the pin out next Wednesday! Yay! It’s weird having an object sticking out of the skin 😮
@Dick Piss they did alot more then they said in the office, before my surgery the surgeon said that he needed to also break my bone and shorten it for special reasons , post op was painful and long, now it barely hurts and i am slowly getting rotation back in my wrist , its almost like new
@@vandeanastager6708 How are you feeling now? I just injured my scapholunate 5 weeks ago and just had a Dr. visit to confirm that I need the exact procedure as in this video?
@@jennycreative1 I am doing so much better . It doesnt hurt any more . I am going to the gym and canoe racing :) it's like nothing happened. The only time it hurts is when I hit my titanium plate . But other then that it feel amazing
I'm going on 5 yrs with this excruciating pain and never got a correct diagnosis. I gave up and decided I was going to be disabled for the rest of my life. I don't have insurance now and frustrated but glad i feel I can seek for help and tell someone I need to get my ligaments checked out. Im glad I came across this bc of a basketball player injury I just saw happen to him. I'm thankful for your comments.
Did you really go for 12 years with a torn tendon? Mine is older and will be going in next month, if you had a good outcome after 12 years that’s encouraging.
I made a dumb decision to do a power clean under the influence of marijuana and I messed up my right wrist. After doing some research online and many months later of increasing pain of the wrist at the same spot I self diagnose it to scapholunate ligament tear. I still have to go get it checked out. The idea of surgery scares me but if it has to be done it has to be done.. Thank you for this video
I tore the same ligament 2 years ago and there’s a possibility that I tore it again. I had an mri arthogram done, and there was a nice sized gap between my scaphoid and lunate. I hope no one that had this surgery, ever has to go through it for a 2nd time.
I may need this..i was building a garden chair.. and steel bar for roof i was low down went to push it felt miss alignes and i went ahead to try force it in..and soon regretted it massively..woken up tried to get up and straight away pain set in had to stop. Feels like ive been iron barred thumb also wrist and above wrist.. 11days in feels the same tried to get up off the floor twice and to painful had to use elbow to get up. Only on the floor for spin nerve blasts within calve and other issue. I may have to go get scans
Having this procedure next month and glad I found your video. Just want to ask if you’ve had any lingering issues with nerve sensation or numbness due to the procedure. Also did your surgical scar heal nicely or is it still uncomfortable in any way? Thanks again.
Dislocated my ulna 3 weeks ago, they popped it back a few hours later, than told I need surgery in which I thought I was fine till a consultant spoke with me 10 days later…. She Recommended immediate surgery as I had 2 fully torn ligaments and one badly Damaged one (scapholunate both sides and I believe the other was the ulnotriquiteral ligament. Surgery for me is a last last resort type of thing because from so many peoples post experiences it never resolved their issue fully, I was knocked out nicely and didn’t wake up thank god and post surgery I refused any pain medication and still have to my current date not used any 💊😅. First night was ok most likely from surgery drugs but 16-24 hours post surgery the pain was quite immense as if 2 knifes were stuck in hand 🤚 and someone sat on the middle of your hand while feeling the pins and needles in finger tips. 2nd day was 9/10 pain vs 10/10 the day before so I could tolerate much better ….3days - 5days trying to play pc was a no go as grenade button I could not use 😂😂. Now I’m 10 days post surgery and pain is ok for most things but random light pins and needles and waking up 5am with stiff sore wrist pain is annoying but no chance I can change car gears again to get to work for atleast another week I hope.
Jack-Sounds like I am about 2 weeks ahead of you. Very similar experience. I will be curious to see what your range of motion is like, and what PT exercises you are doing to improve. My upward and side to side ROM is pretty good. My downward is not so good. Been doing PT for only 3 weeks now. Hope to see some improvement,but starting to b concerned that there might not b much more improvement.
Got this surgery just a week ago. Lowered my swelling in my fingers but dont have full control over my hand so can full extend my hand at all. But no wrist pain at all. The hand curling and finger curling is annoying.
My left wrist have partial tear of ligament it’s dic ligament and I can’t carry heavy stuffs and also my wrists are so thin just like a teen girl and I’m boy. I visited many doctors they said we can’t promise it will be better or worse after atroscopic surgery and I really don’t know what should I go it won’t make Arthuris in the future ? And I have this since accident 6 years ago !
I injured my wrist in 2018 hitting a boxing bag with some buddies. I thought I just sprained it so thought nothing of it. After while it never got better but my dr had just an X-ray done and told me to take anti-inflammatory meds. Fast forward to last week with a new dr. I finally got an MRI and found this ligament tear!
@@jackharding144 thank you! Yeah I think the biggest factor was my former dr never recommending an mri and my lack of knowledge of the hand at the time. Now I’m in school to be a physical therapist and I asked my new dr for an mri and that’s how I discovered it. I hope it goes smoothly for me!
Thanks for the video. I go in on Tuesday for the surgery. Was there any follow up to this video (cannot find it)? Super helpful to set expectations. Go Cats! Bill
Great information thank you Where/What was the initial pain, swelling, redness? That you experienced that caused you to go to the doctor in the first place.
The initial pain was was immediate after I hurt the wrist, but probably 6 on a scale of 10. Over the following weeks, I continued my activities and it got progressively worse and much more painful. No redness or swelling at all, just an ever present pain. Good luck!
I am wondering what specific procedure you had performed. I am due to have the ANAFAB procedure to correct my injury. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Hi Chris - I have been asked the name before and I honestly don't know a name for it. Borrowed a tendon in my upper wrist to repair the injury, then secured it with 2 pins holding the tendon in place between the scaphoid and lunate bones. Best of luck with your procedure!
Hi, Yesterday I had Brunelli modified scapholunate surgery,complete torn . and it hurts a lot. the Effect of morphine is Gone Away.... My fingers are not so swolllen . I hope i Will recover fast and back to the gym after 2 months and 2 pins removal for rehabilitation exercises .
Were you working while waiting for surgery? Just curious. I go to see a plastic surgeon regarding surgery in a couple days. I have been put of work and placed in a hard splint for now. Although, they want to see me back to work on light duties until my surgery. (Which may be a few months because of wait time.) I don’t agree with going back to work right now, but I am obligated to follow with my surgeons decision.
Hi Katherine - Yes, I worked while waiting for surgery. And to be honest, I went back to work the day after surgery. Keep in mind I work from home and my work consisted mostly of phone calls and one handed typing. The pain and discomfort were pretty intense the first week after surgery, so between the pain killers and discomfort, I would work a couple hours a day initially. Best of luck to you!
Hi Jack: Thanks for posting your two videos. I am one month post op for SL reconstruction. I'm a Villanova grad :) Wondering who your surgeon was..? Also, how long after your injury did you have surgery? Thank you!
Eileen Ottaviano Hi Eileen - proud Nova alum and my oldest son is there now. My surgeon was Dr. Marc Lamb, who works out of the Princeton orthopedics group. My surgery was roughly 3 months after the initial injury. Good luck with your recovery, long live NovaNation!
@@jackharding144 Argh, I'm about five months out from initial injury and just had an MRI and was diagnosed with torn scapholunate ligament with scapholunate interval widening. Not sure what doc will tell me, but hoping I don't need this surgery!!!
Hello Jack. You mentioned that at first it did hurt but didn't think it was something for a doctor to check. Were you able to move your hand around (with or without limitations) before going to the doctor to get it checked?
Hi - after I hurt my wrist, I was able to move it fine with no limitations, but had some nagging pain. I continued to work out and pain gradually increased. At 1 month post injury, I visited Dr. who suggested I give it some time to see if it would heal. At 10 weeks, I had MRI and Dr. said it was definitely torn, so I had surgery 2 weeks later. I asked my Dr. if my working out post injury made the situation worse . . . he tried to convince me it didn't but I'm not sure. Anyway, 1 year post surgery and I'm fully recovered and wrist 100%. Wish you luck whatever you choose to do!
@@jackharding144 thank you for your response. I definitely have nagging pain with limitations as to how far I can bend it in a directions. I hurt myself back in February 2019 and got an MRI about a month after the injury. Results showed a partial torn extensor carpi ulnaris, a torn scaphoid ligament along with a ganglion cyst in the same area. My primary doctor referred me to an Orthopedic, I have an appointment in a couple days to see what he will decide. I'm for a surgery if it is going to fix all this mess in my wrist.
This is super helpful thank you. I am 47 and very active, however my physician seems not optimistic about my age and this surgery. Did your physician have issues with your age or consider your age a problem?
I had asked my Dr. that very question about my age and recovery . . . he laughed and said if I was 25 I would probably get better range of motion after surgery/rehab than 55. However, he then said given how active I am he was very bullish on a complete recovery for me. And here I am, a year after the injury and my wrist is good as new (well, almost) ;-) Best of luck to you
Thanks for this. I injured myself at the end of October at work, and it's been such a long process. I finally got my MRI this week and I have several tears, including 2 complete tears. I'm definitely nervous about the potential need for surgery and how this will affect my job (I work in infusion pharmacy and make IV and injection chemo). My wrist has been so unstable, painful, and I have developed tremors. I hope the damage can be repaired and I can regain my strength
Wish you luck with this. In hindsight, I am so glad I got the surgery, although the process is difficult. If you get the surgery, commit yourself to the physical therapy, and your wrist will be good as new
I Jack. I first watched this video two weeks ago, 3 weeks after my initial injury. I was freaked out, but now after finally seeing 2 different doctors, I've gotten confirmation that I need this exact procedure. I'm a competitive pole dancer and this injury has stopped me in my tracks, I'm so sad. I just won my category and division at Pacific Pole Championships. and was supposed to compete last Saturday in St. Louis, but had to drop due to my scapholunate tear. How are you feeling now all these months later?
Hi Jenny - I did a second video which is linked, filmed about 4 months after my surgery.. . . you may want to take a look at it as it talks about recovery times, etc.. I am over a year since my surgery and have been back to 100% for a long time. Hope your surgery and recovery go well!
Hi - that really is impossible for me to answer; I would suggest you see an orthopedic doctor who specializes in hand/wrist and ask them. Regarding cost, that really depends on your insurance and minimizing your out of pocket costs. Best of luck
Hi, I have watched your videos several times during my recovery. I am now 8 weeks from pin removal. Did one push up today which was great. Still very uncomfortable to be weight bearing in that position, which my PT says is normal at this point. Do you recall how long it took for the discomfort to go away with pushups, weights, etc? Also, how long did it take to achieve the max ROM in the injured wrist that you have today? Thank you.
Hi - sounds like your recovery is going well so far. I do remember initially doing push-ups with dumbbells, with the dumbbells facing 12 and 6 o’clock on the ends. In time I was able to gradually get the dumbbells facing nine and 3 o’clock, and then when I removed the splint from my injured hand, I started doing regular push-ups. I think the discomfort was more or less gone around 4 to 6 months, and my range of motion probably didn’t improve much more after about six months. I got back to roughly 90% range of motion after about 4 to 6 months, where it remains today with otherwise no issues whatsoever. Best of luck to you and your recovery.
Thank you, good info . LOL lightweight I had 3 pins, 2 large incisions and nerve blocker for 4 days. Hard cast for 8 weeks. And is the most painful injury I’ve ever had. Couldn’t go to the gym couldn’t get the cast wet. Now rehab for 4 months
So i fell hard on my wrist about 7 months ago and it hurt for the first 2 weeks to the point where I had to be careful or it would hurt quite a bit. After a while the pain reduced a good amount and I can get it back when doing push ups which I can still do but hurt more or directly putting force on the part of my wrist that hurts. I haven’t actually stopped doing weights at all during the 7 months apart from the first 2 weeks. Do you think I should get this checked or is nothing major since I have still been progressing in my lifts
Hi - tough to play Dr., but if you have pain at all it is probably a sign of something wrong and I would think in time it will get worse as you get older. Good luck!
I had this surgery September 22, 2021. I'm watching this 3.5 months later January 6, 2022. I have good days and bad days in PT. Wondering when I can get back to lifting upper body.
Hey Kyle - not sure if you saw my follow up video on my surgery. I was cleared to workout right after my pins were removed. So my surgery was in March, pins out in May. Light machine weights at first, in addition to 2 PT sessions a week. Took me about 10 weeks post pin removal to be back to somewhat normal weight lifting (meaning could do free weights, full body weight exercises like pull-ups/pushups, etc.). I am a couple years since surgery and wrist is like I never hurt it. Best of luck to you, be patient . . . the gains will come!
Thanks for this! I’m having this surgery on Monday. I’d been very active, losing over 100 pounds. I’m praying I don’t gain a lot of weight not exercising. I’ll be tracking nutrition for sure.
My procedure got pushed back a week & a half because I had a fever. I’m now in week 2 of recovery. It’s been interesting....down to only taking ibuprofen 1-2x a day but my 2 year old is missing his mama! It’s my dominant hand, too. Getting a cast Thursday
@@KayVee18 Great to hear you are finished with the toughest week after surgery. Good luck with the cast . . . your 2 year old can draw you something interesting on it! Good luck!
@@jackharding144 hi jack I did my surgery after one year of the injury by connecting the schaphoid and lunate with a tendon , but how much is the gap between the two bones of yours , mine was 10.1 mm and now is 7 mm with a tendon in between
You really are incredibly limited for the first few weeks. Pain is really bad few days after surgery. I remember showering with a garbage back tied with rubber band around my arm.
Hey, I have some questions. Did your wrist hurt passively before surgery? One year ago, I landed on my left wrist while playing football. After one week it healed completely but then again I fell on the same wrist some weeks later. But this time it didn't heal, I feel pain only when I try to do push ups or push against something [I don't feel any pain when doing pull ups]. I stopped exercising now but I play games and type a lot on desktop pc for hours. Is typing for hours hindering my healing ability? I did an x-ray of my wrist but it showed nothing. Do I need surgery? Will it heal on its own if I keep it inactive by putting splint/cast for several weeks? I really want to get back into training like you do but I don't know what to do T_T
You probably need an MRI to show if there is a tear or not, then only a Dr. can tell you what you should probably do. After I hurt my wrist, the pain got progressively worse. I knew something was wrong and it wasn't getting better. Best of luck!
Hey, thanks for posting. I went 1 year after injury before surgery. I also had 100% tear. I am currently 3 weeks post surgery and my whole experience sounds identical to yours. It was a much bigger procedure and recovery than I expected. I am interested to hear about the pin removal and experience first week after.
Hey Ainslie, I would like to hear how your post op experience is going.. I am considering having this surgery, I have a partial SL tear that keeps getting worse.. Please contact me, it would be helpful, its hard to find much info on SL tears ect.. Thanks, Jeff
Jeff n hey if you want to send me a text at 9027172474 I can provide more details. This is in my wife’s account. It is hard to get more information on this surgery
Jack Harding It’s been just over 3 months. The first 6 weeks were tough. After that it has been good. I can perform almost all tasks. My strength is around 50 percent in my arm and hand. Also my wrist is back to 50 percent of its full bending. I have no pain though which great. I am hoping by the 6 month mark I will be at 80-90 percent in strength and flexibility. How is you recovery? You are a few weeks ahead of me and I am curious to follow you recover and compare to mine
Hi Ainslie - pasting my reply to another viewer below . . . . good luck in your continued recovery! I'm going to do a follow-up video as promised. In the meantime, I am now 4 months since the first surgery, and 10 weeks since pin removal. Things are progressing nicely and I am pretty pleased at the moment. Still have stiffness in fingers each morning and takes a few attempts to make a fist as things stretch and loosen. Was able to go back to gym (with Dr.'s blessing) immediately after pin removal, as long as I stuck to machines and no free weights initially. Am back to doing everything I used to do, only exception is pushups . . . can only do with dumbbells at the moment. My extension ROM is 72 degrees (other unhurt wrist is 77), and flexion is 42 degrees (other wrist 69), so some work to do still to gain full ROM. The biggest thing is the pain I had pre-surgery is 100% gone. I go to therapy couple times a week which does help. Let me know if you have any questions, more than happy to share experience
I know this was 5 years ago? How you doing now? I'm 45 yo and had a fall playing pickleball and had complete tear of mine. Need to get surgery now and kind of dreading it.
Wrist has been great for years now, literally have to "think" for a second to remember which wrist I hurt. Slight decrease in range of motion, but otherwise good as new. No restrictions at all on any sports. For me, as soon as I learned my wrist wouldn't get better, and would continue to get worse, it was a no brainer to get the surgery. Wish you luck!
My Dr. decided for me to have a “functioning” wrist. Wrist is basically fused without plates and screws. Would not have had surgery. Make sure you talk to your Dr. about the outcome of what His way of surgery will be for you
Hi, thanks for these videos, really helpful. I'm due to have min done on the 23rd May, I have a 1 year old and 3 year old so I'm nervous about how I will cope! Will I be okay to drive once pain has subsided? My wife and I are due to go to a Coldplay concert 2 weeks after too, do you think I will be okay with that? I'm an avid gym-goer like yourself and I was hoping to attempt to train around it but that sounds unlikely after listening to your experience. Any help/advice would be great, thanks, Al.
Hi Alistair - good luck on your upcoming surgery. Tough to answer your questions as everyone has different levels of dealing with discomfort. I drove immediately after my surgery (couple days after) but you are pretty much one handed at that point. Your repaired wrist (and especially fingers) will be a lot of pain for a few weeks so driving is possible but don't enter any NASCAR races for a while. Same with the concert . . . I'm sure you can go and enjoy it, but you will definitely be aware of the discomfort. Lastly, training around the injured wrist was something I had planned for but ended up not being really practical with the hard cast and having the pins in your wrist. Take the time off, enjoy your family . . . you will be incredibly motivated after the pins are removed to get back in action.
@@jackharding144 Hi Jack, thanks for replying! I had the surgery on Tuesday and it was very successful. The surgeon was able to do it without using k-wires which I was happy about. The only downside was that the surface of the lunate bone had already lost the cartilage and so I will get arthritis. He said that indicated that the original injury may have happened years ago. The pain on Tuesday night when the nerve block wore off was intense but luckily calmed down by the morning. Main thing right now is how swollen my hand has become!! On the whole though, so far so good!
Good luck David - I'm so glad I did this, I really had to. 3+ years since my surgery and other than a very small scar and slightly reduced flexibility, I otherwise never would know I had the procedure done.
@@KkshitijBaggul I don’t know technically if it was considered arthroscopic or not. I have a small scar where the donor tendon was taken from, and really no scar where they went in and fixed the tear
@@jackharding144 Hi sir! I even found you on Facebook and messaged you there. I am a young man and into high performance sports and will get operated in four days time. I just need one favor from you. I am in the dilemma of getting a traditional surgery or an arthroscopy. Can you please confirm or verify with the doctor what type you had? Thank you for you reply
@@jackharding144 did they put small microscopic cameras to perform the surgery? You said you have probably no scar where they went in. So maybe it was Arthroscopic. Can you please verify with your doctor or check the documents please. Thank you sir!
Kind of nervous. Found out I have a scapholunate ligament tear in my left wrist and have to get surgery in two and a half weeks. I was going up stairs,tripped and caught myself with my left hand. That’s how I hurt it. And as you mentioned the X-ray showed gapping between those two bones.
I have a partially torn scapholunate ligament but the doctor said I shouldn’t have surgery because it would not solve anything. I have pain when bending my wrist back, hand is swollen a little. My question for everyone that had it, how are you doing after surgery? Range of motion? Pain, strength? How is your experience post surgery? Thanks in advance to everyone I really need to hear from all of you.
Hi Kellner. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I am crossing my fingers for you. I have read through a lot of the comments and there seems to be a lot of success stories. My surgery didn’t work, but my injury was worse than the doc thought. The ligament has torn off and taken some bone with it. But looking back I had to give it a chance. I have lost some range of motion but not too noticeable. The pain was rough but bearable. I don’t recommend going on a business trip 3 days after the surgery like I did. Haha. Those meetings were miserable. Give yourself time to take it easy. Do your physical therapy after. Get some coconut butter to massage into your scars after and they won’t be too noticeable. I’ll cross my fingers for you. Good luck!
Hard to describe in writing, I would suggest Google Physical Therapy exercises for Scapholunate Ligament surgery. My therapy right after surgery focused on regaining finger and grip strength, along with lots of range of motion exercises on the operated wrist. Good luck!
After the initial injury, you said you were still working out. I am astounded that the injury right off the bat could allow you to still engage in activity. There had to of been a point where you realized, owww, this needs to get checked out. Were you just masking the pain in the gym, or could you really not feel it ?
Hi Jacob - immediately after I hurt my wrist, I took a few days off. My wrist hurt but I would describe pain as a 3/4 on scale of 1-10. When I went to gym the pain gradually increased instead of getting better. Upon going to Dr. and getting MRI results which confirmed tear, I asked my Dr. if my working out made the injury worse. He said a firm "no" . . . . I'm not sure if I would agree but he is the expert. I eventually had to stop working out as the pain kept increasing. My surgery was about 3 months after the initial injury. Best of luck!
The first surgery is pretty complex so they don't want you awake I imagine. The nerve block lasts for up to 24 hours . . . and with the pain you definitely want it. The propofol is just to knock you out for the procedure.
@@hamdkaram430 Definately do the nerve block. The first week after surgery is pretty bad with pain. You will probably get medication to help with the pain for the first few days which will help. Good luck
Yes, I would. The Dr. and anesthesiologist gave me 2 options while in pre surgery prep . . . I forget what the other option was other than nerve block. But I seem to recall them making a compelling case why the nerve block was better. But as I said in the 1st video, the 18 or so hours after the nerve block are miserable (at least for me) as it is just uncomfortable feeling having no use (or feeling) in your entire arm.
@@jackharding144 Yes, I just had the surgery 6 days ago. When the nerve block wore off it was horrible. But steadily got much better. I'm able to cut my NORCO pills down each day. I had my first one at 11:30 am today! I see Doc in 2 days for follow up. So far, so good!
Hi Jack. Thank you for the video. I wanted to ask about the Hospital name and the doctor because I have a tear that's 3 years old and we don't have good doctor so from your story it looks like the Doctor was very competent. Appreciate your help and best of luck.
Hey , im 21 years old and i have a partial torn scapholunate since age 18 . But i didnt have surgery yet. If i have surgery will i be able to train in boxing and martial arts??? or will my wrist be too limited and painful to play these sports?? Are you personally capable of training in boxing if you want to??
I would certainly think you would be fine, especially given how young you are. In my second video linked above, a viewer ( named "FatCity Customs" ) commented that he was a boxer and had the surgery. You may want to check out his comments on the other video link
@@jackharding144 I will definitely check his comments. Thanks for sharing your surgery experience with us all, its really helpful for people dealing with the same problem. I need to get this surgery thing over with because it has held me back for so long, I wish i will be pain free after the surgery and be able to train in martial arts which has been my dream since childhood.
Hey, I have a partial SL tear that happened a year ago.. I keep taping it and playing golf on it, but it is getting worse, and latest mri shows it has slightly torn further (still not full tear) . I am now at the point of considering surgery, but it looks like a bigger surgery than I expected.. Would love to hear about pin removal ect... Feel free to contact me, thanks..
Hi Jeff - I'm going to do a follow-up video as promised. In the meantime, I am now 4 months since the first surgery, and 10 weeks since pin removal. Things are progressing nicely and I am pretty pleased at the moment. Still have stiffness in fingers each morning and takes a few attempts to make a fist as things stretch and loosen. Was able to go back to gym (with Dr.'s blessing) immediately after pin removal, as long as I stuck to machines and no free weights initially. Am back to doing everything I used to do, only exception is pushups . . . can only do with dumbbells at the moment. My extension ROM is 72 degrees (other unhurt wrist is 77), and flexion is 42 degrees (other wrist 69), so some work to do still to gain full ROM. The biggest thing is the pain I had pre-surgery is 100% gone. I go to therapy couple times a week which does help. Let me know if you have any questions, more than happy to share experience
I am getting the surgery this Thursday, 12/6. I love to golf, which is why I’m doing the surgery in the winter, so should be ready in April hopefully to play again. Let me know if you want any updates.
@@ricklipman8347 Hi Rick. My surgery didn't go well. As soon as they took the pins out, the bone went back to where it was. So bad luck for me I guess. Advil has helped, but I don't like using medicine all the time. I hope if you have to get it done, it will go better for you. I don't regret trying the surgery though.
Hi! Ive had this issue for more than 3 years. Did PT but didnt go away. Is surgery will really help it? Tired of having limitee movements, cant grip when it hurts
Hi - I'm not sure of your situation, but for me, when I had MRI done it showed 100% tear, so no amount of PT would resolve it. So I had 3 options according to my Dr.: 1) Do nothing, but pain would only continue to worsen for rest of my life 2) Get wrist fused, which would greatly immobilize my wrist forever and pretty much eliminate any chance of me continuing to lift weights, or 3) Get scapholunate surgery. I obviously chose the surgery and have never regretted the decision. 3 years since my surgery and my wrist is back to 100%, the only difference is my Range of Motion is slightly reduced. But other than that, I literally have to think for a second when trying to recall which wrist I hurt. Hope you have luck with your wrist!
@@jackharding144 ahhhh! Yeah the Dr. did say that its a scapholunate wherein the xray there’s a gap between a bone? I hope im correct but really wanting to have a surgery cause in a month i do take NSAIDS just to take the pain away
@@thergp6545 I hear you . . . as soon as my Dr. told me it wouldn't get better with out the Scapholunate surgery I couldn't schedule the surgery fast enough. I think my surgery was 2 weeks after MRI / diagnosis. I just wanted to get on the road to recovery. I hurt my wrist end of December 2017 (was dull pain at first so I wasn't that alarmed by it) and continued to work out until by February 2018 the pain was really bad and it was impacting my workouts. Got XRay, then MRI in early March 2018, then surgery late March.
@@jackharding144 same!!! It came from my workout! Was ignoring it at first then it started hurting then went away then lifted again then came back. Ahhhh will have a visit again with my doctor. Thank you for this
@@jackharding144 to me they are putting a new ligament with synthetic material I think it is the same thing. Has the wrist healed completely after some time? Sorry for my bad english but im italian
Hi Samantha- everyone is different but I know I couldn’t type/use fingers on a keyboard for a while. Pain was really bad and fingers incredibly stiff. Maybe you will have better luck. Good luck!!
Thank you for the response, Jack. Also, interestingly, I didn’t get a nerve block because I went under general anesthesia; however, I do feel like my thumb has a nerve block and I’m curious to see what happens tomorrow or the next day as that wears off. Have you heard of people just getting their thumb numbed?
Also did ur X-ray show anything or just the mri. I did X-ray and they said it all looked good but I was still complying of the pain so they scheduled me a mri appointment
Hi Johnny- my pain got progressively worse in my wrist (no forearm pain). To the point where I couldn’t comfortably do pushups, or even hold heavy dumbbells without wrist pain. The tear was visible after MRI, X-ray didn’t show the tear. Best of luck!
Thanks for the video. Had the same surgery 5 days ago and am afraid I've utilized the hand too much the last few days. I am having more pain and am concerned about possibly damaging the procedure that was performed. Did you receive any feedback from your surgeon about limited usage of the hand and wrist post or? Thank you.
Robert Halterman Immediately after surgery, I was in a splint for about a week, then hard casts for about five more weeks. I did very little during those six weeks, other than moving my fingers occasionally. My doctor definitely told me to be careful and not really try to do anything during those six weeks. Once the pins were removed however, I was immediately cleared to begin rehab and I did go to the gym with Dr.’s blessings
Hi, how long did you wait since you break the ligament to surgery? It's 10 months i injured my SL ligament,.but Next month i am going to operate it because all the strenghtening exercises failed. Doctor sayd that if i had surgery the first 3.months was a better situation.....
@@thefutureh i can do.push up but it is better with handwrap, i lost about 10-15 degras bending down the hand ,.no lose on bend up. I siggest you to operate ,if you don't want to fuse your wrist bones
Thanks for sharing. Wish I found this last week, (6 days out of surgery now). Share your pain, especially about the nerve block. Tore mine skiing, during a phenomenal el niño snow year and was hoping I could recover in time to get some more days on my pass. Guess I'll have to temper my expectations... :(
For sure, I’m finding this out now. Had mine done November 27 and I’m still in a splint at least until March 7th. I’ve been reading and 6-9 months from the surgery for contact sports.
@@jeffmiller2871 oh man. Give me some hope. I'm actually looking into a 3D printed cast at my first post op appointment next week. Doctor wasn't familiar with them but open to looking into it. I'll post the info back up here if it's fruitful
@@Keithherrm Once I got my cast off I was real hopeful that I would be using it in no time, but after taking me splint off for a couple hours at a time and aching really bad, I learned to just trust what they’re saying. Being my dominant hand, it’s very frustrating. But I’m seeing a lot of progress now, so I’m very optimistic now.
I'm 3 weeks into post op, I'm still in pain. Not due to have pins removed for another 2 weeks. Did you guys who had this op still have alot of pain after 3 weeks post op?
Hi - to answer your question, absolutely yes there is pain 3 weeks post op, that is normal. The pain will decrease over time, but it will take months. I remember pain still being bad during my therapy / rehab sessions for my wrist. Good luck
Thank you so much for your videos. I have watched both of them at least a dozen times. I am now 4 weeks post op. You got me through every step of the way.
robert wanamaker Hey, thanks for watching and appreciate the comments. Sounds like you are past the roughest part. Wishing you best of luck with your rehabilitation!
I had the surgery this morning at 9am. Injured playing sports. The nerve block thus far is the worst part. Tomorrow will be the pain. A huge thanks for the videos because it walks me through exactly what to expect
Vet Drunga Hey, wishing you best of luck. You are definitely in the toughest part right now. Hope you can get some sleep, and remember it will get better!
Thanks for sharing this. I'm headed in for this surgery tomorrow and it is helpful to have a better idea what to expect.
How did you get on Katherine?
Great video man, thank you. It helped me greatly to know what to expect particularly in regard to the nerve block. I am having this procedure done on Dec. 16. Thanks again!
Hey Erik - best of luck to you!
Just had the surgery three days ago. Tore mine in gym too. Spot on in your description. What a pain in the butt. I have three pins in. Look forward to upcoming videos.
Good luck Jason - You’re definitely right at the toughest time
Thanks Jack, excellent review and post op understanding. Go in for this surgery next week, and like you, I am extremely active in tennis, cross-training, and hiking. I believe that if you know what to expect, you will do way better! Great job, and here's to recovery and active lifestyles!
Thanks Jerry - best of luck to you with your surgery and quick recovery
@@jackharding144 Good morning. I have done really well, and only used pain meds for 48 hrs. Hard cast is now on for 4 days, 2 1/2 weeks out. Thought I would be on easy street with hard cast, but swelling is not decreasing in my distal cast area and am more sore now than with soft cast. have continued elevation and warm compresses to no avail. Dr wants me to totally move my fingers and thumb, but swelling and cast are stopping this. Any thoughts? Thanks
@@jerrymayer5897 Glad to hear you are doing well, and off paid meds quickly. My swelling was bad throughout my entire recovery . . . including a prolonged period during my physical therapy. It seems to vary from patient to patient. In fact, the swelling in my fingers has never quite returned to previous state. I had to get my wedding ring resized after waiting 6 months after surgery. I am now 1 year removed from the initial injury, 9 months from first surgery, and 6 months from pin removal. Am back to all normal activities with no pain or discomfort. Only advice I can offer is the improvements will come in small increments, so be patient and work the PT program to get the max gains in strength and range of motion during your therapy. Best of luck and Happy New Years
@@jackharding144 Hi Jack, once pin came out where you able to run, swim or lift any weights ?
@@degsy4934 Hi, you may want to look at the 2nd video I made, which is all about the pin removal and rehab/therapy. To answer your question, yes . . . I was cleared immediately by my Dr. to begin light (machine only) weights and running right after pins removed
I’m scheduled for this surgery on May 7th. I find these videos both helpful and encouraging. Your videos are the first ones I’ve come across that are not super young people. Let’s face it, we heal differently at different stages in our lives. I’m by no means “old” (only 58), but again, it was encouraging to see your results you’ve shared. Thank you so much for making these videos. 😊
Hi Christine - you will be fine! My biggest tip would be to be aggressive at rehab and using your wrist/hand/fingers as much as possible to regain strength. I am now 6 years post op and like it never happened. Best of luck!
Hey Christine, hope it went well! what is time between your injury and the surgery?
Thank you so much for posting this. I have a significant partial tear of that same scapholunate ligament. My doctors highly recommends doing the reconstructive surgery. I believe a full tear and significant partial tear is the same exact surgery procedure for both.
I hurt it from doing olympic movements during crossfit specifically doing squat cleans, hang cleans, power cleans. Too many repetitive reps caused it to wear and tear and eventually partially tear that ligament. I don’t have the strongest of wrist, have a small wrist and forearm compared to other males so that doesn’t help.
This video is giving me great insight on what to expect post surgery in regards to the process, pain, and what i can or cant do.
Wish you best of luck if you have the surgery, was definitely worth it for me
1 week post surgery.. thanks for sharing your experience!
You're in the toughest part right now . . . best of luck!!
Thanks for recording this, Jack. I'm going in for mine tomorrow and this helped put things a bit more into perspective for me.
Anthony Armiger Good luck to you!
Hi anthony how is your hand now ?
Hey@@thefutureh, I had a preliminary arthroscopy and the doctor found that I had an older injury that made repairing this one impossible. I was given three options, the first two of which were for me no-go's, so I took option three, which was physical therapy. Although the ligaments are completely ruptured, I was able to gain 85% motion and I'm up to around 75% in strength. I was pretty distraught when I got the news, but I have to say, it feels OK now. I get the typical stiffness when I don't use it, but the muscles I'm building up are compensating for the ligament damage. Keep in mind, I'm 33 and this type of "double" injury happens usually in older folks, so if you're going through the same surgery, you probably don't have that pre-existing injury. What's your situation?
@@anthonyarmiger8216 am 26 years old . had 100 percent scaphalunate tear ... did surgery after 6 months from intial injury but it was a fail because there was no ligament after 5 months repeated different surgeon whom was better than before .. took a tendon and plant in between scaphoid and lunate .. .. what is the gap between your scaphoid and lunate ?
@@thefutureh Wow, really? Do you mind me asking what hospital/doctor you went to? It was a 7 to 8 mm gap. I did it in Nov. last year, so if there's a chance to get it fixed, I would definitely take it. I went to a few different docs and they all had the same opinion, but I only went to one in the US (in Baltimore where I'm from). The other opinions came from doctors here in Germany. How does it feel now?
Thank you very helpful! Hope you are healing and recovering well.
Thanks Chris - good luck to you if injured. 5 years later and I have to think twice about which wrist I hurt.
Hi Jack - thanks for posting. I unfortunately have this injury as well. Newly diagnosed and I'm 10 weeks post-injury. I couldn't tell from your video how long it was between your injury and surgery. My doc thinks 10 weeks is fine and the ligament has a good chance to heal. However most journal articles say that ligaments deteriorate rapidly in the first 6 weeks. Thanks again for posting this - very helpful to all of us.
Hi David - I was 12 weeks between injury and surgery. Best of luck with you recovery!
How are you now
Had a fall from ladder which resulted in essentially the exact surgery for a lunate dislocation, broken radius & ulna, and ligament damage. This happened 6 days ago and I had the ligament repair/pinning done yesterday.
The ligament surgery started with a "happy medicine cocktail" (as they said), followed by the nerve blocker. My blocker was administered near my armpit, so lower than this gentleman's. I was out before I knew it from the propafol. Surgery went well, but boy was he right in that it was very uncomfortable with the block in the first 24 hours alongside the pain from pins, incisions, and inflammation. Surgery itself took a little more than an hour.
Notes of my first (almost) 24 hours after surgery:
*immobile arm from block (this was uncomfortable and blocked actual pain for about 12-14 hours) from mid bicep to fingers.
*block feels like your arm is asleep from laying on it, but with more pressure from the inflammation and such (quite uncomfortable).
*Pain becomes much worse as you surpass the 12-14 hour mark after returning home. This is where my block wore down (in area) from mid bicep to mid forearm resulting in my hand being quite uncomfortable and in pain.
*Currently elevating, icing, and cycling Oxycodon 5mg + Ibuprofen + Tylenol Extra Strength. Honestly, maybe it's all things considered with my personal injury, but the pain is quite unbearable sitting here and currently 21 hours after surgery.
*the discomfort from the block fading out naturally allows the pain to become reality while also giving off a burning feeling within the nerve (you'll feel this from your elbow to your fingertips in random locations).
*I still have tingling and a concentrated feeling from the block in my fingertips. I also can't move my fingers beyond a simple wiggle, which that alone gives off pain within the ligaments.
*attempting to move the thumb hurts the worst.
*I keep my splinted arm in a sling when not elevating or icing.
I WILL UPDATE THIS AGAIN IN THE COMING DAYS/WEEKS.
Hope this gentleman recovered nicely and stayed the course on his positive trajectory.
Hi M H - this is the guy in the video 😬. Good luck with your recovery- you are right at the worst part of the process. I promise you it will get better, keep the faith! Not sure if you saw my second video on this topic, but 3+ years later my wrist is as though I never hurt it (except for some slightly less range of motion).
I don’t understand how you could get surgery and then immediately ice it? Wouldn’t you have a cast or bandages on?
Thank you! 24hr post op and this video made me calm down a bit. Pins and needles from the block took 36hrs to reduce. Pain after the morphine subsided was high, needed max allowed dose of codeine for the first days.
Good luck Rastraa - you are in the toughest part of recovery right now …….. good luck!
Jack, Thanks so much for your 2 videos on this surgery. I have this surgery coming up next month. I've tried Physical Therapy and rest for months, but those haven't worked. When I finally had an MRI done turns out I had a torn scapolunate ligament. Happened from playing tennis. I've been a little unsure about getting the surgery. Tennis is the main thing in my daily life that I can't do. I can play pickle ball without too much pain but I love tennis and was playing most every day. And I don't think I could do a pushup if my life depended on it. But most things during the day I can work around. I have twinges as I go thru my day, but not a lot of pain. Wanting to play tennis and avoid arthritis in my wrist are my two main motivating factors. My main hesitancy is my age. I'm 71 and my doctor has said that because of my age, the results of the surgery may not be as good as I hope for. Watching your video has given my a realistic view of what I'd be going thru. Since your surgery was quite a while ago- 4 years- I am wondering if your wrist has continued to feel good after all that time.
Hi Ron - sorry about your injury. The short answer to your last question is my wrist feels 100% normal these days. As I've said to other folks, I literally have to think for a second to remember which wrist I hurt. I realize everyone's situation is unique, but for me my Dr. said if I did nothing my wrist would get progressively worse and likely would need to be fused. For me that was a non option, so I had the surgery. As I noted in my videos, I worked really hard during therapy and it took a while to get back to normal. But nowadays I am 60 and still hit the weights/pushups/pullups nearly everyday with no issues, so for me the surgery was absolutely the right choice. Best of luck with your decision!
How are you doing now? I tore mine playing tennis as well. Had the surgery 4 months ago. I couldn’t imagine swinging a tennis racket right now, but hopefully in another month or so.
dr chris - did you?
Thank you for posting! You answered some questions for me. I go in this Thursday to get it done.
Good luck Matt!
I'm getting this done next Thursday. I just confirmed with doctor today that this is the route I'm taking. Matt, how are you doing with your recovery?
@@jennycreative1 I’m so sorry, I’m just seeing this. How did your surgery and recovery go?
@@jennycreative1 sadly my surgery didn’t work. When they pulled the pins out the bone went back to where it had shifted. I’ve since injured my other wrist, so I’m crossing my fingers on that one! Haha. I guess I have weak wrists! But I’m crossing my fingers you are doing great.
@@mreedbro9 Oh Matt, I'm so sorry to hear that. My wrist has good days and painful days. Painful mostly due to scar tissue when the barometric temperature shifts. But I have pretty much full strength back and 90% flexion and flexibility which works fine for pole. Can they repair that wrist again? It just sucks getting cut into.
Thank you for the video! I was in a car accident this past Sunday and X-Rays showed a tear in this ligament so I'm trying to prepare myself for all the different options possible. This helped me get an idea of what I could be expecting after further examination in 3 days
Dayne Mills Sorry to hear about the accident. Best of luck
How are you now
Having this surgery and the ECU tendon reconstructed on Wednesday. Thanks for posting your story because there’s not too many experience videos out there.
Best of luck to you!!
How’d it go? I’m having the same exact surgery in a few weeks and I’m starting to get nervous. I’d probably be less nervous if it was just scapholunate surgery but knowing there is also ECU reconstruction just seems a lil too much for me lol
@@noone2194 it has gone really well. The recovery is a huge mental game but I’m 8 weeks post op this week and I’m probably going to be cleared to go back to work. Personally, my reconstruction was one of the worst my surgeon has seen and had to have a graft placed, however my pain has consistently been far less than before surgery. I think the hard part is the fact that I feel great, but I can’t do the things I want to do yet because of the weight restrictions.
@@nataliewhisnant8280 that’s what I’m scared of the most! The recovery and knowing that it probably won’t be back to 100% ever again. Good luck with your recovery! Btw with the ecu reconstruction, did you have an above elbow cast or a short one?
@@noone2194 hey don’t count it out never being back. I’m only 8 weeks out and I have 80% motion back already and my surgeon says it’s likely I’ll have greater than 95% of function back. I started out in a Sugar tong splint for 5 days, then I had an allergic reaction to the bandages and got taken out, cleaned and put in a long arm to the shoulder hard cast until 2 weeks post op. Then went to a Munster cast until 5 weeks post op. At 5 weeks I went to a removable Munster and started hand therapy. In the last 3 weeks we’ve gotten almost all of my range of motion back and I’m supposed to go to a short arm removable splint tomorrow and start weight bearing exercises more than the 5lbs I’m allowed right now. I will never regret this surgery and my pain is entirely gone, so even if I don’t get 100% motion or function back, I’m so much better than before surgery.
Thanks for video as I'm planning on getting one done soon too.
Good luck Luke
Good news! I was making some progress with ROM after two months of being out of the hard cast but it wasn’t enough so PA gave me a steroid injection and that was extremely helpful! Back to riding on pavement with a brace but know I’ll get back to trails sooner now!
Congrats! Always nice to hear of the success stories - best of luck with your recovery!
I am battling workman's comp right now to get t his surgery approved. I have been in pain well over 5 months. Seeing this helped me understand what is going to happen to me. Thank you
Good luck Kristen!
Thanks for your story. I finally got my MRI done after a 5.5 month wait and it’s a complete tear. Im from Canada and our healthcare isn’t great hence the long damn wait. Now I’m waiting for the surgeon referral and with any luck it’ll be less than a 6month wait. Crazy how easy it is to tear that part of your hand. Hope you healed right up. I’m definitely looking forward to getting this thing done and moving on.
Thanks - wish you luck on your injury. Made this video 6 years ago, wrist has long since been healed and no issues. Best of luck
@@jackharding144i am surprised that for a recent injury the surgeon offered you a ligamentoplasty(using a part of your tendon). Here in france they do a kinda capsolodesis (Mathoulin method). Have your surgeon considered this as an option too and you choose the ligamentoplasty? Happy all went well for you!
@@ZizouMars Hi! My injury occurred in late 2017 and surgery in March of 2018, so there may well have been newer/better ways to address the injury
@@jackharding144 i think it is more like a method, fully torn ligaments need dorsal reconstruction. Did he tell you the success rate btw? If you don't you mind sharing your surgeon details please don't hesitate. Many thanks
@@ZizouMars The surgeon was Dr Marc Lamb. I don’t remember him giving me a success rate, I do remember him indicating that given him my high level of activity his confidence level was high that it would work out fine for me, which, in fact it did.
Had one and 1st day after is so bad on swelling. My fingers were purple but after 2 days it was going to normal. Different here in Canada I say comparing. Currently in postop week 1. From Saskatchewan Canada
thank you so much
Thanks this was very helpful, I have to get the same surgery and was a little nervous, I injured mine riding a motorcycle
Hi when did you injured it , and how is it now
How are you now
Hello Jack Harding... It's been awhile since your surgery.. Could you give an update on your PT and range of motion about your hand? Please give details.. Thanks!
Hi Jack, thanks for sharing this video. It's really helpful - as are all the comments below. I have my operation on Wednesday. I wondered when you were able to use a computer after surgery - particularly being able to type with the affected hand?
Thanks for sharing. I have surgery tomorrow for a complete tear also. I’m dreading the recovery so much more than the surgery.
Wishing you good luck today Melissa!
@@jackharding144 thank you. It’s been a bit more painful than expected!
@@MissyKinTN Hi again - as you are well aware you are in the toughest phase immediately after surgery. Hang in there, I promise it does get better!. Good luck
@@jackharding144 I’m at 3 weeks, 4 days post op and should be getting the pin out next Wednesday! Yay! It’s weird having an object sticking out of the skin 😮
@@MissyKinTN I remember that feeling . . . pin removal can't come fast enough!. Good luck with the rehab
Wow... I been going 12 years now with mine torn and finally was correctly detected . My surgery is Monday 8th . Thank you for the video
@Dick Piss they did alot more then they said in the office, before my surgery the surgeon said that he needed to also break my bone and shorten it for special reasons ,
post op was painful and long, now it barely hurts and i am slowly getting rotation back in my wrist , its almost like new
@@vandeanastager6708 How are you feeling now? I just injured my scapholunate 5 weeks ago and just had a Dr. visit to confirm that I need the exact procedure as in this video?
@@jennycreative1 I am doing so much better . It doesnt hurt any more . I am going to the gym and canoe racing :) it's like nothing happened. The only time it hurts is when I hit my titanium plate . But other then that it feel amazing
I'm going on 5 yrs with this excruciating pain and never got a correct diagnosis.
I gave up and decided I was going to be disabled for the rest of my life. I don't have insurance now and frustrated but glad i feel I can seek for help and tell someone I need to get my ligaments checked out. Im glad I came across this bc of a basketball player injury I just saw happen to him. I'm thankful for your comments.
Did you really go for 12 years with a torn tendon? Mine is older and will be going in next month, if you had a good outcome after 12 years that’s encouraging.
I made a dumb decision to do a power clean under the influence of marijuana and I messed up my right wrist. After doing some research online and many months later of increasing pain of the wrist at the same spot I self diagnose it to scapholunate ligament tear. I still have to go get it checked out. The idea of surgery scares me but if it has to be done it has to be done.. Thank you for this video
Hey Jack thanks for this informative video..Iam into IT and thinking in how many days you can start going back to office and use a computer keyboards
I tore the same ligament 2 years ago and there’s a possibility that I tore it again. I had an mri arthogram done, and there was a nice sized gap between my scaphoid and lunate. I hope no one that had this surgery, ever has to go through it for a 2nd time.
I’m going through this right now. My orthopedic appointment is in a couple of days.
Great Vid. Thanks
Thank you for sharing, I am having this surgery in June, I fell down the steps. Had no idea it the fall did all this
Hey! You had it finally? How did it go?
I may need this..i was building a garden chair.. and steel bar for roof i was low down went to push it felt miss alignes and i went ahead to try force it in..and soon regretted it massively..woken up tried to get up and straight away pain set in had to stop. Feels like ive been iron barred thumb also wrist and above wrist.. 11days in feels the same tried to get up off the floor twice and to painful had to use elbow to get up.
Only on the floor for spin nerve blasts within calve and other issue.
I may have to go get scans
Having this procedure next month and glad I found your video.
Just want to ask if you’ve had any lingering issues with nerve sensation or numbness due to the procedure.
Also did your surgical scar heal nicely or is it still uncomfortable in any way?
Thanks again.
How are u now
Great information. Thanks for sharing. I’ve got the same issue with surgery Wednesday. Did they intubate you while being under anesthesia?
Hi Robert - was not intubated during surgery. Good luck tomorrow!
Dislocated my ulna 3 weeks ago, they popped it back a few hours later, than told I need surgery in which I thought I was fine till a consultant spoke with me 10 days later….
She Recommended immediate surgery as I had 2 fully torn ligaments and one badly Damaged one (scapholunate both sides and I believe the other was the ulnotriquiteral ligament.
Surgery for me is a last last resort type of thing because from so many peoples post experiences it never resolved their issue fully, I was knocked out nicely and didn’t wake up thank god and post surgery I refused any pain medication and still have to my current date not used any 💊😅.
First night was ok most likely from surgery drugs but 16-24 hours post surgery the pain was quite immense as if 2 knifes were stuck in hand 🤚 and someone sat on the middle of your hand while feeling the pins and needles in finger tips.
2nd day was 9/10 pain vs 10/10 the day before so I could tolerate much better ….3days - 5days trying to play pc was a no go as grenade button I could not use 😂😂.
Now I’m 10 days post surgery and pain is ok for most things but random light pins and needles and waking up 5am with stiff sore wrist pain is annoying but no chance I can change car gears again to get to work for atleast another week I hope.
Jack, thanks for the commentary on your recovery. How is your wrist doing now?
Hi Dar - wrist is all good now. I'm 2 years since my surgery and would never know I hurt my wrist now.
Jack-Sounds like I am about 2 weeks ahead of you. Very similar experience. I will be curious to see what your range of motion is like, and what PT exercises you are doing to improve. My upward and side to side ROM is pretty good. My downward is not so good. Been doing PT for only 3 weeks now. Hope to see some improvement,but starting to b concerned that there might not b much more improvement.
How is your wrist now?
Got this surgery just a week ago. Lowered my swelling in my fingers but dont have full control over my hand so can full extend my hand at all. But no wrist pain at all. The hand curling and finger curling is annoying.
My left wrist have partial tear of ligament it’s dic ligament and I can’t carry heavy stuffs and also my wrists are so thin just like a teen girl and I’m boy. I visited many doctors they said we can’t promise it will be better or worse after atroscopic surgery and I really don’t know what should I go it won’t make Arthuris in the future ? And I have this since accident 6 years ago !
I injured my wrist in 2018 hitting a boxing bag with some buddies. I thought I just sprained it so thought nothing of it. After while it never got better but my dr had just an X-ray done and told me to take anti-inflammatory meds. Fast forward to last week with a new dr. I finally got an MRI and found this ligament tear!
That's a long time to go with the injury . . . ironically the same year I went through my surgery and when the videos were made. Good luck!
@@jackharding144 thank you! Yeah I think the biggest factor was my former dr never recommending an mri and my lack of knowledge of the hand at the time. Now I’m in school to be a physical therapist and I asked my new dr for an mri and that’s how I discovered it. I hope it goes smoothly for me!
@@joshbachman9077 hows your wrist now?
Thanks for the video. I go in on Tuesday for the surgery. Was there any follow up to this video (cannot find it)? Super helpful to set expectations. Go Cats! Bill
Hey Bill - I posted a follow up video finally. Good luck with your surgery!
thanks Jack for me first 24 hours post nerve block have been rougher than expected. Appreciate your insights. hoping the pain curbs soon.
Great information thank you
Where/What was the initial pain, swelling, redness? That you experienced that caused you to go to the doctor in the first place.
The initial pain was was immediate after I hurt the wrist, but probably 6 on a scale of 10. Over the following weeks, I continued my activities and it got progressively worse and much more painful. No redness or swelling at all, just an ever present pain. Good luck!
I am wondering what specific procedure you had performed. I am due to have the ANAFAB procedure to correct my injury. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Hi Chris - I have been asked the name before and I honestly don't know a name for it. Borrowed a tendon in my upper wrist to repair the injury, then secured it with 2 pins holding the tendon in place between the scaphoid and lunate bones. Best of luck with your procedure!
Just got my surgery today
Hi, Yesterday I had Brunelli modified scapholunate surgery,complete torn . and it hurts a lot. the Effect of morphine is Gone Away....
My fingers are not so swolllen . I hope i Will recover fast and back to the gym after 2 months and 2 pins removal for rehabilitation exercises .
Good luck Dario!
Were you working while waiting for surgery? Just curious. I go to see a plastic surgeon regarding surgery in a couple days. I have been put of work and placed in a hard splint for now. Although, they want to see me back to work on light duties until my surgery. (Which may be a few months because of wait time.) I don’t agree with going back to work right now, but I am obligated to follow with my surgeons decision.
Hi Katherine - Yes, I worked while waiting for surgery. And to be honest, I went back to work the day after surgery. Keep in mind I work from home and my work consisted mostly of phone calls and one handed typing. The pain and discomfort were pretty intense the first week after surgery, so between the pain killers and discomfort, I would work a couple hours a day initially. Best of luck to you!
Glad that I’m getting this surgery in full anesthesia😅
Hi Jack: Thanks for posting your two videos. I am one month post op for SL reconstruction. I'm a Villanova grad :) Wondering who your surgeon was..? Also, how long after your injury did you have surgery? Thank you!
Eileen Ottaviano Hi Eileen - proud Nova alum and my oldest son is there now. My surgeon was Dr. Marc Lamb, who works out of the Princeton orthopedics group. My surgery was roughly 3 months after the initial injury. Good luck with your recovery, long live NovaNation!
@@jackharding144 Argh, I'm about five months out from initial injury and just had an MRI and was diagnosed with torn scapholunate ligament with scapholunate interval widening. Not sure what doc will tell me, but hoping I don't need this surgery!!!
Hello Jack. You mentioned that at first it did hurt but didn't think it was something for a doctor to check. Were you able to move your hand around (with or without limitations) before going to the doctor to get it checked?
Hi - after I hurt my wrist, I was able to move it fine with no limitations, but had some nagging pain. I continued to work out and pain gradually increased. At 1 month post injury, I visited Dr. who suggested I give it some time to see if it would heal. At 10 weeks, I had MRI and Dr. said it was definitely torn, so I had surgery 2 weeks later. I asked my Dr. if my working out post injury made the situation worse . . . he tried to convince me it didn't but I'm not sure. Anyway, 1 year post surgery and I'm fully recovered and wrist 100%. Wish you luck whatever you choose to do!
@@jackharding144 thank you for your response. I definitely have nagging pain with limitations as to how far I can bend it in a directions. I hurt myself back in February 2019 and got an MRI about a month after the injury. Results showed a partial torn extensor carpi ulnaris, a torn scaphoid ligament along with a ganglion cyst in the same area. My primary doctor referred me to an Orthopedic, I have an appointment in a couple days to see what he will decide. I'm for a surgery if it is going to fix all this mess in my wrist.
This is super helpful thank you. I am 47 and very active, however my physician seems not optimistic about my age and this surgery. Did your physician have issues with your age or consider your age a problem?
I had asked my Dr. that very question about my age and recovery . . . he laughed and said if I was 25 I would probably get better range of motion after surgery/rehab than 55. However, he then said given how active I am he was very bullish on a complete recovery for me. And here I am, a year after the injury and my wrist is good as new (well, almost) ;-) Best of luck to you
Love this explanation 👏🏽..how's your wrist nowadays?
Wrist is great these days, like I never hurt it
Thanks for this. I injured myself at the end of October at work, and it's been such a long process. I finally got my MRI this week and I have several tears, including 2 complete tears. I'm definitely nervous about the potential need for surgery and how this will affect my job (I work in infusion pharmacy and make IV and injection chemo). My wrist has been so unstable, painful, and I have developed tremors. I hope the damage can be repaired and I can regain my strength
Wish you luck with this. In hindsight, I am so glad I got the surgery, although the process is difficult. If you get the surgery, commit yourself to the physical therapy, and your wrist will be good as new
I Jack. I first watched this video two weeks ago, 3 weeks after my initial injury. I was freaked out, but now after finally seeing 2 different doctors, I've gotten confirmation that I need this exact procedure.
I'm a competitive pole dancer and this injury has stopped me in my tracks, I'm so sad. I just won my category and division at Pacific Pole Championships. and was supposed to compete last Saturday in St. Louis, but had to drop due to my scapholunate tear. How are you feeling now all these months later?
Hi Jenny - I did a second video which is linked, filmed about 4 months after my surgery.. . . you may want to take a look at it as it talks about recovery times, etc.. I am over a year since my surgery and have been back to 100% for a long time. Hope your surgery and recovery go well!
Hi jack. Do you think i can still get a surgery done when i got injured my wrist 17 yrs ago? Could you also tell me how much dies it cost? TIA
Hi - that really is impossible for me to answer; I would suggest you see an orthopedic doctor who specializes in hand/wrist and ask them. Regarding cost, that really depends on your insurance and minimizing your out of pocket costs. Best of luck
Hi, I have watched your videos several times during my recovery. I am now 8 weeks from pin removal. Did one push up today which was great. Still very uncomfortable to be weight bearing in that position, which my PT says is normal at this point. Do you recall how long it took for the discomfort to go away with pushups, weights, etc? Also, how long did it take to achieve the max ROM in the injured wrist that you have today? Thank you.
Hi - sounds like your recovery is going well so far. I do remember initially doing push-ups with dumbbells, with the dumbbells facing 12 and 6 o’clock on the ends. In time I was able to gradually get the dumbbells facing nine and 3 o’clock, and then when I removed the splint from my injured hand, I started doing regular push-ups. I think the discomfort was more or less gone around 4 to 6 months, and my range of motion probably didn’t improve much more after about six months. I got back to roughly 90% range of motion after about 4 to 6 months, where it remains today with otherwise no issues whatsoever. Best of luck to you and your recovery.
Thank you, good info . LOL lightweight I had 3 pins, 2 large incisions and nerve blocker for 4 days. Hard cast for 8 weeks. And is the most painful injury I’ve ever had. Couldn’t go to the gym couldn’t get the cast wet. Now rehab for 4 months
Never heard of nerve block for 4 days . . . was that intentional by the Dr.?
Yeah doc said it was worse inside than the images showed, couldn’t believe the pain I had to turn up the pump 2 notches couple times a day
When they removed my wires I had 3 they put me completely under. I got the 3” cut on top and a 2” on the side of the wrist
@@kodiakfarmsbrianhoadley8152Wow - I feel for you. Sounds like you had a much tougher surgery/recovery than I did. Best of luck
Thanks man
Hey mate, forgot to ask. There are several ligamentoplasty methods. Did he tell you if it was a Brunelli method or another one? Thanks
So i fell hard on my wrist about 7 months ago and it hurt for the first 2 weeks to the point where I had to be careful or it would hurt quite a bit. After a while the pain reduced a good amount and I can get it back when doing push ups which I can still do but hurt more or directly putting force on the part of my wrist that hurts. I haven’t actually stopped doing weights at all during the 7 months apart from the first 2 weeks. Do you think I should get this checked or is nothing major since I have still been progressing in my lifts
Hi - tough to play Dr., but if you have pain at all it is probably a sign of something wrong and I would think in time it will get worse as you get older. Good luck!
I had this surgery September 22, 2021. I'm watching this 3.5 months later January 6, 2022. I have good days and bad days in PT. Wondering when I can get back to lifting upper body.
Hey Kyle - not sure if you saw my follow up video on my surgery. I was cleared to workout right after my pins were removed. So my surgery was in March, pins out in May. Light machine weights at first, in addition to 2 PT sessions a week. Took me about 10 weeks post pin removal to be back to somewhat normal weight lifting (meaning could do free weights, full body weight exercises like pull-ups/pushups, etc.). I am a couple years since surgery and wrist is like I never hurt it. Best of luck to you, be patient . . . the gains will come!
Thanks for this! I’m having this surgery on Monday. I’d been very active, losing over 100 pounds. I’m praying I don’t gain a lot of weight not exercising. I’ll be tracking nutrition for sure.
Hi Kenya - you'll do great! First week or two of recovery no fun, but over time it gets better (trust me). Wishing you best of luck!
My procedure got pushed back a week & a half because I had a fever. I’m now in week 2 of recovery. It’s been interesting....down to only taking ibuprofen 1-2x a day but my 2 year old is missing his mama! It’s my dominant hand, too. Getting a cast Thursday
@@KayVee18 Great to hear you are finished with the toughest week after surgery. Good luck with the cast . . . your 2 year old can draw you something interesting on it! Good luck!
@@jackharding144 hi jack
I did my surgery after one year of the injury by connecting the schaphoid and lunate with a tendon , but how much is the gap between the two bones of yours , mine was 10.1 mm and now is 7 mm with a tendon in between
@@thefutureh Hi - I honestly don't know the measurement of the gap
Thanks for the video! How did you find showering and basic functionality straight after the surgery?😊
You really are incredibly limited for the first few weeks. Pain is really bad few days after surgery. I remember showering with a garbage back tied with rubber band around my arm.
Hey, I have some questions. Did your wrist hurt passively before surgery? One year ago, I landed on my left wrist while playing football. After one week it healed completely but then again I fell on the same wrist some weeks later. But this time it didn't heal, I feel pain only when I try to do push ups or push against something [I don't feel any pain when doing pull ups]. I stopped exercising now but I play games and type a lot on desktop pc for hours. Is typing for hours hindering my healing ability? I did an x-ray of my wrist but it showed nothing. Do I need surgery? Will it heal on its own if I keep it inactive by putting splint/cast for several weeks? I really want to get back into training like you do but I don't know what to do T_T
You probably need an MRI to show if there is a tear or not, then only a Dr. can tell you what you should probably do. After I hurt my wrist, the pain got progressively worse. I knew something was wrong and it wasn't getting better. Best of luck!
I get my final cast off Friday the 4th so tomorrow. And start ot and I'm so scared of that. And the process
Don’t be scared Jessica….. I was actually excited to begin the therapy and getting back to normal. You will do great! Good luck
Hey, thanks for posting. I went 1 year after injury before surgery. I also had 100% tear. I am currently 3 weeks post surgery and my whole experience sounds identical to yours. It was a much bigger procedure and recovery than I expected. I am interested to hear about the pin removal and experience first week after.
Hey Ainslie, I would like to hear how your post op experience is going.. I am considering having this surgery, I have a partial SL tear that keeps getting worse.. Please contact me, it would be helpful, its hard to find much info on SL tears ect.. Thanks, Jeff
Jeff n hey if you want to send me a text at 9027172474 I can provide more details. This is in my wife’s account. It is hard to get more information on this surgery
Ainslie - curious how your recovery is going?
Jack Harding
It’s been just over 3 months. The first 6 weeks were tough. After that it has been good. I can perform almost all tasks. My strength is around 50 percent in my arm and hand. Also my wrist is back to 50 percent of its full bending. I have no pain though which great. I am hoping by the 6 month mark I will be at 80-90 percent in strength and flexibility.
How is you recovery? You are a few weeks ahead of me and I am curious to follow you recover and compare to mine
Hi Ainslie - pasting my reply to another viewer below . . . . good luck in your continued recovery!
I'm going to do a follow-up video as promised. In the meantime, I am now 4 months since the first surgery, and 10 weeks since pin removal. Things are progressing nicely and I am pretty pleased at the moment. Still have stiffness in fingers each morning and takes a few attempts to make a fist as things stretch and loosen. Was able to go back to gym (with Dr.'s blessing) immediately after pin removal, as long as I stuck to machines and no free weights initially. Am back to doing everything I used to do, only exception is pushups . . . can only do with dumbbells at the moment. My extension ROM is 72 degrees (other unhurt wrist is 77), and flexion is 42 degrees (other wrist 69), so some work to do still to gain full ROM. The biggest thing is the pain I had pre-surgery is 100% gone. I go to therapy couple times a week which does help. Let me know if you have any questions, more than happy to share experience
Was it traditional or Arthroscopy surgery?
I have main on February 18 2021
I've been with this injury for over 2 years, wrist is done
How are u now,
I know this was 5 years ago? How you doing now? I'm 45 yo and had a fall playing pickleball and had complete tear of mine. Need to get surgery now and kind of dreading it.
Wrist has been great for years now, literally have to "think" for a second to remember which wrist I hurt. Slight decrease in range of motion, but otherwise good as new. No restrictions at all on any sports. For me, as soon as I learned my wrist wouldn't get better, and would continue to get worse, it was a no brainer to get the surgery. Wish you luck!
My Dr. decided for me to have a “functioning” wrist. Wrist is basically fused without plates and screws. Would not have had surgery. Make sure you talk to your Dr. about the outcome of what His way of surgery will be for you
i have pain for 4 years whenever I put stress on my wrist it hurts again probably need a surgery too
Same here bro
Mine is 2-3 years ago
Jacob. Would love to hear about the removal of the pins. I just had my surgery few days ago.
Hi Shital - take a look at the 2nd video linked in the description. I describe the pin removal process. Thanks
How are you now
Thanks for sharing your experience, how long was the surgery?
First surgery was maybe an hour, perhaps less. The 2nd was a matter of minutes
Hi, thanks for these videos, really helpful. I'm due to have min done on the 23rd May, I have a 1 year old and 3 year old so I'm nervous about how I will cope! Will I be okay to drive once pain has subsided? My wife and I are due to go to a Coldplay concert 2 weeks after too, do you think I will be okay with that? I'm an avid gym-goer like yourself and I was hoping to attempt to train around it but that sounds unlikely after listening to your experience. Any help/advice would be great, thanks, Al.
Hi Alistair - good luck on your upcoming surgery. Tough to answer your questions as everyone has different levels of dealing with discomfort. I drove immediately after my surgery (couple days after) but you are pretty much one handed at that point. Your repaired wrist (and especially fingers) will be a lot of pain for a few weeks so driving is possible but don't enter any NASCAR races for a while. Same with the concert . . . I'm sure you can go and enjoy it, but you will definitely be aware of the discomfort. Lastly, training around the injured wrist was something I had planned for but ended up not being really practical with the hard cast and having the pins in your wrist. Take the time off, enjoy your family . . . you will be incredibly motivated after the pins are removed to get back in action.
@@jackharding144 Hi Jack, thanks for replying! I had the surgery on Tuesday and it was very successful. The surgeon was able to do it without using k-wires which I was happy about. The only downside was that the surface of the lunate bone had already lost the cartilage and so I will get arthritis. He said that indicated that the original injury may have happened years ago. The pain on Tuesday night when the nerve block wore off was intense but luckily calmed down by the morning. Main thing right now is how swollen my hand has become!! On the whole though, so far so good!
Thank you for this.....I have been contemplating having this done..
Good luck David - I'm so glad I did this, I really had to. 3+ years since my surgery and other than a very small scar and slightly reduced flexibility, I otherwise never would know I had the procedure done.
@@jackharding144 Was your operation done through Arthroscopy?
@@KkshitijBaggul I don’t know technically if it was considered arthroscopic or not. I have a small scar where the donor tendon was taken from, and really no scar where they went in and fixed the tear
@@jackharding144 Hi sir! I even found you on Facebook and messaged you there. I am a young man and into high performance sports and will get operated in four days time. I just need one favor from you. I am in the dilemma of getting a traditional surgery or an arthroscopy. Can you please confirm or verify with the doctor what type you had? Thank you for you reply
@@jackharding144 did they put small microscopic cameras to perform the surgery? You said you have probably no scar where they went in. So maybe it was Arthroscopic. Can you please verify with your doctor or check the documents please. Thank you sir!
Kind of nervous. Found out I have a scapholunate ligament tear in my left wrist and have to get surgery in two and a half weeks. I was going up stairs,tripped and caught myself with my left hand. That’s how I hurt it. And as you mentioned the X-ray showed gapping between those two bones.
How’d it go?
Did you have immediate pain when you fell?
No, but had some discomfort. Got worse and worse overtime, like when I tore my labrum when I was younger.
I have a partially torn scapholunate ligament but the doctor said I shouldn’t have surgery because it would not solve anything. I have pain when bending my wrist back, hand is swollen a little. My question for everyone that had it, how are you doing after surgery? Range of motion? Pain, strength? How is your experience post surgery? Thanks in advance to everyone I really need to hear from all of you.
Hi Kellner. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I am crossing my fingers for you. I have read through a lot of the comments and there seems to be a lot of success stories. My surgery didn’t work, but my injury was worse than the doc thought. The ligament has torn off and taken some bone with it. But looking back I had to give it a chance. I have lost some range of motion but not too noticeable. The pain was rough but bearable. I don’t recommend going on a business trip 3 days after the surgery like I did. Haha. Those meetings were miserable. Give yourself time to take it easy. Do your physical therapy after. Get some coconut butter to massage into your scars after and they won’t be too noticeable. I’ll cross my fingers for you. Good luck!
hi hows your wrist now. same case ith me i have partially tear grade II and dr. didn't suggest for surgery
@@mreedbro9 how old were you when you got surgery? How was it not successful? I’m not understanding how a surgery could just not work.
I might have this injury and I'm terrified because I don't want to be out of the gym for 6+ weeks.
If you need the surgery and have the procedure, you will definitely be out for a while. But it is worth it in the long run
hi sir...may i know what exercise u do after surgery because i only have 30 degree extension but my surgery already after one year
Hard to describe in writing, I would suggest Google Physical Therapy exercises for Scapholunate Ligament surgery. My therapy right after surgery focused on regaining finger and grip strength, along with lots of range of motion exercises on the operated wrist. Good luck!
After the initial injury, you said you were still working out. I am astounded that the injury right off the bat could allow you to still engage in activity. There had to of been a point where you realized, owww, this needs to get checked out. Were you just masking the pain in the gym, or could you really not feel it ?
Hi Jacob - immediately after I hurt my wrist, I took a few days off. My wrist hurt but I would describe pain as a 3/4 on scale of 1-10. When I went to gym the pain gradually increased instead of getting better. Upon going to Dr. and getting MRI results which confirmed tear, I asked my Dr. if my working out made the injury worse. He said a firm "no" . . . . I'm not sure if I would agree but he is the expert. I eventually had to stop working out as the pain kept increasing. My surgery was about 3 months after the initial injury. Best of luck!
Why did they bother giving you propofol if they injected a nerve block? If you can't feel it does it matter if you're awake?
The first surgery is pretty complex so they don't want you awake I imagine. The nerve block lasts for up to 24 hours . . . and with the pain you definitely want it. The propofol is just to knock you out for the procedure.
Thanks for posting I will do same surgery after 36 hrs is you prefer nerve black or general anesthesia? My surgeon told we can do by each way
Another question please for how long the pain was severe post surgery?
@@hamdkaram430 Definately do the nerve block. The first week after surgery is pretty bad with pain. You will probably get medication to help with the pain for the first few days which will help. Good luck
I guess the arm nerve block is optional. Would you recommend it? Thanks again.
Yes, I would. The Dr. and anesthesiologist gave me 2 options while in pre surgery prep . . . I forget what the other option was other than nerve block. But I seem to recall them making a compelling case why the nerve block was better. But as I said in the 1st video, the 18 or so hours after the nerve block are miserable (at least for me) as it is just uncomfortable feeling having no use (or feeling) in your entire arm.
@@jackharding144 Yes, I just had the surgery 6 days ago. When the nerve block wore off it was horrible. But steadily got much better. I'm able to cut my NORCO pills down each day. I had my first one at 11:30 am today! I see Doc in 2 days for follow up. So far, so good!
jennycreative1 Great to hear you are seeing progress! First couple of days are no fun for sure!
I'm going into surgery tomorrow... I'm a lil nervous
Jovante Johnson The first 24 hours post surgery aren’t much fun ...... wishing you luck !
How's it healed up? I go in for surgery (modified brunelli) this coming Friday.
Hi Jack. Thank you for the video. I wanted to ask about the Hospital name and the doctor because I have a tear that's 3 years old and we don't have good doctor so from your story it looks like the Doctor was very competent. Appreciate your help and best of luck.
Hi - I went to Dr. Mark Lamb at Princeton Orthopedics, Princeton NJ. Good luck
@@jackharding144 thank you Jack 👍
Recovery time after surgery
Hey , im 21 years old and i have a partial torn scapholunate since age 18 . But i didnt have surgery yet. If i have surgery will i be able to train in boxing and martial arts??? or will my wrist be too limited and painful to play these sports?? Are you personally capable of training in boxing if you want to??
I would certainly think you would be fine, especially given how young you are. In my second video linked above, a viewer ( named
"FatCity Customs" ) commented that he was a boxer and had the surgery. You may want to check out his comments on the other video link
@@jackharding144 I will definitely check his comments. Thanks for sharing your surgery experience with us all, its really helpful for people dealing with the same problem. I need to get this surgery thing over with because it has held me back for so long, I wish i will be pain free after the surgery and be able to train in martial arts which has been my dream since childhood.
@@snow_leopard35so did you go through surgery?
Hey, I have a partial SL tear that happened a year ago.. I keep taping it and playing golf on it, but it is getting worse, and latest mri shows it has slightly torn further (still not full tear) . I am now at the point of considering surgery, but it looks like a bigger surgery than I expected.. Would love to hear about pin removal ect... Feel free to contact me, thanks..
Hi Jeff - I'm going to do a follow-up video as promised. In the meantime, I am now 4 months since the first surgery, and 10 weeks since pin removal. Things are progressing nicely and I am pretty pleased at the moment. Still have stiffness in fingers each morning and takes a few attempts to make a fist as things stretch and loosen. Was able to go back to gym (with Dr.'s blessing) immediately after pin removal, as long as I stuck to machines and no free weights initially. Am back to doing everything I used to do, only exception is pushups . . . can only do with dumbbells at the moment. My extension ROM is 72 degrees (other unhurt wrist is 77), and flexion is 42 degrees (other wrist 69), so some work to do still to gain full ROM. The biggest thing is the pain I had pre-surgery is 100% gone. I go to therapy couple times a week which does help. Let me know if you have any questions, more than happy to share experience
I am getting the surgery this Thursday, 12/6. I love to golf, which is why I’m doing the surgery in the winter, so should be ready in April hopefully to play again. Let me know if you want any updates.
@@mreedbro9 Please update me on your condition post surgery. Thank you. You can direct message me or text me at 5134532232.
@@ricklipman8347 Hi Rick. My surgery didn't go well. As soon as they took the pins out, the bone went back to where it was. So bad luck for me I guess. Advil has helped, but I don't like using medicine all the time. I hope if you have to get it done, it will go better for you. I don't regret trying the surgery though.
Hi! Ive had this issue for more than 3 years. Did PT but didnt go away. Is surgery will really help it? Tired of having limitee movements, cant grip when it hurts
Hi - I'm not sure of your situation, but for me, when I had MRI done it showed 100% tear, so no amount of PT would resolve it. So I had 3 options according to my Dr.: 1) Do nothing, but pain would only continue to worsen for rest of my life 2) Get wrist fused, which would greatly immobilize my wrist forever and pretty much eliminate any chance of me continuing to lift weights, or 3) Get scapholunate surgery. I obviously chose the surgery and have never regretted the decision. 3 years since my surgery and my wrist is back to 100%, the only difference is my Range of Motion is slightly reduced. But other than that, I literally have to think for a second when trying to recall which wrist I hurt. Hope you have luck with your wrist!
@@jackharding144 ahhhh! Yeah the Dr. did say that its a scapholunate wherein the xray there’s a gap between a bone? I hope im correct but really wanting to have a surgery cause in a month i do take NSAIDS just to take the pain away
@@thergp6545 I hear you . . . as soon as my Dr. told me it wouldn't get better with out the Scapholunate surgery I couldn't schedule the surgery fast enough. I think my surgery was 2 weeks after MRI / diagnosis. I just wanted to get on the road to recovery. I hurt my wrist end of December 2017 (was dull pain at first so I wasn't that alarmed by it) and continued to work out until by February 2018 the pain was really bad and it was impacting my workouts. Got XRay, then MRI in early March 2018, then surgery late March.
@@jackharding144 same!!! It came from my workout! Was ignoring it at first then it started hurting then went away then lifted again then came back. Ahhhh will have a visit again with my doctor. Thank you for this
hello you did with kirschner wire technique or Tutore interno -Arthrex?
No idea of the technique name - I had 2 pins inserted in my wrist, securing a donor tendon
@@jackharding144 to me they are putting a new ligament with synthetic material I think it is the same thing. Has the wrist healed completely after some time?
Sorry for my bad english but im italian
@@totuxs Yes, my wrist has healed completely, no pain or discomfort. Good luck
@@jackharding144 Thx :)
How long does this whole process take
The actual surgery was probably less than an hour. But the process took from probably 8AM - 3PM between surgery prep through post op recovery
I type a lot for work. I’m taking a week off after surgery. How realistic is it to think I’ll be able to use my fingers after that?
Hi Samantha- everyone is different but I know I couldn’t type/use fingers on a keyboard for a while. Pain was really bad and fingers incredibly stiff. Maybe you will have better luck. Good luck!!
Thank you for the response, Jack. Also, interestingly, I didn’t get a nerve block because I went under general anesthesia; however, I do feel like my thumb has a nerve block and I’m curious to see what happens tomorrow or the next day as that wears off. Have you heard of people just getting their thumb numbed?
When the injury happened and after few weeks later what types of pain where you feeling in wrist ? Like moving it or like pain going through forearm?
Also did ur X-ray show anything or just the mri. I did X-ray and they said it all looked good but I was still complying of the pain so they scheduled me a mri appointment
Hi Johnny- my pain got progressively worse in my wrist (no forearm pain). To the point where I couldn’t comfortably do pushups, or even hold heavy dumbbells without wrist pain. The tear was visible after MRI, X-ray didn’t show the tear. Best of luck!
@@johnnymarquez5885 x ray dont show the ligement get an mri
Thanks for the video. Had the same surgery 5 days ago and am afraid I've utilized the hand too much the last few days. I am having more pain and am concerned about possibly damaging the procedure that was performed. Did you receive any feedback from your surgeon about limited usage of the hand and wrist post or? Thank you.
Robert Halterman Immediately after surgery, I was in a splint for about a week, then hard casts for about five more weeks. I did very little during those six weeks, other than moving my fingers occasionally. My doctor definitely told me to be careful and not really try to do anything during those six weeks. Once the pins were removed however, I was immediately cleared to begin rehab and I did go to the gym with Dr.’s blessings
Hi, how long did you wait since you break the ligament to surgery? It's 10 months i injured my SL ligament,.but Next month i am going to operate it because all the strenghtening exercises failed. Doctor sayd that if i had surgery the first 3.months was a better situation.....
Dario Matonna Hi Dario - I went about 10 weeks between my injury and initial surgery. Best of luck to you!
Hi dario my situation is same as yours , i did it after 10 months from initial injury please tell me about your updates now
@@thefutureh it s 16.months now after surgery and it s getting better but i lost range of movement and sometimes is.painful
@@dariomatonna8004 how much range of movement do you have % , and how much pain from 1 to 10 do you feel ? Can you lift weights and exercise ?
@@thefutureh i can do.push up but it is better with handwrap, i lost about 10-15 degras bending down the hand ,.no lose on bend up. I siggest you to operate ,if you don't want to fuse your wrist bones
Thanks for sharing. Wish I found this last week, (6 days out of surgery now). Share your pain, especially about the nerve block. Tore mine skiing, during a phenomenal el niño snow year and was hoping I could recover in time to get some more days on my pass. Guess I'll have to temper my expectations... :(
Yes, temper those (short term) expectations! But I'm sure if you put the rehab work in you'll be back on the slopes next season. Best of luck!
For sure, I’m finding this out now. Had mine done November 27 and I’m still in a splint at least until March 7th. I’ve been reading and 6-9 months from the surgery for contact sports.
@@jeffmiller2871 oh man. Give me some hope. I'm actually looking into a 3D printed cast at my first post op appointment next week. Doctor wasn't familiar with them but open to looking into it. I'll post the info back up here if it's fruitful
@@Keithherrm Once I got my cast off I was real hopeful that I would be using it in no time, but after taking me splint off for a couple hours at a time and aching really bad, I learned to just trust what they’re saying. Being my dominant hand, it’s very frustrating. But I’m seeing a lot of progress now, so I’m very optimistic now.
@@jeffmiller2871 Cast is scheduled to come off a week from today. Any more thoughts on prepping for removal, rehab, etc?
I'm 3 weeks into post op, I'm still in pain. Not due to have pins removed for another 2 weeks. Did you guys who had this op still have alot of pain after 3 weeks post op?
Hi - to answer your question, absolutely yes there is pain 3 weeks post op, that is normal. The pain will decrease over time, but it will take months. I remember pain still being bad during my therapy / rehab sessions for my wrist. Good luck
@@jackharding144 thank you for your reply, I was starting to worry that it wasn't getting better so you have reassured me now 😁