TFFC "triangular fibrocartilage complex" - the ligamentous and cartilaginous structures that suspend the distal radius and ulnar carpus from the distal ulna

Oh dear, Paigect, SO sorry to hear about this, injuries to the wrists are very difficult to deal with and this must be such a heartbreak (esp. for us avid gardeners)!

In June 2007 I fell from a height of 16 feet and broke my left wrist, as well as suffered a severe concussion (I was lucky these were the only significant injuries). Distal radius fracture, surgery to stabalize the joint with metal hardware, then therapy, etc. My wrist has healed well, but it is not 100%, as I have stiffness, clicking, numbness in 2 fingers, and do not have quite the range of motion as compared to the other wrist. It is likely I will have problems with arthritis, maybe even something like TFFC, in the future. I have also noticed that both wrists are much more susceptible to inflammation and pain when performing repetitive tasks.

I have begun to use wrist wraps preventatively for activities that cause repetitive strain - sanding, scraping, and weeding seem to be the worst culprits. I wrap up both wrists tight PRIOR to starting the activity - "stabalization of the joint" is what a PT friend called it - and so far this has completely prevented any flare-up and pain afterwards (even after hours of work). Perhaps this might help you to do more with your wrists than you would otherwise?

You have me very curious, and will try to remember to ask my PT friend about this condition. Wishing you the best of luck with the healing of your wrists!

Very sorry to hear of it! You acquired your gardening battle scars honorably (i.e., in the garden). Check your health insurance; it might cover not only physical therapy (if you choose that instead of surgery) but also occupational therapy which teaches & shows people how to cope with various movements they used to do easily.

There are gardening tools and aids made for arthritis sufferers and some of those might work for you. I did a google search for 'gardening'+'disability' and lots of websites showed up.

Welcome to the world of 'high maintenance women' which we had thought meant facials, cosmetics and fancy shopping; and now understand to refer to pre-gardening wrist wraps and post-gardening soaks!

Here is a link that might be useful: Disabled-World.com/shopping/disabledgardentools.php

Ah, that's a shame, Paigect. I hope you find a way to work around this - PT is a good idea even if you do have to have surgery.

The only thing like that I've had was a tendon/tunnel problem (not carpal, another similar mechanism) in my wrist, and I waited WAY too long for the surgery. Once it was operated on, it healed up really fast.

I still over do it and have lots of hand problems, but if I had another operable condition in my hands/wrists, I would not wait to have it fixed.

Terrene and Carol have already said more than I have to offer - I can only express my deep sympathy (I've had my share of debilitating injuries).

It shouldn't be the end of your gardening though, just a scaling down. With a lot of common sense, good tools, and wrist wraps, plus some help from your family and friends, you can still accomplish a lot. Just not as much as you planned.

Good luck,
Claire

Oh I am so sorry to hear about your injury, I am sure is not only limiting your gardening but general day to day life. You have been offered some really great advice I do hope your insurance will cover the different types of therapies. While gardening may seem like an all or nothing pursute perhaps your focus can turn to garden writing, photography, designing, painting, ect. Do I remember correctly that you have some inexpensive willing teenage muscle in your neighborhood? Honestly the hump work of gardening is just one small part of it.

First to respond to your situation: I third the recommendation for OT and PT when the immediate inflamation has simmered down. It is helpful to say to your primary physician right off the bat "this is getting in the way of my daily activities, I cannot....list challenges such as dressing, coooking gardening etc." Impeding "activities of daily living- ADLs) is what she/he needs to hear. I'm suggesting this because my primary seemed reluctant to prescribe pt and ot, which when I finally got it helped enormorously. First and foremost, you learn ways of not reinjuring your self,as well as alternative ways to use your body.

Let's see: torn miniscus from tripping over a cobblestone and into a hole in high grass, nerve injury from stabbing at ground to plant small bulbs, and severe neck strain from tossing buckets and buckets of mulch over a rock wall to an immpassble part of the garden. That one really freaked me out. Such small incidents, such big results.

I didn't mean to sound overly instructive, so forgive me if I do. I wish you well, and I can almost promise you will feel better. Not as soon as you wish, but by spring you could be in very good shape if you get the treatment you need.

May the garden genie bless your wrists and the rest of you, as well as the dozing garden.

Marie

Paige, this may sound a bit strange, but I thought of another very important thing you can do to help your wrists that was taught to me by the OT. Wear splints at night! People don't realize that while they're sleeping, they often flex and sometimes extend their wrists, up against their body, under their head, tucking up the covers, etc. Then they sleep for hours with wrists in this unnatural position.

The OT explained to me, that when the wrists are flexed this way, it puts pressure on the entire carpel tunnel and all the complex nerves traveling throuh the wrist. Once the cast was off, she advised me to wear the splint at night (NOT the day except for certain instances), to keep the wrist nice and straight. I have since trained myself to sleep with my wrists relaxed and more or less straight. If by accident I happen to sleep with the left wrist flexed, ouch!

My sister was advised to do the same thing by a neurologist, who pointed out that it was exacerbating the neuropathy in her hands.

Looking back, I had an excellent surgeon and an excellent occupational therapist. I would guesstimate they were about 90% instrumental in the result that I now have an almost normally functioning left wrist (surgeon said, on a scale of 1-10, my break was a 6 or 7). The other 10%, and it is an critical 10%, is up to the patient - diligently follow the instructions of your doctor(s) and therapist(s). MANY if not most people are slack about following instructions, especially doing the exercises - and a few overdo them.

Oh, I am soooo sorry to hear about your wrists! Any physical injury that impacts our love of gardening is a 'personal insult!'

While taking a Season off may be very difficult, you will learn adaptive measures from PT and OT. I sometimes wish there were special classes just for gardeners who do lots of grunt work! The best advice I got was from my Polish neighbor who instilled in me to do small time periods everyday and not overwork many hours. Sometimes it worked, othertimes I forgot :)

When my floppy cervical spine required urgent surgery (2nd in 4 years) I turned over the mowing to my lawn service people rather than risk riding my John Deere tractor. I couldn't do anything that Season. Luckily I found on this site a man willing to do the weeding for a month. At least it got me through that Season. The mowers were so great that I have continued their service and it allowed me to ease back into just dealing with the gardens. Each Season I am able to do a little more.....

I heart and prayers are with you.

Paige - No advice from me (it almost stops my heart just to THINK of not gardening), just my heartfelt sympathy and wishes for a speedy and complete recovery. Oh, wait, here is a modicum of advice - be sure to come to the Spring swap and any planned outings to see your gardening pals and get real-life hugs and empathy and not just virtual ones! (((Paige)))
Deb

That is a tough one. Perhaps you can check out the accessible gardening thread. Maybe there are tools that can help?

I am very sorry to hear about your injury.

Here is a link that might be useful: Accessible Gardening

Hi Paige,

So sorry to hear about your wrist injury. I am a PT in my other job (other than gardening)....and I see injuries like this often. You have not only the TFCC but also ligaments that cross it that need to heal. My advice--I would go to see a hand therapist that specializes in splinting--this can actually be either a PT or an OT. I would talk to the therapist about making a stabilization splint you can use while doing light gardening. The splint helps to stabilize the joint the way the ligaments should be. And then wear the splint!

You will need to avoid heavy lifting this season while strengthening your wrists and hands. Your therapist should be able to give you exercises. There also may be "ergonomically correct" shovels that are like the snow shovels with the curved handles. The motion that probably hurts the most is the "wrist flick" motion that we do in shovelling (AKA wrist ulnar and radial deviation). A different shovel may decrease this motion, which is what you want to do for a while.

Best of luck to you. If you need a name of a PT or OT hand specialist in CT, let me know. You will likely need a referral from your PCP and be sure to check your insurance.

Carina

PaigeCt, I certainly hope that you take some of the great advice that has been offered so far, especially from those who have experienced similar situations. Two years ago I had joint replacement surgery for my left thumb. The Dr. used a ligament in my wrist and crafted a joint out of it. I was in a cast forever and then a splint before I could do PT. It was misrable to not be able to garden... sometimes my husband would catch me out in the yard gardening with my left hand elevated in the air above my head and digging with my right. Boy, did he yell a lot that summer!

I know how you feel. A gardener needs to be in the garden. Maybe you can find some people to help plant/weed so that you can spend time IN the garden enjoying it.... perhaps w/ a book and a glass of iced tea.

Molie

paigect - I sent you a private email via GW.

Thanks, all, for the positive comments and advice! It seems that I actually have two injuries. In addition to the tfcc tears, I also have ulnar nerve damage in both elbows, and will be taking a nerve conduction test Friday to confirm that.

Terrene and Ida, I'm so sorry to hear of your injuries. Not fun at all. I do wrap my wrists as often as possible for extra support. Tape seems to work best, but it's murder on my skin. I also wear my splints at night, and I definitely notice when I skip a night - - I'm a known wrist-curler in my sleep. I also wear padded things on my elbows to cushion the nerves. I look like a hockey player when I'm headed off to bed!

I have been going for PT, covered by insurance. I have good insurance, so that's no problem. Thanks for the suggestion for OT, Carol, and the link for the tools. I will definitely check that out.

DTD, I have waited four years since I first injured my wrists, and I really wish I had done something sooner. It seems to get much worse with time. Toughing it out was a bad choice.

Claire, Evonne, KT, Deb and Molie, thanks for the sympathy, and I believe you are right that this will mean a scaling down rather than a complete phase out. Oh, and the teenage muscle has already been alerted to the financial opportunities this summer!

Carina, I am seeing a hand specialist. If you are near central CT, I will email you his name and see if you have heard of him. I would appreciate any input! A stabilization splint is a great idea. I could use it while kayaking as well (perhaps the one affected activity I love more than gardening).

I am trying to make adjustments to my routine to minimize heavy lifting, but I laughed when I was told not to carry laundry baskets, lift heavy dishes, carry groceries, etc. My son helps when he is around, but really, how does one realistically avoid ever doing stuff like that?!

Thankfully, I am still able to do certain activities I really enjoy, such as hiking, snowshoeing and even downhill skiing, at least until my surgery. I did have to give up cross country skiing this year, and kayaking is at risk this summer, but I'm determined to be able to do at least a little bit of that. Maybe I can get my SO to cart me around in a double kayak. :-)

Thanks to you all . . .