starting strength gym
Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Post scaphoid surgery

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    11

    Default Post scaphoid surgery

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
    • starting strength seminar jume 2024
    • starting strength seminar august 2024
    Ive looked on the forums for an answer and while I’ve seen plenty on scaphoids I can’t see anything pertaining to my specific situation.

    I broke my scaphoid in 2019, being dumb.
    It didn’t heal which is common and my surgeon went for a scaphoid screw. While waiting for the surgery (which was delayed due to covid-19) I got bored and so went back to normal training which caused minimal discomfort and did not lead, as some warned me it would, to accelerated a-vascular necrosis!

    I had the surgery in December and my surgeon told me not to lift at all after the cast came off. It’s been 2 weeks since the cast came off (now in a splint) and he’s told me it will be at least another 4 week before I can lift.

    While I think it is important to listen to surgeons I also believe it’s important to get a range of opinions so... What do others think? Will loading my wrist with pressing and deadlifts (being guided by pain) 5 weeks removed from the surgery undo all the good work? Or will loading the wrist benefit and shorten recovery. Should I get rid of the splint while I’m at it and resume normal day to use, again guided by pain?

    P.S. My surgeon doesn’t lift. Obviously.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wichita Falls, Texas
    Posts
    2,414

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave John View Post
    Ive looked on the forums for an answer and while I’ve seen plenty on scaphoids I can’t see anything pertaining to my specific situation.

    I broke my scaphoid in 2019, being dumb.
    It didn’t heal which is common and my surgeon went for a scaphoid screw. While waiting for the surgery (which was delayed due to covid-19) I got bored and so went back to normal training which caused minimal discomfort and did not lead, as some warned me it would, to accelerated a-vascular necrosis!

    I had the surgery in December and my surgeon told me not to lift at all after the cast came off. It’s been 2 weeks since the cast came off (now in a splint) and he’s told me it will be at least another 4 week before I can lift.

    While I think it is important to listen to surgeons I also believe it’s important to get a range of opinions so... What do others think? Will loading my wrist with pressing and deadlifts (being guided by pain) 5 weeks removed from the surgery undo all the good work? Or will loading the wrist benefit and shorten recovery. Should I get rid of the splint while I’m at it and resume normal day to use, again guided by pain?

    P.S. My surgeon doesn’t lift. Obviously.
    Are you asking me for what I would tell a patient, or are you asking what I would do if I were the patient?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Will Morris View Post
    Are you asking me for what I would tell a patient, or are you asking what I would do if I were the patient?
    Can I have both answers as I imagine they’re different?

    Although I think I can figure out the answer based on that response

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wichita Falls, Texas
    Posts
    2,414

    Default

    Clinician: It is always advisable to follow your surgeon's guidance for return to activity after surgery.

    Me as an marginally educated trainee: I would have been lifting my ass off while the cast was on, doing every single lift I could adapt to having a cast on. As soon as the cast came off, I would have been progressively exposing the previously casted wrist to compound barbell movements in a graded, incremental manner; beginning with loads that I knew the surgically fixated scaphoid could tolerate and increasing rapidly from there.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wichita Falls, Texas
    Posts
    2,414

    Default

    Please keep in mind that I have an extremely unhealthy connection and commitment to training.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Will Morris View Post
    Clinician: It is always advisable to follow your surgeon's guidance for return to activity after surgery.

    Me as an marginally educated trainee: I would have been lifting my ass off while the cast was on, doing every single lift I could adapt to having a cast on. As soon as the cast came off, I would have been progressively exposing the previously casted wrist to compound barbell movements in a graded, incremental manner; beginning with loads that I knew the surgically fixated scaphoid could tolerate and increasing rapidly from there.
    This was my thinking too. I have been gradually exposing it but keeping anything that put torque through the wrist pretty light;

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Will Morris View Post
    beginning with loads that I knew the surgically fixated scaphoid could tolerate and increasing rapidly from there.
    Is this based on clinical knowledge or just being sensible and being guided by pain?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    11

    Default

    My guess would be that a surgeon with little knowledge of strength training would assume that the dumb "powerlifter" sat in front of him (who broke his wrist "powerlifting"), given a green light to train would immediately go and try and max out which is why he recommends against it completely.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wichita Falls, Texas
    Posts
    2,414

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave John View Post
    This was my thinking too. I have been gradually exposing it but keeping anything that put torque through the wrist pretty light;
    Or.....just wrap your wrists well. Wrap the wrists, not the forearms.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    11

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    Update! For anyone with a similar query.

    That’s me discharged by the surgeon. Turns out they just make it up as they go along...
    ”have you seen the physio yet?”
    “No you told me no physio until today...5 weeks ago”
    “Oh. �� Well I’ll make you an appointment”

    So... I took a reasonably educated gamble that this might be the case after my last appointment and just cracked on with my thing.

    I also asked on here. Obviously.

    As a result I am far further along the road to recovery than I otherwise would have been.

    Surgeons have 15 minutes to get you in and out of these follow up appointments and a lot of the time they’re just trying not to get sued because you got re-injured while under their care.

    Get a range of opinions, don’t max out and let pain be the guide. It’s there for a reason.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •