Don Hanson
I had one a few years back. It's best to follow your doctor's
instructions about how to care for it during healing. I almost did.
That being said, I recall "6 weeks..then we'll see" as my doc's call on
when I could ride again. I was back on the road in about 3 weeks, with a
cast on the wrist. I know I was risking a lot if I were to crash and mess
up the healing. From what I understand, the wrist is an "iffy" bone area
due to low circulation and restricted blood supply, so if you were to
re-injure a fracture there, you risk permanent damage.
Mine fracture was the left wrist and it was impossible to use my big ring
shifter with a cast on, using my left hand. (I could sometimes reach across
and use my right hand to pull the Shimano shifter) Front brake use was also
pretty much out..All I could really do was rest the cast on the bar top and
have some control from that hand..My Ortho guy was also a cyclist and he
refused to cast me in any way that would enable me to hold my bars (he knows
me) saying he didn't want me on a bike at all till the wrist was healed. It
was very painful and if there were any bumps whatsoever, I would have to
ride one handed with my wrist held off the bike...So when I say I was "on
the road in 3 weeks" it means very carefully on smooth straight flat
predictable riding only..
I declined to have an operation to 'fixate' some slightly out of whack
pieces of bone and knowingly accepted that my wrist would sometimes ache
later on..It does, but not bad. Better than risking an operation, in my
estimation. It was about 3 full months before I could ride and not feel
injured..Mine happened in Oct and the Off-season, I was fine. But still
somewhat painful at the starting events that year.
My break came while riding on a bike path...I hate bike paths, for just
this kind of incident, but it is the only route between Hood River and
Mosier, where I ride often in The Gorge...One Sunday I was returning
(carefully) through the tunnels on the old highway, knowing all the
families, joggers, dog walkers and hikers would be out, using the
closed-to-traffic road also. I was going under 5 mph while approaching a
pair of kids on 2 wheelers, them standing still while mommy fussed with the
third one in a bike bugger. I was about 10 feet from the little boy..(about
6-8yrs old) and he and I were smiling at each other as I gave myself the
whole width of the road. Just as I was about to go past..Mommy looked up,
saw me, and 'freaked!' yelling at the boy.."LOOK OUT, JIMMY" at full
SCREECH..The kid was so startled that he threw down his little bike, right
out in front of me and I went over the bars in a slow speed get off as my
front wheel got tangled up in his bike...Broke my downtube on a nice DeRosa
and my wrist as well as my helmet...Mommy said.."It's ok, Jimmy's fine"
"don't worry"...Sheesh! About 10 grand worth of medical cost and Donny's
ok, too...
Don Hanson