Wrist: TFCC Tear
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Anyone else out there have one? I just got diagnosed with one, and the swelling seems to have pushed the ECU tendon out of its happy home. |
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Andy- |
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Tell me about, geez. I'm just getting over my foot surgery. I think I can blame this one on an offwidth/flary thing (P2 of Thin Ice at the Needles).... it was however, arguably, worth it ;) |
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Just came off a year of hell with a central TFCC tear. |
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Good stuff at rc.com. Thanks. |
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Yikes, more injury acronyms I've not heard of to worry about now. Thanks, guys! |
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Andy Laakmann wrote:From an MRI w/contrast it would appear I have a tear in the cartilage along with a slightly displaced ECU tendon. The doc advised the cartilage will never heal, but many folks have tears that become asymptomatic. So the current plan is 3-4 weeks of rest, etc. to see how it progresses.It sounds like your tear is central, then, like mine was. I would guess JSH's tear was peripheral based on her history here. Central and peripheral tears are fairly different, often have different treatments and different long term outcomes, and peripheral tears have the ability to heal (because that is the only vascularized part of the TFC). Thus, JSH had hers surgically repaired, but this is not an option with central tears. The weird thing about TFC tears is that some people can have tiny ones with tons of pain, others can have giants ones with little or no pain. Studies have shown that most people have holey triangular fibrocartilage complexes by the time they're in their 5th decade, yet the majority of the population will never have symptoms. Every surgeon I saw (three of them) said acute vs degenerative tears are hard to separate and it is controversial about diagnosing one as either/or. It's just poor, despondent cripples like us that are so fortunate to get the problems early in life, aye. Way-too-long conservative treatment didn't help me at all. I didn't have any ECU tendon problems, so can't speak to that. |
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Aerili wrote: It sounds like your tear is central, then, like mine was. I would guess JSH's tear was peripheral based on her history here. Central and peripheral tears are fairly different, often have different treatments and different long term outcomes, and peripheral tears have the ability to heal (because that is the only vascularized part of the TFC). Thus, JSH had hers surgically repaired, but this is not an option with central tears. The weird thing about TFC tears is that some people can have tiny ones with tons of pain, others can have giants ones with little or no pain. Studies have shown that most people have holey triangular fibrocartilage complexes by the time they're in their 5th decade, yet the majority of the population will never have symptoms. Every surgeon I saw (three of them) said acute vs degenerative tears are hard to separate and it is controversial about diagnosing one as either/or. It's just poor, despondent cripples like us that are so fortunate to get the problems early in life, aye. Way-too-long conservative treatment didn't help me at all. I didn't have any ECU tendon problems, so can't speak to that.Did you end up having surgery? Debridement? |
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I went through the whole TFCC injury last winter (hyperextended mantle move in Garden of the Gods). Some of those posts on rockclimbing.com might be mine but I'm too lazy to look. |
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Andy Laakmann wrote: Did you end up having surgery? Debridement?Yes. And a synovectomy around my radius. The synovectomy was far more painful/far slower to recover from. It still doesn't feel 100% normal even now in certain load-bearing, extended positions 9 months later, although I am sure it eventually will. For me, surgery got me my life back. Trying conservative treatment first is probably the best idea, however. Doug is a great example of someone who had a very different recovery than me, even with the same injury. Be aware, however, that no doc will know exactly what kind of tear you have, regardless of imaging diagnostics, until/unless they go in with a scope. My MRA was accurate, however. |
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Just curious Andy, How did your wrist heal up? About two months ago I partially tore my tfcc ligament. I had six weeks of PT and now I am trying to get it stronger, with the hope of climbing again soon. Still feels somewhat weak, and I am hesitant to really put any pressure on it. Range of motion seems to be coming back slowly as well. |
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I posted about mine here (slightly different set of injuries, includes TFCC) |
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Thanks mojo! Some great info in that thread!! I also have some pain/tightness in the push-up position. Pull ups as well. I suppose I will hold off on climbing for a few more weeks. So glad I have running and hiking to keep me from going crazy. |
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I went through the TFCC debridement surgery back in May 2011 for a degenerative tear in my right wrist that got so bad I could not hold a spoon to eat. |
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My 13 year-old daughter tore her TFCC last fall. It was not a single event, simply over-use. We saw a surgeon who suggested we try rest, which didn't work, then cortizone, and finally surgery. After the surgery, he told us that he had cut out a triangular shaped tear in the ligament, and that the shape of the tear had prevented it from healing. I am not sure where in the ligament the tear occurred. Surgery was orthroscopic and took about thirty minutes. Surgeon told us it was textbook and she should make a full recovery. |