my right hand! recovering from sprains

[maxd]

I was foolishly persuaded by a friend to try rollerblading and I fell on my hands.

my right hand was sprained with my wrist and some joints feeling painful.

it has almost been two months and my hand is better but my wrist still hurts and some of my tendons do as well..

have any of you suffered through this?

is there anything I can do to speed up the healing?

no bones were broken BTW!

Max

[thalbergmad]

I came off my bike in April and landed on my right hand. whilst i was lucky enough to have no bones broken, i was not able to play piano comfortably for 5 months.

Does take a long time to heal.

I personally used a lot of warm wraps with occasional massage done professionally.

My mums "Ibugel" worked wonders for the pain and discomfort.

It will get better in time.

Thal

[humblemonkey]

Through playing sport I have seriously sprained several fingers/wrists, and broken both my collarbones. I went to a physio for my recovery phase. I'd definitely see some-one about it - even if it is just to get some advice/stretches/treatment. Also don't try to rush recovery (for me that meant trying to put on a shirt by myself too early ).

Don't panic - it will come right with time.

humblemonkey 

[pianistimo]

you and thal make injury sound good.  needing professional massage and a person to put your shirt on.  of course, having injured myself - it's no fun on days when noone is around to help.  you have to do these little minute movements and tell yourself it's not painful.  i used to hang the pants legs down really low and tell myself that getting stuck in a pant leg and falling over wouldn't be so terrible.  of course, most of the time i did it sitting - but to get pants fully on - you do have to stand up.

i'm sure your hands/wrist will be fine since you didn't actually break the wrist.

[notturno]

Physical therapy would be a good idea, if it is an option for you insurance-wise etc.  Damaged and inflammed tissue has less blood flow, which slows the healing process.  PT will help stimulate flood flow, and unknot some of the muscles.  It is well worth it.

Failing that, you can massage your hands and arms yourself.  Try this
https://www.kreinik.com/articles/news.php?newsid=32

Also, try using your left hand for activities.  Opening doors is a good one; you'd be surprised how much strain you put on your wrist doing this throughout a day.  Limit computer use, or try using your left hand to manipulate your mouse.  Try a cold pack for 5 minutes at a time once or twide a day.  Warmth will loosen the muscles and make them feel better, but it also increase swelling.

Ibuprophen or aspirin will also help.

I've done a combination of all of the above for injuries and it has helped.  Sprains may seem minor compared to a break, but they can still take a long time to heal.

Good luck.

[ted]

I've had all sorts of sprains and bruises from sporting and other accidents. Applying cold things immediately after the event seems to help but I'm not convinced it makes much difference later on. Bruised finger joints are a bit like infected hangnails - trying to play the piano just aggravates them. Unpalatable as it sounds, Thal is right; there's nothing for it but to rest the affected part, which inevitably comes right sooner or later.

[ted]

There is one particular minor injury which, it seems, I never learn to avoid. I make the beds in our house and, when I tuck things under the mattress I have the stupid habit of doing it with extended fingers. If a stray fold exists in a sheet or blanket, one's longest fingers are liable to be rammed longitudinally while being compressed under the mattress. This can cause surprisingly severe bruising in all the joints of the longest fingers, usually the third, which takes several days to come right.

Tuck sheets and blankets under the mattress with a closed fist.

[pianohenry]

A few months ago i was playing football (soccer), it was a very... hmm exciting game, everyone was getting very hyped up. one particular person got very excited and kept coming up behind me to tackle me. the first couple of times it was ok, but one time i tried to avoid him. and i ran backwards very quickly, and there was a slope, and i tripped backwards and landed on my wrist (down the slope, so i fell further).

it was extremely painful.

i had my grade 8 piano exam about 5 weeks after that. it was quite badly injured, its still not quite as strong. but main thing was to always move it, stretch it, because if you dont move it it stiffens up, and then its agony.

i find that washing my hands in hot water works well. not quite scalding, but almost

it was still injured when i did my exam...

but if you dont have anything particular that you need it to not be injured for then try not to worry too much - probably the more careful you are the quicker it will heal, if you constantly stretch it and move it you might prevent it from getting better. if your not pushed for time then just rest it.