limited rotation and wrist pain - not able to diagnose. help please

[dmullins]

Hi, back on 2/1/06 hubby was removing a gear shift (he's an auto mech) was pulling up on it when he heard a snap and then his wrist hurt.  Went to the dr. - X-rays showed nothing, so they wrapped it and said to come back if it still hurt in a couple days - it did,so he went back.  The put him in a splint and refered him to orthopaedic.  Ortho looked him over, told him to keep in a splint for 4 more weeks. He did.  Went back and still hurt, and had limited rotation of the wrist - could not rotate palm up.  Sent him to have a MRI with dye injected into his wrist joint...very painful.  MRI came back negative - no problems found.  Ortho sent him to physical therapy for 6 weeks, 2 times a week.  Grip got stronger etc... but still by the end of the 6 weeks, still only had 55 degrees rotation and pain.  Now, back to the ortho... who is stumped.  Says he doesn't know what is wrong, all looks good.  This is a workers claim, so now the state steps in and wants to send him somewhere else.  Not sure what is wrong, but we are getting really frusterated.  He wants to go back to work, but the dr. says it would be a bad idea, would end up really hurting again... if his workers comp gets taken away, which they do if they can't "diagnose" a problem, then we will be in a world of hurt!  He's not faking this, he wants it fixed!  can't work, can't fish, can't do yard work, can't play with our daughter... really feels like a failure and that breaks my heart!  Please if anyone has seen this before let me know.
Thank you so much
Deena

[mfiedor]

I have always had a wrist rotation problem, I can't really rotate my wrists palm up. It seems like I've been born with this, since my wrist and my elbow joint don't line up, preventing me from touching my index finger to its relative shoulder. I also can't do barbell curls or chin ups.

Is this fixable at all?

[Mister_Hawk]

I was born with a malformation of the radius and ulna so I never had any rotation in either wrist. I never met anyone who had the same issue and can not find any information anywhere so it must be some what rare.  I was told by doctors there is not really a way to fix this, in some cases of past attempts I was told the bone grows back if cut to allow rotation and some apparently tried to have material installed to prevent the bone growth after the procedure and it only caused more issues and pain. The doctors gave me the option to have palms up always or palms down or one of each. I just chose to stay the palms down way I am since I lived with it my whole life I never knew any different.  

I can do absolutely everything, I just have to do some things in a different way, curls and chip ups are done palm down same as guitar or anything else the requires palm up. If I carry a plate or hold a basketball/bowling ball with one hand for example I can put things like that on top of my hand and bend my fingers far up to support the object from falling off.  You can do anything and everything normal armed rotating wrist people can do, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. I also have learned in my experience that doing daily elbow rotation exercises can increase rotation in the elbow to help make up for the loss in rotation of the wrist. It works but takes a really long time to develop extra elbow rotation being more right handed seemed to give my right arm more elbow rotation then my left arm for instance.

[kazzamatazz]

My friend has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome... The doctor diagnosed it like this...
If you tap the inside of your Wrist, and it feels like an electric shock, its carpal Tunnel.
Hope this helps!

[Bab52]

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME