Repairing broken wrist, hypersensitive skin, help!

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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The cast was taken off my broken wrist last Monday. I have pretty good use of the fingers, not much strength, I can't do a royal wave or make shadow puppets or lean against a wall using my right hand, but I am sure that with time and exercise I'll get those things back. The wrist is a bit sore BUT -

what is really driving me nuts is the hypersensitivity of the skin on my wrist. Pretty much where a watch would sit there is a band of skin that looks perfectly normal but feels as if it has been burned. It hurts when anything touches it - a sleeve, a sheet, hay, anything. Apparently this is quite normal after a fracture and cast and will "pass away in time" but I really want to hurry it up! I'm sleeping worse than I did while the cast was still on, which honestly seems bonkers.

I've used moisturiser and aloe vera so far. Aloe helped to start with but then started to make the skin a bit lizardy so I discontinued it for now. A light moisturiser helps briefly, then the pain/sensitivity starts again. Oddly, hot baths with arnica do help but again it's only temporary.

Does anyone have any experience of this and/or any advice to offer? Thanks!
 
You need to brush it, I know it sounds daft, use a really really reallt soft brush and brush it several times a day for a few minutes, and work up to stiffer bristles, but only gently gently. I have hypersensitive skin after a break
 
It will take a year before you find it;s better...that was my kind of time scale anyway
 
It was Esther.D's mother who is a physio therapist told me this trick. It's nerve impulses all messed up and the soft brush getting to gradually firmer bristles is supposed to stimulate the nerve impulses.

Mine was nerve damage due to a huge whack. I still have nno feeling in the skin on most of the front of my leg. some is still hyper sensitive, but bearable now.
 
The brush thing did not work for me sadly. Mine just got less painful over time, then has been numb for the last 15 years and now I've started getting the feeling back! Can't bear anything apart from clothes touching it still though. But mine was from a wound and surgery so maybe different.
 
Good luck Jane. I burned my wrist where the watch goes last week. Thought I would move it to the other wrist (my left) and I just cant wear it there, it irritates. It is a leather strap. So part of the skin tolerating the watch thing may just be habit? I was given a wrist watch when I was 8 and wore it on that wrist every day since. It never entered my head that one couldnt change it over. And if you have had a six week gap with no watch -
 
Yeah it's altered nerve endings/sensations @Jane&Ziggy - either through trauma or no stimulation.

Gentle movements will help the nerve endings "relearn" their job, as will physical touch. You might also said Bowen or acupuncture helps :)
 
Oh Jane that sounds horrid, I've never broken anything - touch wood and had never heard of it before, hope it starts getting back to normal soon though. Must be driving you bonkers.
 
I am experiencing the exact feelings in my wrist and hand. My cast has been off for 2 weeks now. I was experiencing the sensitivity while my cast was still on but now I am going out of my mind. Does anybody else have any suggestions?
 
Hello @lorifoley , this is a pretty old thread but no harm in resurrecting it if you need help. I found that the brushing idea was the most effective, but the hypersensitivity cleared up pretty quickly in the end. What have you tried so far?
 
I have done the hot and old for a week now. I’ve moisturizer, used aloe vera, poly spork and cortisol cream. I feel I’m ready to amputate. Lol
 
What a pain, it is horrible. Try the brushing. I used a goat hair horse face brush for my wrist, it was the only thing soft enough for me to bear but it did help!
 
@lorifoley I just had my cast off 4 days ago after 7 weeks in plaster and have the same problem! I have really bony wrists / hands so there were pressure points on both sides and on my thumb so I totally sympathise! But I’m finding it’s best if I leave it alone as much as possible. I gently rub my E45 cream into the skin when I get up and then put my elasticated bandage on and don’t touch it for the rest of the day. The more you touch it the more sensitive you’ll make it.
 
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