Wrist Fracture Treatment: Faris's Story

A Pickleball Fall Causes a Severe Wrist Fracture (FOOSH Injury)

It was during a friendly game of pickleball with his brother and nephew that Faris experienced an injury that surprised him.

“It was so quick,” he explains. “My foot hit a crack in the court’s surface, and I went down hard on my outstretched left hand. It hurt but I really thought it was OK.”

Quickly, his wrist began to swell, and his family suggested he go to a nearby emergency department to get it checked out. He agreed and once there, x-rays showed that he had fractured several bones in his wrist. This injury is sometimes referred to as a FOOSH (Falling On OutStretched Hands) injury because it frequently occurs when someone instinctively reaches out to protect themselves from a fall.

After realigning the broken bone fragments in his wrist and putting on a splint, the emergency provider recommended that he see an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the wrist immediately. He explained that this fracture would need a higher level of care.

Finding the Right Wrist Fracture Surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush

“I called my friend Dr. Brian Cole at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush for a referral,” Faris says. “He highly recommended the hand, wrist, and elbow surgeons in his group and thought I would like Dr. John Fernandez, a very talented physician who also has an affinity for cars.”

The next day, Dr. Fernandez saw Faris in his Chicago clinic and ordered new, more detailed x-rays.

“Dr. Fernandez was very straight-forward which I liked,” Faris recalls. “He said ‘it doesn’t look great and you’re going to need surgery.’” He also told me that I’d need a week or so to let the swelling go down before he could perform the surgical repairs. Then we enjoyed talking about our shared love of cars.”

Dr. Fernandez made no bones about how complex Faris’ fracture was.

“Faris had a very severe fracture,” Dr. Fernandez explains. “What made it significant was the fact that it was in multiple pieces and involved the wrist joint, putting it at risk for developing arthritis. What made it even more difficult was that he is relatively young with an active lifestyle, so I told him that we would use advanced techniques for better fixation of the fracture, which would also allow him to be active during the recovery process. We created a staged treatment plan, including an initial surgery using a temporary titanium plate and screws, plus the possible use of a spanning external fixator, a device with pins coming out of the skin connected to a carbon fiber bar.”

Faris agreed with Dr. Fernandez’s treatment plan, and scheduled surgery at the Rush Oak Brook Outpatient Center four days later. Dr. Fernandez estimated that the surgery would take about one hour and Faris would go home the same day.

The successful surgery lasted three hours, not one, and Faris awoke with an external fixator on his wrist to stabilize the joint and bones. Dr. Fernandez was very pleased with the results and sent Faris home the same day with instructions to take it easy, one-handed, for five weeks.

Faris did take it easy but shortly after surgery, he managed to slip in a driving trip to Colorado with friends. He texted Dr. Fernandez photos of both the drive and of his wrist, external fixator, and all.

“Faris made it very clear how important the trip was and being a car enthusiast myself, I immediately understood,” Dr. Fernandez says. “Communication is critical to patient care and in cases like this I am in touch with the patient on a daily basis to get real time feedback and make adjustments as needed. In Faris’ case, it involved photos from the road.”

Just four weeks post-surgery, Faris returned to Dr. Fernandez’s office where the external fixator was removed. More x-rays showed that the device had served its purpose and the bones were healing nicely. Faris left with a removable splint.

Recovering Near-Full Wrist Function After Complex Fracture Surgery

Dr. Fernandez ordered occupational therapy for his patient beginning with just exercises to move his fingers. At the next checkup, he was pleasantly surprised to see how well Faris was healing and stepped up his OT to include wrist movements. Gradually, Faris’ wrist flexion and extension improved and today, almost six months later, he enjoys a near-100% range of motion in that joint.

“I like to think of driving as part of my therapy,” Faris jokes. “Gripping the steering wheel and paddle shifting up and down the gears really works the wrists.”

Faris has nothing but gratitude for Dr. Fernandez’s care.

“When Dr. Fernandez told me how well I was doing in my recovery process, I told him that’s because he is the Michael Jordan of wrist surgeons,” Faris says. “He took care of me like I was one of his closest, longtime friends.”

The adrenalin-junkie is now working his wrist with light weights and once the cold weather passes, he is looking forward to getting back on his motorcycles this spring.