How long is the pain suppossed to last after proximal row carpectamy? it been 2and a half months most of the wrist and hand are doing ok, but my wrist on the pinky side hurts bad and it seems like something isnt right. my doctor says it normal but i don'

A : A prc or any reconstructive surgical procedure for the wrist may take time before pain fully abates. There are many factors that can cause discomfort. Weakness of grip, as the tendons may time to equilibrate and give full excursion, may be a cause of discomfort. Another may be residual weakness in the flexors or extensor of the wrist with gripping. As we grip our hands fall into a pattern of what is known as ulnar deviation ( turned a little bit towards the little finger side) even in a normal wist you can feel the tension develop on the little finger side as you grip. Imagine you are holding a hammer and you will see what i mean. Other factors may be other areas of your wrist that are arthritic, irritation to nerves or tendons that will likely abate with time. The time period for a wrist to return to full strength varies after prc. There are some who feel it may correlate with the time of immobilization post operatively keep your doctor informed and ask why he or she feels it is normal. Talk to a hand therapist as well if you need help to strengthen.

Proximal : Proximal row carpectomy is a salvage procedure for a variety of wrist problems that is generally only used when other less invasive options are not suitable or have failed. So, prc patients have usually had a long period of wrist pain and/or weakness an/or instability. Pain relief is pretty reliable after prc but may take many weeks to fully obtain, and all patients are different. I would suggest seeing your surgeon and pointing out the specific areas of discomfort. It is possible you may need additional splinting and/or other hand therapy modalities. He/she will probably want to re x-ray your wrist or have dynamic fluoroscopy performed to make sure there are no areas of impingement with wrist motion. Good luck!