Running with a broken wrist

boucher

Hi,

I just fractured my wrist. In a temporary hard cast until I go back to the fracture clinic in a few days.

From experience they tend to stink after a while.

I'm currently training for a marathon and really can't afford to lose out on 6+ weeks of running.

Does anyone know if it's possible to run in cast? Is there a special type of cast I can request? If it costs extra I don't care.

Has anyone had any experience of this?

THANK YOU

hot to trot

Thermoplastic resin casts - the light and often coloured ones are twice as light , ( and twice as expensive). If they get wet, you can dry them with a hairdryer but this is obviously to be avoided.
The plaster of Paris one is absorb-able and often used where there is a wound under the cast, Any goo coming from the wound is drawn into the cast and stops it rotting and festering inside. If POP gets wet it loses strength and support.

If you dont have an open wound, tell your plaster nurse that you like to run and she may be able to put additional lining in to absorb more sweat than usual.
Good luck

Occasionally they put the initial layer of POP and then finish off with resin.

seanynova

you might want to consider not running for a while as the vibration/shocking cased by each step may not be good for your fractured bone(s).
ask your doctor if its ok to run while on the mend.

a few years back i broke a finger and didnt run for a short while until the bones had set in place - i used my doctors recommendation before returning to activity.

good luck with the healing process but dont let marathon training be a reason for your wrist to not healing correctly.

boucher

Thanks for the replies.

There is no open wound at all so hopefully no POP will be needed.

For the first few weeks I won't even dream of running as bone has to set but after that I'd like to do some light running.

I guess all I can do is wait til tomorrow to see what the nurse/Dr tell me what I can or cannot do.

Hopefully a breathable case is out there that won't stink after a few runs!!

hot to trot

Couldn't agree more. I wouldn't run either until at least week 3 when you have some union but you will find yourself using it more and more and that will be a good guide.
A lot depends on whether it is just cracked or if the bones have moved out of place.
Best of luck.

spurscormac

Would definitely seek doctors advice on this - wrist strength is crucial in everyday life, far more important to ensure its fully healed before running again rather than risk long term damage by training for any race too soon.
Could also ask doc if they have any suggestions for cross training that wouldn't be impacting. Perhaps some easy cycling on a trainer just to keep the legs spinning (though would need to have no weight on your wrist while doing so).