Cycling after healed broken wrist

littleredhen

Unfortunately my wrist has not gone back to the flexibility it should have after breaking it in February (Colles fracture)
I have had physio but it just does not bend up the way properly and I recently tried cycling to work and it was uncomfortable (not painful)
It is a fairly flat cycle of 5 miles, I have lost my fitness after 8 months of not cycling but I am finding it impossible to get a comfy position on the handle bars - they are just straight handle bars.
Any advice please?

esuhl

Are you putting too much weight on your hands? Maybe a stem with a steeper angle (to effectively raise the handlebars) would make things more comfortable...?

I recently got something like this for my bike:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360581798913

littleredhen

Yes I am definitely putting too much weight on my handlebars, I seem to do this until I get fitter and then its not too much of a problem!

Teapot55

Sometimes pain can tell you it is a good idea not to do something but sometimes the complete opposite is the case. Self-refer to the (NHS) physio & get some expert advice? They can tell you whether you are doing yourself some good by trying to ride or whether you are causing more damage.

Do be patient with yourself. The body is remarkable & can heal, but it takes time.

(My anecdote: my old slight injury to my hand from coming off my bicycle on black ice flared up after twenty years but went away again when I saw the physio for my neck & got the right exercises).

littleredhen

Hi there its not pain and there is no physio that can help it is just the way my bones have healed, I was offered an operation but with no guarantee of it going back where it should be - basically the long bone sticks out and sort of rubs (no pain) on my wrist joint and I can't bend my wrist back properly, no amount of physio is going to get my wrist back any further as I have had several physio visits and been advised it won't get any better than I already have

littleredhen

and should say it looks deformed! the hospital told me I was "unlucky" that it healed that way!!

Teapot55

That is really bad luck, little red hen. Esuhl (see post #2) is good on technical bike stuff & so are some of the others on this forum, so hopefully one of them will read your post & come up with lots of practical suggestions.

fred246

I think a penny farthing may provide a more relaxed position and take the weight off your wrists.

Johnmcl7

There's a lot of options out there that can adjust your wrist position to make it more comfortable, I've a few friends that do very long distance cycling and they prefer more swept back handlebars as it's easier on their wrists:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jones+handle+bars&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV7t_7z7nYAhXGDMAKHejtDVcQ_AUICygC&biw=1502&bih=734&dpr=1.25

John

Lorian

These help my wrists. They aren't very mse. you can get cheaper clones I think.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ergon-gp1-handlebar-grips/



Also be aware moving your seat backwards on the rails can tend to take weight off the wrists, if there is room and it doesn't upset your pedaling geometry.

Nebulous2

I had two colles fractures about 18 months apart as a teenager. My wrist is misshapen, has less mobility and has bothered me off and on ever since many years later. So it may be you are stuck with it.

I do long distance cycling on a road bike and can lose the feeling in the fingers of that hand if I don't change position regularly. Once the numbness sets in it can be difficult to get rid of it.

You could find ways of improving the weight on your wrist, but it could mean throwing a lot of money at it. European style bikes have a more upright position - and often have an adjustable stem. That has a variable height which raises the position and brings the handlebars closer to you. A bit like this, though the ones I have seen have been silver rather than black.

However - and not wanting to be the bringer of bad news, your wrist may never quite recover to pre-accident levels of functioning.