5 th metacarpal question. - Open to All Other Health Topics Message Board

NuclearParanoid · 08-14-2005, 01:26 PM

{removed}I have a fracture on my right hand. (Wearing the cast now) I'm 20, do you think 2 weeks is enough for 5 th metacarpal to heal?

Thanks

feelbad · 08-15-2005, 06:21 AM

unfortunetly it will take much longer than just a couple of weeks for any fracture to properly heal.i would say a minimum of six weeks at the very least.But where you have this fracture luckily it is supported well and should be able to heal without too many problems.Alot of just how a fracture heals is dependant on the mechanism of injury(just how did you end up with this fracture?)and the severity and type of fracture.It is just a matter of waiting.How long did your doc say that the cast has to be on?FB

NuclearParanoid · 08-15-2005, 03:08 PM

The doctor said to wear the cast for 2 weeks, that's my 13 th day today. The appointement I have at the hospital for removing the cast will be in 5 days. So should I wait until the appointement or remove it myself tomorrow? I really feel ok now, there's no more pain when I move my 5 finger inside the cast. I know, they should make an x - ray at the hospital to verify if everything's ok... but no, I think I'll remove it tomorrow.

feelbad · 08-16-2005, 06:24 AM

I would not do this yourself as the hand and fractured area really need to be re evaluated by the your doc for possible problems,and to make sure that everything is in correct alignment so it can heal the right way.He will also most likely do an x ray to double check that.he also needs to make sure(x ray) that the bones are actually starting to 'knit" together,In some cases, the fusion of bone does not show up as it should at this point in time due to many different factors.But from what you have stated and the fact that your pain is gone are all good signs that the proper healing is taking place.You just want to make very sure that this is the case by having it re evaluated.If this break does not heal properly,some time down the road, it could cause you some significant problems.The worst one possibly being a really bad arthritic type pain that you really don't want to have.just see the doc and get this all done right,for your own sake,K?FB

NuclearParanoid · 08-16-2005, 04:38 PM

Well, what I've done, instead of removing the cast, I removed the hand from it. It's really good, no pain. Only thing, it's really hard to move the 5 finger, I can't put it straight yet. And I'm afraid to force it, cause I feel that this might give me some pain. I guess it's normal though. I'll keep the cast on my hand until friday and I'll see what the doctor will say.

thanks