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Boarding with a fractured wrist!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
My son fell and fractured his wrist yesterday, we are due to head to Les Gets on Saturday. My questions are, is it crazy ask the hospital to put a 'mega' cast on and let him board? He is a competent skier, maybe he would be safer on skis for the week or is that still a silly idea? I am torn between cancelling altogether (also because there's very little snow and so limited runs will be very busy and dangerous) and taking him to see what he can do. Any thoughts...?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've skied with an arm in plaster, but I don't think it would be wise to board in a cast. Apparently you should also inform your insurer of the break.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Ignoring the insurance aspect for a second...if he falls and doesn't make the injury worse...will he have the strength to lift his entire body weight on just his one good arm to get back up?
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Thanks - we will inform them, hadn't thought of that!

Am thinking that boarding isn't going to be an option, as you say, he prob wouldn't have the strength to get up. I reckon he could just about grip a ski pole but my OH is not keen for him to do anything, I just can't bear the thought of him travelling with us and spending Christmas in the apartment! Such a shame as his present was a new board Sad
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
If you can use his fracture to claim on your insurance I'd say the best option would be to cancel and rebook for Easter. Boarding (or skiing) with a recent fracture is not a greta idea for lots of reasons.
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@rob@rar, +1
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If your insurance will cover you, think Rob has the best idea, but if you do go, make sure you have a doctors fit-to-fly note. We had a one of our party refused his place on a flight thanks to a fresh break he'd picked up a couple of days earlier. You might not need one but you can probably guarantee that if you don't have one, you'll get a jobsworth on the desk who'll insist on one.

Is it his dominant hand he's broken? He *may* have issues getting his bindings done up and tight if he's unable to get the pressure on the ratchets with his crocked hand, but he'll definitely have issues getting a skiboot buckle done up too. Don't forget that he'll also need a comically oversized mitt to go over the cast. A wool sock with a hole for the thumb helps as an inner for the mitt. As for riding, your son is unlikely to break the wrist any worse with the supporting cast if he whacks it while riding. It'll hurt like hell, and you've more risk of breaking your fingers too from being crunched by the cast.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@rob@rar, +1.

Mentally he wouldn't be able to relax and apply an agile stance on the board - his knees will be stiff and he will naturally be very cautious, slow, looking behind him excessively etc. I have boarded with bruised ribs a few times and I can tell you it's not pleasant.

Current conditions would make the whole experience even worse - I would think it would be extremely busy ...

If you are able to claim I would cancel, get a refund (good luck) and rebook for later ...


Last edited by After all it is free Go on u know u want to! on Mon 19-12-16 13:12; edited 1 time in total
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Thanks guys, this is really helpful! We are driving so no issues with fly note.

Lots to think about, we will most likely make the trip and take it in turns to 'babysit' (he is 14) him in the apartment, while the rest head out, then swap round. We have 2 other children who board too so it'd be hard on them to cancel completely. We also have issues rebooking later in the year - GCSE's/mocks (yuk).

Will see what the hospital say when we go back on Weds.

It's a total bug for him as he was so looking forward to progressing with his boarding! Looking for a miracle rolling eyes
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I smashed my lower arm to smithereens while boarding, a few years ago and went skiing with it 3 weeks later in a cast. I wouldn't necessarily advise it though, but I was fine with it, although I was skiing with my kids, who were younger at the time and therefore I wasn't exactly pushing it. I wouldn't have boarded on it though, due to the nature of the way you fall when on a board.
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@Sarahmac0, I feel for you, my son (also 14) did his in August and its only now the docs have cleared him for back on a board. Even then he's very nervous.

Wishing him well from us snowheads
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Oh man that sucks, I'm sorry for him. I don't know Les Gets but is there any alternative activities he could do like swimming or bowling? Depends on which wrist it is I suppose. I take it he is under 18 or he could spend the week in the bar. Anyway whatever happens I hope you have a good holiday.
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If he likes being in the mountains anyway, then hiring a set of snow shoes for the week might be a half decent alternative. I'd rather be doing that than sat at home or in the chalet watching TV. I'd suggest a fat bike but that might be pushing your luck with a wrist fracture...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I understand the caring parent attitude of everyone but...

Broke my wrist on my first trip aged 15 (had 2 one hour lessons before going out). Got it plastered on the evening, took the next day off but was straight back on it the following day. I was even hitting my first kicker by the final day of the trip. I was a complete beginner and had no probs getting up after (regularly) falling.

Go on holiday, let him board (presuming its what he wants to do) and relax.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
manicpb wrote:
I understand the caring parent attitude of everyone but...

Broke my wrist on my first trip aged 15 (had 2 one hour lessons before going out). Got it plastered on the evening, took the next day off but was straight back on it the following day. I was even hitting my first kicker by the final day of the trip. I was a complete beginner and had no probs getting up after (regularly) falling.

Go on holiday, let him board (presuming its what he wants to do) and relax.
It probably depends on the severity of the fracture. If its just a tiny hairline crack then fair enough, full on Colles fracture I'd probably be taking it a bit steady Smile
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
bigtuboflard wrote:
manicpb wrote:
I understand the caring parent attitude of everyone but...

Broke my wrist on my first trip aged 15 (had 2 one hour lessons before going out). Got it plastered on the evening, took the next day off but was straight back on it the following day. I was even hitting my first kicker by the final day of the trip. I was a complete beginner and had no probs getting up after (regularly) falling.

Go on holiday, let him board (presuming its what he wants to do) and relax.
It probably depends on the severity of the fracture. If its just a tiny hairline crack then fair enough, full on Colles fracture I'd probably be taking it a bit steady Smile


Good point. Mine was a pretty horrible break, with pins sticking out through the skin, under the cast, so I wouldn't have wanted to board with that. As I say, skiing was fine though.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
bigtuboflard wrote:
manicpb wrote:
I understand the caring parent attitude of everyone but...

Broke my wrist on my first trip aged 15 (had 2 one hour lessons before going out). Got it plastered on the evening, took the next day off but was straight back on it the following day. I was even hitting my first kicker by the final day of the trip. I was a complete beginner and had no probs getting up after (regularly) falling.

Go on holiday, let him board (presuming its what he wants to do) and relax.
It probably depends on the severity of the fracture. If its just a tiny hairline crack then fair enough, full on Colles fracture I'd probably be taking it a bit steady Smile


Just had to Google Colles fracture and it sounds similar but it was all about 20 years ago. Tbf I guess it does depend on the severity of the fracture and if its an over elbow cast then I guess it I game over, if its not though I'd be riding.

The one thing riding with the cast taught me is to how to fall properly, arms tight in and not flailing, which I have automatically done for the rest of my time riding!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
My youngest (14 at the time) managed to get greenstick fracture of the wrist in the first session of the first day of snowboarding lessons. We took him to the resort clinic and they put him in a small cast.

The doctor was happy for him to ski after a couple of days r&r, but not snowboard due to the likelihood of him falling on it again.

(he's a competent skier and beginner/never again boarder Smile )
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Thanks all!
His is a very small fracture in wrist. He actually fell on his elbow and the impact was passed further up to his wrist - not sure what that type of fracture is called - hairline maybe? Will see what the hospital say when we go back on Weds and hopefully he can ski a little but sounds like boarding is not really a sensible option. He is quite new to it, can link turns etc, but would be first time on a mountain. All experience so far has been at snow centre.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
RIDE THE BOARD! After all, theres no poles to have to grip onto all day and now he's got a built-in wrist guard!
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I've spent a chunk of two seasons with one fracture or another in the fingers/wrists. I chose to learn (from not quite zero) to ski with my arm against my chest on the inside of my jacket, rather than go out on my board; I really don't think snowboarding would be a good idea with a broken wrist.

I didn't feel particularly vulnerable although obviously I kept it sensible at all times. So I would say that it could work for an adult (notwithstanding insurance issues). But I wonder whether a teenager would have enough self-descipline.
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The wrist is quite susceptible to arthritis. Please consider the bigger picture.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Sarahmac0 wrote:
My son fell and fractured his wrist yesterday, we are due to head to Les Gets on Saturday.


Extremely unlikely that your medical nsurance would cover him for any further accidents - read about declarable existing conditions.

What little snow there is, is man-made boiler plate. I would cancel, if you can.
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@Sarahmac0,
[quote]
My son also fractured his wrist, aged 14, on the last run of his last boarding lesson that week.

After putting plaster on, doctor insisted no snowboarding, or skateboarding for 4 weeks when home. However he said skiing would be OK, given he's competent.
Son used oversized mitt on the affected hand and skied for 3 days, more cautiously than usual, with no problem. Snow conditions and visibility were good, with pistes not too busy (3 Valleys, mid March).

Good luck.
Very Happy
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I broke my wrist (scaphoid) when i was about 18, and continued to ride BMX pretty hard in a cast the moment i could stand the pain - it took a LONG time to heal (6 months in the cast), and even once the bone was sorted it was incredibly weak with periods of rather annoying pain for maybe 5 years after. It might not have been entirely because of the stress i put on it, but I'm fairly sure that was a big part of it. Given my experience, I'd advise he exercises extreme caution.

But if it were me I'd go for it.
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We wouldn't be telling someone with only one arm that they shouldn't/can't snowboard.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@jjams82, scaphoid fracture is a nasty injury and is notoriously difficult to heal. It's a tiny bone, and apparently the circulation around it is pretty poor, which is the main reason for it taking a very long time to mend.

@Snow Hound, quite right - except that that's a slightly different scenario, as one can't inflict any further damage to the arm one no longer has.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
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My thinking was with his arm in cast in a sling and strapped to his torso, he's unlikely to do any further damage. I was seriously considering this to protect a damaged rotator cuff.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
You have to assess the situation and take a view. Something we can't do from here.

When I broke my shoulder (track bike crash, not snowboard) the NHS guys tried to write my season off. That's perhaps because they were frightened of taking responsibility for me. They didn't need to, so I went snowboarding and it was good. Bad things could have happened: that's the risk I took based on my assessment of my situation.

If the patient is up for it, and knows the possible scenarios, I can't see the problem. You don't need (or want to use) your wrists to snowboard! Get a mate to fasten your bindings if you can't. I'm sure it'd hurt like hell if you fell on it, but nothing's without risk and it's hardly life threatening stuff. It's not hard to avoid falling if you know you can't; it's even easier to fall in a controlled manner. I do not ride park, however, which I'd say makes falls inevitable, but if your child does that, they know that risk.

The only circumstances I'd avoid riding for that would be if I had good clinical advice that it would cause irreversible damage - that I'd lose my hand or something. "Good" is the key word there - the NHS guys are always conservative/ risk averse, I just ask them for the actual mechanism for any suggested risk. Insurance? They have a health service in France and it's free and they can't refuse to treat you because you were sick before you arrived in the country. If you're worried about rescue, well it's a wrist, right? So if you bang it, it will hurt, then you can ride or walk down. If you're hit by some out of control skier and invalided off, I think an insurance company would have a very tough time trying to weasel out of that because you happened to have a wrist in a pot. Worst case, it's a few hundred quid, probably less. You can always check in advance what the actual sled costs are, if they are none zero.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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At his age , not really worth the risk of totally screwing his wrist arm up for life if he has another big fall on it

SIMPLE
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