Left wrist injury - options for winter bike

johngti

To cut a long story short, a couple or three months ago I tripped as I leapt, gazelle like, up the stairs from my office at work and ended up landing on all fours with much of the impact going through my left wrist. Nothing broken but obviously some damage done as there’s a continuing level of pain, although it’s getting better as I’ve been stretching/mobilising it regularly. The immediate aftermath was that riding became difficult as changing up on the front caused a significant degree of pain after about half an hour and made front shifts pretty much impossible. I obviously wasn’t going to stop riding so I sold my then winter bike and bought ultegra Di2 which has solved the front shifting problem completely.

Trouble is, I’m out of things to sell in order to facilitate that level of spending. I’m also going to want a new winter bike at some point. So the question is this (took a while to get here!).

I’m anticipating a Shimano front shift will continue to be more difficult. So which mechanical shifting system would allow an easier front change? Is SRAM any easier? Or campag? One-by isn’t really an option as there’s lots of short but very steep hills in north Kent and I’m rubbish at them. The problem arises because of the wider range of wrist movement I find I need to move the brake lever enough to make the up shifts. Happened with R8000 on the bike that now has Di2 fitted.

Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

webboo

I presume you had it xrayed. However there are bones in the wrist that are hard to see on an X-ray. Have you seen a Physio as you seem to be trying to manage the pain rather than look at under lying reason for the pain.

imposter2.0

As above. Address the cause of the pain, rather than trying to compensate for it.

johngti

Webboo wrote:

I presume you had it xrayed. However there are bones in the wrist that are hard to see on an X-ray. Have you seen a Physio as you seem to be trying to manage the pain rather than look at under lying reason for the pain.

Nope. Takes a month to get a doctors appointment here these days and then longer for an x-ray on something that isn’t all that urgent. Like I say, the stretching and mobilising is making a big difference and it’s got an awful lot better. You know how it is, stupidly busy at work and not having the flexibility to turn up at any available time.

I’ll get around to having it checked over though. Whatever happens, I suspect there’s going to be a degree of having to compensate for it for a while anyway. Or I stop riding I guess.

webboo

johngti wrote:

Webboo wrote:

I presume you had it xrayed. However there are bones in the wrist that are hard to see on an X-ray. Have you seen a Physio as you seem to be trying to manage the pain rather than look at under lying reason for the pain.

Nope. Takes a month to get a doctors appointment here these days and then longer for an x-ray on something that isn’t all that urgent. Like I say, the stretching and mobilising is making a big difference and it’s got an awful lot better. You know how it is, stupidly busy at work and not having the flexibility to turn up at any available time.

I’ll get around to having it checked over though. Whatever happens, I suspect there’s going to be a degree of having to compensate for it for a while anyway. Or I stop riding I guess.

What about turning up at your local minor injuries clinic or contacting Physio direct( it’s an NHS direct Physio self referral service)

earthvspace4XTuUWcX

If you are still having significant pain after 3 months such that you are unable to use a mechanical shifter this would suggest you sustained a 'significant' injury. Rather than spending your hard earned on a new bike/new gear, the money might have been better spent on seeing an orthopaedic surgeon privately.

pilot_pete

Agree with all the advice to seek medical help in sorting the wrist problem. But, if it ends up being a permanent injury that won’t get any better, then yes Di2 is your solution, but failing that fit a bar end shifter - it’s like an old downtube shifter that fits in the end of your handlebar. I fitted one for my son when he was really young and couldn’t shift the crap Sora front shifter (it required a bit of strength and a large throw and his little hands couldn’t do it).

You can leave the old shifter in place for braking obviously and just use the bar end shifter for gear changing. I know a few old boys who have this set up after injury etc. Works well.

PP

johngti

Webboo wrote:

johngti wrote:

Webboo wrote:

I presume you had it xrayed. However there are bones in the wrist that are hard to see on an X-ray. Have you seen a Physio as you seem to be trying to manage the pain rather than look at under lying reason for the pain.

Nope. Takes a month to get a doctors appointment here these days and then longer for an x-ray on something that isn’t all that urgent. Like I say, the stretching and mobilising is making a big difference and it’s got an awful lot better. You know how it is, stupidly busy at work and not having the flexibility to turn up at any available time.

I’ll get around to having it checked over though. Whatever happens, I suspect there’s going to be a degree of having to compensate for it for a while anyway. Or I stop riding I guess.

What about turning up at your local minor injuries clinic or contacting Physio direct( it’s an NHS direct Physio self referral service)

Didn’t know about physio direct. I’ll get on it. Thanks

johngti

xdoc wrote:

If you are still having significant pain after 3 months such that you are unable to use a mechanical shifter this would suggest you sustained a 'significant' injury. Rather than spending your hard earned on a new bike/new gear, the money might have been better spent on seeing an orthopaedic surgeon privately.

Think that might have been a bit more expensive than the Di2 upgrade kit. But it is improving a lot

david7m

This sounds like an elaborate new bike justification Seriously though, 3 months is a long time and it needs following up.

Darius_Jedburgh

Why not just go and see your local physio? £25/30 for a consultation and suggested plan of action. OK it may need more than that....but it might not. A lot cheaper, quicker and simpler than all these fancy consultations being suggested.

Of course it doesn't have the attraction to snowflakes of a major trauma which requires an immediate injection of a new bike, but it may solve the problem quickly and cheaply.

Not every injury needs the full resources of NHS. Sometimes self treatment is more than adequate.

johngti

Submitted a form to the local physio department. Now, about those mechanical group sets...

shirley_basso

Defo go Di2

Matthewfalle

go retro Dopestrong with a downtube mounted front shifter

or 1x with well researched gear spread

#shifty

6wheels

Just swapped my best/summer bike to 1X, running 11-36 with 40t c/r which gives top speed of nearly 30mph at 100rpm and 29 inch gear at bottom. With C/R, cassette,roadlink and chain cost was £150 and should be plenty of range there for your winter riding and it is really nice not to bother with a front mech.

As MF said , worth a look.

johngti

Definitely worth a look. Starting the process now. I’m that rubbish at holly stuff that I actually use the 34/34 combination I run at the moment. Admittedly not often!

FatTed

You need a firm diagnosis, probably should have an MR scan of your wrist and scaphoid. Fractures often missed on X-ray, you could have broken some ligaments in your wrist. most of these things can be fixed.

johngti

I suspect an MRI will be a total non-starter. It’s at the point where there’s a bit of stiffness and very occasional discomfort when I wake up which soon passes with a bit of stretching. Ultimately, I’m a 50 year old recreational cyclist so spending thousands of pounds on treating this isn’t going to happen. I think the only treatment option will be physio, maybe following an x-ray which, like many, I doubt will show anything.