A broken wrist can change much more than how you use your hand. Getting out of a chair, bathing, carrying a meal and using a stair rail may suddenly need a different approach. When I provide physical therapy at home after a fall, I look at both the injury and the everyday movements that need to be safe during recovery.
Protect the wrist while keeping the rest of you moving
A distal radius fracture is a break near the wrist end of the forearm’s radius bone. Your orthopedic clinician determines when you can move the wrist, lift objects or put weight through the hand. A removable splint does not automatically mean you can take it off for exercise.
Gentle movement of the fingers and other joints not immobilized may be appropriate, following your care team’s instructions. Wrist stretching, gripping exercises and strengthening need to match your stage of healing. Less pain does not, by itself, mean the bone is ready for more load.
I also check how you stand up and move around without pushing through the injured hand. If you need a walking aid, we need to make sure its setup respects your wrist restrictions.
Look at where the fall happened
During a home visit, I can assess the actual doorway, step or walking route that is causing difficulty. Practical changes may include better lighting, clearing obstacles, secure handrails and footwear that fits securely. In the bathroom, properly installed grab bars, suitable seating and temporary assistance may help make daily care safer.
I choose balance and strength work around the person’s ability and fracture precautions. Research supports appropriately designed exercise for reducing falls, including a trial that integrated balance and strength activities into daily routines. That does not mean every balance exercise is safe to try alone.
If dizziness is part of the picture, check the cause
Dizziness can have several causes, including inner-ear disorders, medication effects and other medical conditions. I do not assume that dizziness with head movement establishes a specific vestibular diagnosis.
When vestibular rehabilitation is appropriate, exercises are selected for the assessed problem and adjusted to the person’s response. I would not recommend standing on one leg with eyes closed as a general home exercise after a fall. The plan needs to account for symptoms, available support and the healing wrist.
Recovery also means planning ahead
Keep your orthopedic follow-up appointments and ask when each activity can resume. Seek prompt medical advice for new numbness, pale fingers, worsening pain or difficulty moving the fingers. After a fracture from a fall at standing height, ask your medical clinician whether bone-health assessment is appropriate.
My goal is to help you protect the healing injury while staying as active and independent as safely possible. In-home physical therapy lets us practice the daily tasks that matter in the setting where you actually do them.
For one-on-one physical therapy at home in Bucks County, Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia, call 267-647-9097 to discuss your needs.
This article provides general education; your fracture restrictions and exercise plan should come from your treating clinicians.
Related resources
Balance and mobility practice at home
Home exercise access and more movement resources
Sources
AAOS: Distal radius fractures and cast and splint care — orthopedic guidance.
CDC: Fall prevention and NIH/NIDCD: Balance disorders — official guidance.
Clemson et al., BMJ, 2012: The LiFE randomized trial — original research on integrating balance and strength training into daily life in older adults at increased fall risk; not a wrist-fracture rehabilitation trial.
