Physicians

Patient Testimonial

Sabrina, MICRONAIL® Distal Radius Fixation System Recipient

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Sabrina, 49 years old, is an eye technician at a health clinic in Minnesota. On March 17, 2006, Sabrina was at work, kneeling on a chair to put up a poster in the hallway, when she lost her balance and fell forward onto her hands. In the fall, she broke both her wrists. The injury was particularly severe because Sabrina had been on the medication Prednisone, which contributed to a loss in bone density. Sabrina immediately began to worry about how she would manage getting back to work, fearing that she would lose mobility in both arms. Luckily, the hospital was next door, and a colleague helped her over to the emergency room in a wheelchair.

Upon the doctor's examination, Sabrina was told that her right hand was dislocated, and in much worse condition than the left. Dr. Matthew Putnam, Director of Hand Surgery at the University of Minnesota, performed a reduction on her wrist and pulled the right hand back into position before taking X-rays to determine the full extent of Sabrina's injury. Three days later, on March 20, 2006, Sabrina underwent surgery. Under Dr. Putnam's recommendation, Sabrina received the MICRONAIL® Distal Radius Fixation implant in her left wrist, and a traditional, fixed-angle volar plate in the right wrist. The MICRONAIL® implant is an innovative surgical wrist repair device that many times enables patients to utilize the wrist in just one-two weeks vs. the traditional average recovery time of three months. The permanent implant resides inside the bone, eliminating the painful friction caused by conventional plates rubbing against tendons and bone, and the minimally-invasive surgical procedure significantly reduces traditional scarring. Dr. Putnam had originally recommended the MICRONAIL® implant for both wrists, but later determined that due to the more severe fracture on the right, it would be better to use the traditional plate.

Sabrina experienced a fast recovery. Six days post-operation, she was able to both pronate (rotate her hand so that her thumb point inward) and supinate (rotate her hand so that her thumb points outward) her left wrist which was treated with the MICRONAIL® implant, as well as, make a fist. In contrast, Sabrina experienced a lot less mobility in her the right forearm which was treated with a conventional plate, and was limited to a neutral position only because she was unable to supinate her right wrist.

Four and a half months after surgery, Sabrina's left hand is nearly back to normal with full mobility and minimal scarring. She is working part-time at her job and hopes to return to full-time soon. While typing for long periods of time causes discomfort in her right hand, her left hand experiences no pain at all. Sabrina has not regained full mobility in her right hand, and is unable to fully pronate the right wrist, which sometimes limits her ability to perform certain activities—especially as she is right-handed.

Her positive experience with the MICRONAIL® implant would lead her to recommend it highly to other wrist injury patients. She is very much looking forward to continuing the recreational activities she enjoys so much, such as canoeing, fishing, and crafting.