# protection against\[re-injuring a\] distal radius fracture--edited title

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-against-re-injuring-a-distal-radius-fracture-edited-title/608877>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 9, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-against-re-injuring-a-distal-radius-fracture-edited-title/608877 "2012-01-09T01:27:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-against-re-injuring-a-distal-radius-fracture-edited-title/608877/1 "2012-01-09T01:27:51Z")

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Fell off me bike last week, hit ice patch. broke my arm bones, bothof them in the wrist. i don’t want todo this again; can i protect myself against it with some kind of gear? how truly effective will this gear should i fall again.

surgery on wednesday to put a plate in. any advice or experience would be appreciated

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**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-against-re-injuring-a-distal-radius-fracture-edited-title/608877/2 "2012-01-10T13:12:31Z")

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after some searching i found this

> **[ski-injury.com - ski injury Resources and Information.](http://www.ski-injury.com/prevention/wrist_guards)**
>
> ski-injury.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, ski-injury.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-against-re-injuring-a-distal-radius-fracture-edited-title/608877/3 "2012-01-10T13:29:19Z")

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Yep. Wrist guards, aka wrist braces, have been around forever. Or at least since the late '80s when my mom, who was soooooo uncool, made me wear them when I took up rollerblading.

You want the kind with the metal bar in it. (The kind without the metal bar isn’t a protection against injury, it’s a treatment for soft tissue injuries - like if you sprain your wrist.) They’re designed so that if you fall, the shock of the fall is taken up by the metal bar. It may break, but your bones shouldn’t.

They’re pretty cheap, and well worth it, in my book.

> **[Eastern Mountain Sports | Your go-to for gear, guidance, and having a good...](https://www.ems.com)**
>
> The most trusted source for outdoor apparel, gear & guidance for the outdoor adventurers.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-against-re-injuring-a-distal-radius-fracture-edited-title/608877/4 "2012-01-11T00:41:07Z")

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The concern I’d have is that they might interfere with adequate and responsive control of the bicycle, especially rapid use of the brakes. This is not skiing or rollerblading.