So I suffered a serious sprain about a year ago that made it so I couldn't lift any weight for months; I guess it wasn't bad enough to require surgery but it still was a hit, and the (wrist) joint is pretty much healed but the un-injured (left) side still feels stronger and the right seems to be more sensitive; is this something to with that others have claimed there is a chance the joint you hurt if it is serious it will heal mostly but will always be a little weaker? I am 19 years old
2 Answers
Unfortunately, this is very much individually determined, but there are a few things that you can look out for.
If you have persistent soreness, it may not be healed or may not be healed properly. If that is the case, you may need to visit your health care provider and possibly be referred to a specialist.
If you still note weakness, that may or may not be unusual. If you can't use a muscle or limb for a long time, there can be significant muscle atrophy on that side, and without diligent training specifically to address this, it may be a long term weakness.
Normally breaks heal and can even be stronger than surrounding areas, but if you are still noticing weakness and tenderness it might be a good time to revisit the doctor/physical therapist.
Just as an n=1 experience, I ruptured my achilles and was unable to use the calf for 3 months. When they took all the casts/boots off, my calf was the size of my wrist. 4 years later, I have a full recovery but it's still not quite the same strength as the other leg.
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For an n=2 sample, I broke and dislocated my elbow roughly 13 or so years ago. Aside from the muscle atrophy and some newly acquired hypermobility (some, not a ton) not much was different before or after the accident. As time has progressed, I've noticed less an less anything to identify that it had ever been injured to begin with; the mobility of the joint has actually seemed to have returned to a normal range of mobility.– Alex LCommented Mar 12, 2016 at 5:42
Sprains in joints only get better as they heal and working with the range/weight they support.
If the pain is particularly bad or recurring I suggest visiting a sports clinic or other suitable health care provider and getting an x-ray done. When I had a really bad sprain I had this done and the doctor checked to make sure cartilage, joint and bone had no damage done to them. If you got damage I suggest getting it taken care of so you can get the underlying cause of pain (damage in this case) taken care of.
Seeing as your injury was in the wrist joint I would suggest working with the joint and doing what does not hurt (in terms of range and weight) under the advisement of a trained care professional. The hardest thing about sprains is getting back the range of motion you had and weight that it supported.
