Dessmond Barr, 50, had just dropped his wife off at work one day, when suddenly another vehicle struck his car. Mr. Barr immediately felt severe pain in his right arm. He was transported by ambulance to a nearby Level I Trauma Center because there was concern he had a head injury as well.
X - rays at that hospital confirmed Mr. Barr had fractured his wrist. Doctors there aligned the displaced bone and ultimately elected to treat himin a cast.
Mr. Barr followed up on his orthopaedic care, but his wrist r emained in pain. “The doctor prescribed pain medication,” he recalls, “but I didn’t want that. I wanted my wrist to heal so I wouldn’t be in pain!” The doctor then referred him to hand therapy to improve strength a nd range of motion. Mr. Barr chose MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for his rehabilitation and began seeing Occupational Therapist Deborah Furcolo, OTR/L, CHT.
“I still couldn’t write,” says Mr. Barr, who is right - handed. “And I couldn’t work at all, as I cook for a living. In my mind, I tho ught it just needed more time.”
But as the weeks passed, time and therapy did not ease the pain or improve his range of motion. At his wife’s insistence, Mr. Barr sought a second opinion. Ms. Furcolo recommended Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon Curtis Henn, MD, at MedStar Georgetown.
Mr. Barr saw Dr. Henn nearly three months after the accident. New X
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rays ordered by Dr. Henn showed his fracture had healed in an improper
position. To remedy it, and since conservative measures had failed, Dr. Henn recommended surgery
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"The wrist can tolerate a certain amount of deformity, but Mr. Barr's deformity was such that I felt surgery was the only
way to ultimately reduce his pain and improve his function," says Dr. Henn.
Mr. Barr agreed and underwent outpatient surgery with Dr. Henn, who used a saw and a chisel - like instrument to recreate the fracture. He then put the bone in correct alignment and secured it with two stainless steel plates and nine screws. The technically challenging sur gery took about two - and - a - half hours.
After spending several days in a splint, Mr. Barr’s arm was placed in a cast, which he wore for six weeks. He then returned t o see Ms. Furcolo for additional hand therapy sessions. Mr. Barr’s wrist subsequently healed in the appropriate alignment, and he has regained nearly normal range of motion. His hand and wrist no longer bother him. “My wrist is great now,” he says. “I have no numbness or weakness, and absolutely no pain. I’m so glad I went to see Dr. Henn, and I put him at the top of my list of doct ors. Not only does he make sure you understand everything, he cares about your overall well - being.”
“My wrist is great now. I have no numbness or weakness, and absolutely no pain. I’m so glad I went to see Dr. Henn.”
- DESMOND BARR
“The wrist can tolerate a certain amount of deformity, but Mr. Barr's deformity was such that I felt surgery was the only way to ultimately reduce his pain and improve his function. ”
- CURTIS HENN, MD