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Rebuilding arm strength after a wrist fracture.
Twelve weeks, two dumbbells and one determined patient — from plaster-cast weakness to carrying the weekly shop.
Overview
Margaret, 64 — distal radius fracture.
Margaret fell on an outstretched hand and spent six weeks in plaster. When the cast came off, her dominant arm was weak, stiff and frightening to use — she was dressing one-handed and avoiding stairs that needed a rail grip.
Her goal was specific: carry her shopping, garden freely and lift her granddaughter again. We built the whole programme backwards from those three tasks.
Challenge → approach → result
Challenge
Guarded and fragile
Grip strength was less than half the other side, wrist extension barely reached neutral, and fear of re-injury made every movement tentative.
Approach
Graded reloading
Mobilisation restored wrist glide, then putty, bands and finally dumbbells rebuilt strength — always paired with real tasks like pouring, pegging and lifting.
Result
Independent again
At week twelve grip matched the other hand within ten percent, stairs needed no rail, and the granddaughter got her lift. Discharged with a home plan.
What made the difference
Strength means nothing without the task.
We never trained muscles in isolation for long. Every dumbbell press ended with a functional rehearsal — shelves, bags, garden pots — so strength transferred straight into Margaret's week. Related support: Empower daily living.
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