"Lack of aftercare information"

I am 71 years old.

My plaster cast was removed after just over 3 weeks. Very professionally done.

I saw the doctor who asked me how the injury happened and then checked me for pain in various areas of my wrist. We discussed the simplicity of the break by looking at the xray, which I found very interesting and informative. They told me I could have a splint instead, and here the road to recovery got very confusing. They said the splint would definitely be for a week but intimated it might be as long as 3 weeks. I checked that I wouldn't need to wear it in bed and they said no, which I understood to mean if I was sitting watching TV or the like, as well. Our consultation seemed to end at that point so, as I was about to go through the door, I asked whether I could ride a bike gently or paddle my kayak gently and they said perhaps after a week or more but gently.

I was then sent to be fitted with a splint. The splint was fitted and the member of staff gave me a sheet of wrist exercises, but added that perhaps I wouldn't need it because I was used to using my wrist for paddling a kayak regularly. At that point they asked me if I was needed to return for another appointment. I had absolutely no idea so they went down the hall to ask the doctor. They returned and told me I was discharged.

Later that day, I quietly went through the exercises with no effort but just to check I understood each one of the four simple exercises and could probably do them.

Next day at home I started to do the exercises without the sheet (I had lost it!) and, through the day I repeated them five times at 3-4 hourly intervals. Generally they were OK. That night I noticed more pain in my wrist and, next morning, I realised that 5 times was clearly too much ... or perhaps I was being a little too vigorous, who knows?

From now on, to start with, I'll do them only twice a day. How am I supposed to work this one out? How long do I wear the splint? Perhaps until all the aches disappear...

I really should have had, as a minimum, a recovery guidance leaflet. This was really very necessary as I am so eager to recover that I frequently try to do too much.