Wrist & hand Post-Fracture Rehabilitation
Colles’ Fracture
- Wrist stiffness after cast removal
- Weak grip
- Swelling and altered sensation
- Difficulty turning the palm up
Quick answer
A Colles’ fracture is a break of the radius just above the wrist, usually from a fall onto an outstretched hand. The bone heals in the cast, but the wrist, hand and forearm stiffen and weaken. Rehabilitation after cast removal typically takes six to twelve weeks.
Typical recovery
6–12 weeks of rehabilitation after the cast comes off
A typical range, not a promise — how long it takes depends on how long it has been going on, and on what you do between appointments.
A Colles' fracture is the most common wrist fracture — a break of the radius just above the wrist, typically from falling onto an outstretched hand. It is particularly common in older women with reduced bone density.
What happens after the cast
The bone unites in four to six weeks. What does not recover on its own is everything the cast immobilised: the wrist is stiff in every direction, turning the palm up is limited, grip strength has dropped substantially, and the fingers and shoulder are often stiff too because people stop using the whole arm.
Swelling and altered sensation are common in the early weeks.
How physiotherapy helps
- Restoring wrist movement in all directions, and forearm rotation, which is often the most limited and the most functionally important
- Swelling and scar management
- Progressive grip and forearm strengthening
- Mobilising the fingers, elbow and shoulder, which stiffen from disuse
- Graded return to weight-bearing through the hand — pushing up from a chair, floor work
How long it takes
Six to twelve weeks of rehabilitation after cast removal for most people. Older patients and those immobilised longer take more time. Getting movement back early matters: residual stiffness that persists past a few months can become permanent.
A point worth raising
A wrist fracture from a low-impact fall in an older adult is a marker for reduced bone density. It is worth asking your doctor about a bone health assessment, because the next fracture is preventable.
Medically reviewed by Nasir Mughees, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026