Recovery after fracture of the distal radius.

Stretching exercises are an important part of recovery after sustaining a fracture of the distal radius. However, from the patient's perspective, painful stretching exercises can be counterintuitive after injury. Stretching exercises are straightforward and do not require a significant amount of coaching. It is ultimately the protectiveness, passivity, and sometimes a sense of futility that require coaching. The key for the provider is to empathize with the difficult and counterintuitive nature of the recovery process.