Humerus fracture recovery

Hello people,

I thought I'd give an update on my humerus story.

I broke mine on 13th November and was in a cast for about 10 weeks after, this meant I was restricted in my elbow and shoulder, once that cast came off I was in a brace but only for 2 weeks and was able to remove it after that.

I sympathise with every one, being in such a restricting brace was quite Hellish...I couldn't even use my arm to wash my face and showering was a complete nightmare. But now it's all over I am quite glad because it really did keep my arm in place and while at times I was extremely pissed off, in the long run it kept my arm in position probably better than a brace would have.

ROM is coming back quite fast, what I did was, while in the brace made sure to do circular motions with my shoulder to keep it moving, which helps a lot. My arm was constantly bent for those 10 weeks so when it came off and for a few weeks after the pain in the elbow was extremely uncomfortable...but does ease on a day to day basis. Once you keep moving it, it will loosen up and ease.

I have just had my 2nd PT session and it's going really well, I agree with countrygirl's comment earlier, it can be painful but in a hurts so good way...the day after I had my latest session my shoulder felt so much looser and normal. With me, my shoulder compensated the lack of movement in my arm and my whole shoulder moved rather than the arm on it's own, that is coming back.

Took a while for my arm to straighten out, it's about maybe 2/3 degrees off even now but only noticeable to me really. I can now hold my arm straight in the air (such a good feeling) and even though I thought I was fine, going to PT shows me just what I still can't do...I can't stretch my arm up and then back, my PT was pushing that and it was sore...but I know by the next session i n 2 weeks I will be able to do that so it's great. I also can't put my arm behind my back and touch my other shoulder blade. If you haven't yet been to PT I would recommend doing some small things to keep your shoulder moving.

Other than that I can do pretty much everything I could do before now, opening doors now, holding items, typing again. I have been lifting a small 1.5kg weight now, building the muscle back up, that's the most important thing too, you will have no muscle which I found makes lifting the arm up even harder...so really focus on building some muscle because then you'll be strong enough to do the exercises. At PT he tested the strength of both arms and my broken one was almost as strong as the other, which was a good sign that I hadn't lost too much.

I had shoulder and elbow joint pain but it eases day to day and is now almost gone. So, yeah it is awkward but you can cope with it, also remember to take vitamins, I used vitamins I saw other people in those topic taking and that made a huge difference to me. I'm taking cod liver oil now for joints too which is great. I also drank no alcohol or coffee during that time.

I'd say to others, just keep focusing on the end result, how good it will feel when you can use both arms again. The cast I had was massive and I could only wear vests or fleeces over it (in winter!) and being able to put a jumper on again was the best feeling. And being able to sleep in positions, not just on my back is great too.

It will take a bit of time but you really do improve on a day to day basis and afterwards you'll be feeling better when things go back to normal. Obviously it's still going to take time for us all, but when you have a high level of normality you stop focusing on having a broken arm and it's not so annoying!

Like some of you I am new to this too...... Hi Jacuna ;-) I am 33 years old I broke my Humerus December 26th 2008 (12 weeks now) about 10 cm from the elbow, in half and spiral as well snowboarding hit a rail lost my balance fell backwards and snap (honestly worse pain I have ever had, I was in a cast (and sleeping sitting up for 6 weeks) and now I am in a robocop type arm with a joint at the middle for another they say 2 months. I have one question if you can help, I am not a body builder, sorry guys, but I do work out. Do you or have any of you been able to play golf?? See I am from Montreal Canada and we cant play golf all year so I was wonderingif 6 months is enough to start swinging a club?? In my case I am rehabbing well but still hav a tough time with the left shoulder and movement. I as well healed straight with no surgery so at 12 weeks I think I am better but afraid that in a couple of months that I wont be able to golf, I can live with not playing football this summer but golf that hurts.

Oh and thanks all for this thread, sounds like were in sessions but a lot of good ideas all of you, it helps in all areas, physio, motivation, exercises etc...

Hi,
This is my first time posting.
I'm looking for anyone with a similar injury ( humorus fractures).
I was running, fell and fractured my humeral head and the (deltoid tuerosity ) area where it meets the rest of the humorus.I had surgery to put a plate and 11 pins in.I am in physical therapy and refuse to take the oxy-codone. My Dr. told me not to take over the counter painkillers as they inhibit bone growth. I am always in pain, started drinking vodka and soda occasionally to help. My surgery was on the 12th of January and I still can't lift my arm higher than my waist. I'm not allowed to lift anything yet. Just trying to get some range of motion, trying to be patient . I don't have feeling in my hand or the inside of my forearm  yet. I was told ,radial nerve damage ,that will return soon.
I'm in need of someone who can relate to this!!
Anyone????

Hello. My name is Phil. I fractured my humerus arm wrestling with a colleague on January 26, 2009. I am 5'10" and ~195 lbs. I was in brace for about 7 weeks. Today is April 1, 2009 and I have about 60-70% motion. It was a spiral fracture and I didn't need surgery. I have physical therapy for 6 weeks but I'll leave early if I get 90% of motion before 6 weeks. I am 28 years old. I am a computer programmer and didn't work for 3 weeks and then 2 weeks half days depending on back / muscle pain. Pain was an issue for first 1-2 weeks only when I move. I had to sleep sitting on a couch for 6 six weeks. Please just be patient and don't think that your arm won't heal properly or you won't get your full motion back. You will 99% get your full motion and power back. Good luck.

Hello everyone-I am still recovering from surgery Jan 26 of this year. I am in pt and progressing with okay rom. My arm doesnt hurt too much but I still have lymphedema in my index, middle and thumb fingers. It is slowly improving but it is taking a long time. (I originally broke my arm 6/10/08 but the fracture came apart and I ended up w/a plate and 7 screws). I envy you younger folks who seem to be healing okay w/out surgery. I am 58 yrs old and I know my age is against me.

In November 2007 I broke my proximal humerus so it's been about 17 months since the initial injury. Here's an update: It was determined that I had damaged the nerves in my shoulder as well as breaking my arm. Regular doctors and a fracture specialist said I just had 'frozen shoulder' (a painful condition that limits range of motion) but the fracture specialist had missed the nerve damage. Another sports physician referred me to get a nerve conduction test at which time it was determined that I had 'stretched' a couple of nerves which would take a couple of years to heal - at least according to this specialist. He determined that I did not have frozen shoulder because the limits of my shoulder's range of motion was only restricted during my active moving attempts. When i or someone else lifted the arm, my range of motion was greater than when I tried to just move my arm on its own. In other words the muscles were just not receiving all the messages my brain was trying to send my shoulder muscles via my nerves.

I continued with the weight training regime I had started before seeing the nerve specialist and it included all of the regular weight lifting exercises but with greater reps and lower weights when doing front DB raises and side lateral DB raises. I can now do close to my previous weights on many exercises but I'm still limited in my shoulder presses, side lateral raises and front raises. My range of motion is still restricted but is improving slowly. I often hang and swing from my weight lifting cage chin up bar and that has helped with my ROM (range of motion). Side arm lifts I still have restricted ROM but it's also improving. When I do wide grip chin ups my body is still imbalanced but continues to improve albeit slowly.


The nerve damage is what has really stopped me from improving at a faster pace. I also have some pain when my arm or shoulder is in certain positions. When sitting and writing I often have pain in my shoulder but it's manageable. Because of the way I injured my arm and shoulder (motocross accident) I feel that most people that have a broken humerus would not have the nerve damage I did. I probably have some aspects of frozen shoulder in addition to the nerve damage, but it's the nerve damage that concerns me most. As a teacher I sometimes write things on the board. It's painful and difficult to write with my arm fully extended and reaching at or near the limits of my ROM. I've definitely reduced the amount I write on the board. Other daily things I do that are affected: lifting a gallon jug out of the fridge is more challenging and slightly painful, getting plates down from the cupboard is as well, getting jackets on and off has been modified due to a lingering loss of ROM, my shoulder is more sensitive to people hitting it, driving is okay but I experience some pain and discomfort at times especially if I'm driving for extended periods...

As far as sports and physical activities are concerned here's the affects: reduced ability to throw things such as a baseball and football, soreness in my shoulder when road biking - although this is improving as time goes on, soreness, pain and reduced strength when riding my motorbike off road, rowing on a concept II has finally gotten to the point of almost 100%, jogging is at the point where my arm or shoulder isn't really a problem or hinderance, soreness and reduced strength makes it harder for me to negotiate fast, technical down hills on my mountain bike and dirt bike, I can now punch a speed bag reasonable well but still not as fast or powerful as before. Coincidentally, hitting a speed bag was useful therapy and conditioning for my shoulder condition.

Overall, the nerve damage is what has held me back and created difficulties. Range of motion continues to improve if I continue to work on it and strength while doing various weight lifting exercises also continues to improve. I have sectional atrophy in my deltoid but that continues to improve generally although I think I may always have some restricted strength areas there. Upon reflection of what I've gone through with this injury I'm generally positive about my recovery although I certainly hope the nerves improve and I can get my shoulder strength back. Even if nothing ever improved I still have a high quality of life and I'm able to do most things I previously did. Some things life squash and badminton I've had to accept (at least for the time being) a serious drop in my level of game play but....oh well, that's what happens when you choose to do a dangerous sport like motocross :)

Good luck to you all and I hope my expe

Jacuna


 ...I think I am better but afraid that in a couple of months that I wont be able to golf, I can live with not playing football this summer but golf that hurts.

Of course check with a sports doctor first but at least in my experience, actually doing the activity you want to do, albeit at a less intense level and sometimes without the ball, will improve your range of motion, general flexibility and strength as well. There is nothing like sport specific physiotherapy. All the general conditioning in the world probably won't improve your shoulder and arm movements as well for golf as actually swinging a golf club. This has been my experience with racquet sports anyway. A fairly intensive and regular range of motion regime will also help improve your game and get you back to doing what you love to do. Good luck!!

Hi all.
 
I posted before and thought I would update you.
 
In short I have made an almost miraculous recovery! :)
 
I sustained a very bad fracture of my distal humerus on my right arm whilst arm wrestling on the 1st February.
 
If you can believe this it was against a woman! She used both arms and her whole body weight and whilst my arm was hyper extended and with me applying maximum effort my arm just snapped and there was an almighty crack......oh dear!
 
I had a collar and cuff for a week and then underwent ORIF with 2 plates and 12 screws fitted. There was an 8 inch incision and 31 staples to close the wound, this was almost the worst part!
 
The first 2 weeks was just resting it as much as possible but once I had the staples removed, (not pleasant but it felt like 31 little injections so not terrible!) I made a concerted effort to regainmy full range of motion stretching my arms. The main stifness was in the elbow and straightening the armwas very difficult although I had complete ROM in my shoulder.
 
Now my scar has completely healed, I have 100% range of motion, full strength, (no muscle atrophy and I can dumbell curl equal amounts on both arms) and no verve damage, although I am numb around the actual incision site.
 
The one remaining thing will be the 8 inch scar, that actually looks cool on a bloke!
 
If you are borderline with regards to surgery I would 100% recommend doing it. My philosophy is be PROACTIVE, dont wait and hope, get the bone fixed properly, so it 100% straight. The ROM is far better with ORIFand aslong as you have acompetant surgeon you should have MINIMALchance if nerve damage. I askedmy surgeon what the chances of verve damage was and he said I could sue him if he ****ed up!!
 
So.........take small steps, do what your doctor says and try and limit the pain relief as I think its dangerous! I took co-codamol for 3 weeks andat half the recommended dosage as its highly addictive, diclofenac was good though.
 
Anyway - keep going!! These things are meant to test us, andmy arm wrestling days are well and truly over, if you see someone arm wrestling and their arm is way outside the line of their shoulder, STOP THE CONTEST!

Hi folks,
 
Thought I would update.  As a review, I had a chondro-sarcoma (a malignant bone tumor) removed from my humerus and bone graft but no plates or screws, back on October 28, 2008.  I was 8 weeks out from surgery and had full range of motion and starting weight training when I was walking a horse out of the barn, he started getting "jiggy" so I popped the lead rope and snapped the humerus in two at the graft site, that was December 24, 2009.  I was in an immobilizer for 6 weeks and a clam shell cast for 9 weeks.  I started PT about 5 weeks out.
 
I am now about 95% range of motion and 85% strength.  I hope that when I see the doc May 22 I will be released to handle horses again (I have a foal due anyday now) and should be riding by July. I am doing well and I would strongly advise that you all follow your doctor's orders exactly.  You will get better, I promise.  I had some dark times after the break, probably because I had made it through the surgery and then ended up worse off than I had been before.  I will say thank you to all the folks who have posted here.  Your stories and encouragement helped immensely.
 
For those of you just starting through this process or who are in the midst of it, hang in there.  You will get better, your arm will heal, you will get your life back, it just takes time so be patient.
 
If anyone wants to talk privately you are more than welcome to message me or email me at country_girl109@hotmail.com.  Put humerus fracture in the title  as your emails will go to my junk mailbox.
 
Good luck to everyone!

I would like to update for anyone that has read what I have gone through.  I have been working out and doing things I did before my break.  I have full range of motion.  I have some decent pain in my elbow when I am doing lifts.  The doctor said its tendonitis from doing therapy too quickly.  He never gave me restrictions and was very surprised at my progress.  Now I am bummed a bit because he told me to ease off on the heavy weights before I damage my tendons.  All in all Im doing very well. 

Hi,
New to the forum and I appreciate everyone's stories, figured I would share mine and see if I could get any help.
First, I'm a 23 year old male who has been working out regularly (4x per week) for the past year.
On April 25, I was on the decline bench when my left humerus fractured and the 185lbs fell on my face/neck. All things considered, the accident wasn't as bad as possible, and i ended up with a spiral fracture of my distal left humerus (face and neck were just bruised).
Basically I was wondering how long this actually took to heal, and when I will be able to get back in the gym in some capacity (i'm pretty skinny by nature, and was eating/lifting a lot to put on weight/muscle, and i'm afraid it will all disappear). Also, i work in finance (need to be able to type quickly) and im sure this accident isn't helping my bid for continuing employment.
i've heard everything from 6 weeks to 6 months for recovery. I wasn't reccomended to get any surgery, but have had mutliple iterations of splints and casts, and can still feel my bones grind together when i make certain movements.
I guess what I want to know is, when can i get back in the gym in some capacity (ive been reading that working out one side can actually benifit the other), will I regain full strength/ROM, and what I can do to make this process as fast as possible. I eat pretty healthy and take a multivitiman and flax seed oil, but that's all.

Hope everyone's recoveries are going well

Cheers

Alright the forum probably hates this thread by now because of all the new members leaving messages about their accidents.

Just thought I to should share what I went through, it's been over 2 years since I broke my arm.

I'm 19 years old and fractured my humerus over two years ago in a really bad car accident in March of '07.
I had a metal rod inserted into my left arm as well as some screws to hold it in place.

I had to wear a sling for what felt like forever, and after they took it off my ROM was totally messed up. It took me the whole summer to make my arm useable again, as well as months and months of physical therapy. But eventually I pretty much had my full ROM back.

Since my accident I have become very active taking up the sport of triathlon (swimming/biking/running) and my training often includes strength days. This training began in June/July of '08 I began making a lot of progress with lifting until I suddenly hit a wall with my left arm and reached a point where I could not lift any heavier. I began benching 20-25 pounds with my right arm but my left arm would not and could not go past 15 (I'm a skinny guy). Every time I tried to step up the weight my arm simply refused to lift it. The strength just wasn't there for some reason, and if I continually tried to make it lift the 20 I would get an intense pain in my arm at the sight of my injury.

It's been 4 months since that happened, and I decided to discontinue benching in hopes that my arm still had some recovering to do. I will start training sometime this week again with my main focus on building up strength in my arms once again. Hopefully this "block" will be gone when I try again.

By the way, this may be more of a side effect of the doctor cutting through my rotator cuff to do the surgery, but I do remember in the year following surgery my arm would hurt a lot if I twisted it in just the right position and it would catch me off guard sometimes. This slowly disappeared over time but just last week I went to put on my wetsuit and it came back 100% suddenly. It was EXTREMELY painful but only lasted for a second or two until I rotated my arm in a different position. I asked my doctor about it and he said it may be one of the screws touching a nerve and suggested that I could get it removed if I wanted. This would be fine and all, but having my rotator cuff cut open again would really drive me crazy because I'm just so active now. It's very frustrating to know I could have this for the rest of my life, just thought maybe my post could help someone else who might be going through the same thing.

It's only a guess of mine that the "weird pain" others have been describing when trying to lift is actually the weight being transferred to the healing humerus bone itself. When your muscle gives out, it is your bone that does all of the work from there. I'm guessing this because of all the people posting their arm wrestling accidents that result in broken humerus bones. When the muscle reaches its threshold, it must be up to the bone to take it from there. When a bone reaches its threshold it will just buckle or snap. Again, this is only a guess.

Best of luck to those of you with broken arms out there! I may come back in a month to update on my progress and see if I'm still limited to a certain amount of weight.

All,

I've broken my humerus for a very stupid drunken incident last friday/ Early saturday morning. tried to jump over a railing, lost balance and fell over on my arm. I knew straight away that my arm was broken. Shipped straight through to A&E. NHS is very efficient here in the UK! Took me about 2 hours to get an xray done. Broke my arm in 3 places. Will post up pics sometime soon. Anyway they put me in a temporary cast and asked me to come back in 2 days. Fortunately I was able to move my fingers and foreamrs without no ahssle. Seems the radial nerve was intact.

went to the doc on the monday, saw him breiefly for like 5 mins (again, the great NHS!) and he suggste that we leave it for now and opt for natural healing. so got my hand into another massive cast, one that will help to pull the bones back into place. The guy who did it said he had about 25 yrs of experience but judging by the manner in which he asted my arm, did not seem like that at all! I just knew somethig was not right with the cast.

Anyway, the tuesday had come and after a very disturbed sleepless night and I immediately returned to the hosp and demanded them to take another look at my cast. They just merely tightned it and sent me off again.

Its Friday today, exacly a week since the break. Arms in so much pain. Have this really sharp pain around my elbows/ biceps. Always have this ache on the back of my hands which comes n goes periodically.

Next check up is on Monday. Will post bac then to let you all know how i'm getting on.

Definitely one of the lowest points in my life though!

Hang in there you lot!

The one year annivesary of my break is coming up in June. Breaking the humerus is a lfe altering experience. I've never broken anything else so I wonder if breaking a leg is as traumatic.

Hello all

I'm so glad I found this site as I am getting increasing frustrated by the NHS with my recent injury.

Though quite toned, I sustained a spiral fracture to my left humerus due to a ridiculous accident. The bone has ended up in three pieces.

The hospital put me in a collar and cuff sling and sent me on my way; I went back to the fracture clinic on my appt date (5 days after the accident) and I was only xrayed again. The whole upper arm is still swollen and I have started to develop pain to my elbow.

I was at least expecting a brace as I can feel the bone moving and am worried if they leave me this way the bone will heal in the wrong place.

The consultant says that he wants to avoid surgery as that brings its own problems, which is fair enough, but shouldn't I have something to properly immobilise the arm?

Has anyone had a bone heal in a misaligned position? If so, how did it affect your strength and ROM?

For those that have recovered well, how long did it take to regain muscle tissue? Further, is it advisable to use handgrips to continue working the muscles before the bone is healed? My fingers have been swollen and the back of my hand sometimes feels strange.

Thanks

All I can say is get the surgery done!!
 
Cant understand why they seem to wanna let things heal on there own!!! Surgery fixes the bone immediately and you just have a bandage for a week and the staples removed after 10 days, then the arm is free!! Obviously no heavy lifting for 2-3 months butI have 100% ROM after my fracture on the 1st February andi'm now back in the gym with zero muscle loss and i'm starting to bench press and build up from there!!
 
If you have private medical, GET IT DONE!!!!
 
 

I agree! Get the surgery. I had s spiral break in my right humerus, was put in a sling back in June '08. I went to physical therapy and actually started to get some ROM back. Dec 08 (6mos later) my wrist to my elbow started to hurt and I felt like I was going backwards in my healing. Jan 23 09 (7 months after the initial break) I ended up having surgery, 7" plate and screws, as the bone had esssentially come apart. The xray was scary, I had been walking aroung with a broken arm, worse looking than the initial break. I now have about 90% ROM, very little pain in my arm. My biggest problem since surgery has been some nerve damage to my radial and median nerves. My thumb and 2nd and 3rd fingers have been numb but are gradually improving. I really believe that if I had the surgery immediately I wouldn have the nerve damage. My doc also was against surgery due to the possible complications but 7 months of pain, anxiety and lack of mobility was not worth it.

Guys, let the doctors take care of if surgery is needed or not, personally the doctor that didnt want to operate on me sees humerus fractures on a daily basis as where he is located is at the bottom of a ski hill so he sometimes inputs plates and screws and sometimes no, in mu case I had a spiral fracture and broke in 2, he didnt operate and it has heeled well, sure there is still some pain, but this kind of break, it is normal. It has been 21 weeks for me and yes it is long but I have to say now that I am happy with my progress, and I dont have to worry about complications from surgery. I am not a body builder I am a golfer and a football player, started curling 10 pounds at around 16-18 weeks and the muscles in my left arm is coming back. one thing I have to say is Trust what the doctor says, they arent always right but they know more than us for sure.

Thanks for your comments, all.
 
I have to say, the way I have been fobbed off by everyone along the way, I would be scared that they would slice through my radial nerve during surgery - no one seems to care! I would like to avoid surgery if at all possible as I also model and want to avoid any scars or problems that cause me to lose muscle tone and I hate the idea of a piece of metal in my arm for the rest of my life.
No one seems to be able to explain why I can't at least have a brace. Besides that, one of the consultants I saw said "that would be okay" when I asked what would happen if the bone was misaligned when it healed. I can't believe that can be true: it would be bound to affect my strength?

Jaam - did you have regular xrays after your break? Did you start physio before the bone started to heal and was that recommended?

When ALL else fails, get the surgery. One you have it you cannot go back. Do EVERYTHING possible before you go under the knife.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

I did have physio and started about 3 mos after the break. But I know that at this time it's really confusing and frustrating about what to do, surgery or no surgery. Keep talking to your doctor. Surgery is risky and you cant go back once you have it.   We all have different situations and recovery can be different for everyone from what I have read on this forum.  Please take care and know that this process of healing can be slow.

tiny Titan. Seems like im in a similar position to you. I broke my humerus on the 8th (Friday) but the doctor placed me into a temporary brace as soon as they saw my Xray in A&E. They replaced this with a bigger heavier one on the Monday. I just had an this Monday and they replaced the cast with a much lighter one as the swelling in my arms had reduced over the week. They also took an xray after this and the doc said the alignment seem fine. there is a 5 degree displacement between the bones but said for now they will avoid the talk of surgery and see how well the natural healing process goes.

Right now I can still feel my bones moving though which isnt good. How long did everyone else feel their bones 'grinding' for? I find it really hard to avoid when Im walking but when Im sitting, I try my best not to move my shoulder or elbow in a way to prevent the bones from moving.

Have another appointment in a weeks time where they will look into another xray and see how the bone growth and alignment are getting on. Goin to oplad pictures of the xrays now.

Heres my horrible break

Attached Image(s)

Thanks for your reply Jaam.

Wookie - is does look as if we have a similar break and I have the same movement with the bones (coughs and sneezes are not fun!)
 
Has the brace not helped to reduce movement? I couldn't understand why they didn't give me one in the first place but maybe it would have been a waste of time.
 
I have to go back for another xray on Thurs but I'm sure it wont look any better as the whole upper arm is still swollen and I can feel the bone pressing against my arm. Hopefully they'll be able to give me a cast as I really can't do this for 3 months

Wookie, I has the similar break as well but it broke twice like that. the grinding (well for me) lasted 7-10 days, which is completely normal, it heals everyday and after about a week it's like a glue type bone that forms over your bone and it sticks together, one thing dont be afraid to move, it will take a lot for it to misplace, as long as you hear grinding its a good thing. I am at22 weeks and I am building the arm back and my muscles are finally showing after over 4 months, its a long process but you will get through it. after a couple of weeks when you dont hear the grinding dont be afraid to move your shoulder abit, you need to. Unlike me I was afraid to do it I had further complications because I always kept my arm pretty much in the same position then I suffered frozen shoulder where my capsule in the shoulder froze and I couldnt lift it until a couple of weeks ago. I had to get an anthrodistensive (something like that) where they injected air, and 3 needles which included a cortizone/steroid injection. Believe you me the arm hurt after the break but the frozen shoulder still hurts to this day, and it happens to a lot of us that broke their Humerus because of the lenght of time that the arm, elbow, shoulder is immobolised, ask your doctor of course tell him/her about you heard of frozen should (capsulitis) and what shoulder movements you can do to prevent it.

Oh and guys if you feel swelling in your cast it is normal, dont worry about it unless it really swells and you cant feel your fingers, this is if you are in a hanging cast. Trust me I panicked on 2 occassions thought it was swelling up too much and went to the hospital twice, and all it was is ''Jay dont worry go back home and move your fingers a lot''. I was in a hanging cast for 7 weeks and 16 weeks in a Robocop type arm

TinyTitan - the brace limits the movements to a certain extent. but ur still able to move your shoulder which caues the upper humerus bone 2 move as well. definitely recommend getting a brace as i have a peace of mind when walking about. Take pics of ur xrays and post them up. im quite curious on why they havent put u in a cast.

Couscous - cheers for the reply! really make me feel so good that someone had a similar fracture and is getting bck to norma! Its good when i hear grinding bones, that way i fee that they r at least in the proximity! i worry wehen i dont feel any grinding!

Doing shoulder movements  to keep it moving.  Will ask about the frozen shoulder when im in next.

Will post back after the next set of xrays guys. till then hang in there. its all just a phase thst we're goin thro and it will all be over soon!!

I broke my humerous 2.5 3 years ago arm wrestling i didnt have the surgery and i regret it. It healed bout 20" degrees off my palm being closer to my body. I am thinking of having it rebroken for surgery and id like to know what everyone thinks...I have been lifting for bout four years this break was a major setback for my training though it is hard to develop the tricep and bicep now. But i can bench 230 lbs for 4 reps do 60lb weighted chins 80lb incline dumbell presses curl a 110 pound barbell and do 40lb weighted dips. but little size goes on my left tricep or bicep on the arm i broke, it feels like the right arm is doing all the work i dont have the same strength in the left arm the one i broke it really bothers me alot. Its strange the tricep and bicep on that arm develop more down towards my elbow and the muscles also fatigue quicker for higher rep training. I have some discomfort in my elbow once in awhile but if i do a couple push ups my elbow then cracks and feels normal again i think thats due to air getting in the joint. I had everything done at mayo clinic if you dont know their reputaion they are one of the highest ranked clinics in the nation and i actually met with an orthopedic surgeon about rebreaking and putting a plate on it. He explained that im kind of inbetween if it would be 15" degrees off he would say no if it would be 25" he would suggest surgery. But he was astonished by the range of motion i have. I can hyperextend my arm past my elbow i'd say its 95% what it was before. And he said it has healed very well there is a ton of bone where that fracture was. But there are risks he explained, cutting into the ulnar nerve, rebreaking would involve cutting the bone and there would be a 20% chance it wouldn't heal, infection, and he also said it could turn out worse than it is now, unlikely but anything is possible. He said I probably have a 1 to 2 percent chance of having a complication but would it be worth it if it happened? There were two residents in room with him they both said they would leave it if it were them but the surgeon said he would rebreak it if it were him. Just want it to be normal again! Just so frustrated right now, dont arm wrestle its not worth it and its not even a true test of your strength unless done properly. So very stupid never will i do anything that dumb again.     

Weightlifterforlife, it has been three years and you still have complications?? which areas are the complications, elbow? arm? when you say 20'' healed off your palm is it your elbow where it is 20'' off, that is a lot. I wouldnt suggest the surgery if the doctors didnt suggest it but did he say there are possibilities that you can do physio therapy to rehab the degrees even though it has been 3 years, did you do physio? I know lots of questions but myself I am still in physio therapy and it has been about 23 weeks since my break. I am not trying to make you feel bad but my break was 4 inches from my elbow and I was like you, started at 25-30'' but with therapy twice a week from week 14 till now I am 12-13'' just a note in case you might want to consult a therapist to see if they can work it, I was discouraged as well when they told me my left arm would never be straight again.