• This topic has 14 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by cb.
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  • Broken my elbow
  • chilled76
    Free Member

    Pants… over the bars today and broke the radial head.

    Any tips for a fast recovery? Anyone done similar and know how long I’m likely to be laid up? I’m back at the fracture clinic tomorrow.. Just in a sling for tonight.

    Boooh.

    Oh well least it wasn’t my neck!

    RoterStern
    Free Member

    Ouch! healing vibes. Really depends on the break how long it heals. Never broken my elbow but my collarbone and I was back on the turbo after a couple of weeks.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    My only advice is that if asked, tell the doc or whoever that you have a job that requires both arms and lots of dexterity. When I told them I did an office job I feel they scaled back and I still don’t have full movement 8 years later.

    Mine was a very messy open wound and I crushed the end of my elbow.

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    shermer75
    Free Member

    Make sure you do your exercises, getting the movement back in the elbow can be a right (or left) pain (apologies). For some reason elbows can have a longer recovery time too, but the usual is 6 weeks for mostly back to normal, 12 weeks for a completely hard callus to have formed.

    duckers
    Free Member

    Broke my shoulder in a couple of places 2 weeks ago in a hard fall off the bike, surgery just over a week and a half ago, pins and plates, I’ve been getting it out of the sling as much as possible to keep it mobile and using it as normally as possible bit it is painful. I’m surprised how much I can do with it already so keep the faith!

    I don’t know if its helped but I’ve been necking multi vitamins, calcium (a.k.a mothers osteo tablets), cod liver oil, glucosamine, no painkillers except at night and I reckon i’ll be back driving, on the turbo and comfortable without a sling In the next week or so.

    Its winter (almost), I’m focussed on being for for spring!

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Drinking arm?

    Wally
    Full Member

    Ablution arm?

    colournoise
    Full Member

    Did my radial head in the spring (big OTB at BPW). Either I was lucky with recovery or my fracture was fairly minor. Four weeks in a sling then another two before it was strong enough to ride again (although at that point my dodgy ankle flared up due to inactivity and I ended up with a total of eight weeks off riding). That’s with no special treatment or exercises (was just told to begin using the arm again as soon as comfortable and avoid impacts or load bearing).

    Still ride with a strap on it for now for a bit of support (until full strength comes back), and it aches for a bit after a rough ride but apart from that it’s all good.

    backinireland
    Free Member

    Did mine in June.
    Advice was to get it moving as soon as possible.
    I used these
    http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/library/adult_health/sma_radial_head_fracture_exercises/
    Happened just over 2 weeks before family holiday to morzine, went out on road bike after 3 weeks but struggled hanging on and braking going downhill , by end of the following week I managed mtb ride with the wee lad.
    Back at work after 5 weeks, dentist
    Still slightly achy but seems to hepave full strength and movement

    Dorset_Knob
    Free Member

    Nasty, I had the same fracture, it was the closest I’ve come to puking with pain when they tried to straighten the arm out to x-ray it.

    I think it was about 2 months before I was riding again, I forget the exact details because it was a few years ago now.

    As others have said, be religious with your physio. I think it probably took several months to a year to regain the movement /mobility I have now.

    Still get the very occasional twinge, and ‘crack’ now and again, but other than that it’s pretty much back to normal.

    i never completely got my nerve back on the bike though – a lot more hesitant on downhills/tricky stuff than I was, although that might also be due to old age.

    iainc
    Full Member

    Did mine last October, a simple and stable one. The ripped arm and resulting skin graft was more of an issue in the first few weeks. Was back on the bike after 6 weeks. I now wear elbow pads..

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    Cracked my funny bone 2 months ago. Still feels hurty if i bang it. Im riding with one arm warmer to protect the new skin after a flap was glued back / road rash removed the original.

    markshires
    Free Member

    I did mine about a year ago, took me about 6 weeks until I could put any weight on it properly, probably about 3 months ish until I started riding “properly” though. I still get a twinge and ache now and again if i move it in an uncommon way.

    chilled76
    Free Member

    Cheers guys. I’m hoping looking at the x-ray it’s not too complicated. Although I’m in agony this evening.

    On the codeine tonight!

    cb
    Full Member

    Did both of mine at Slick Rock (get me!) many years ago. Tried riding two days later (I fell off…). Took a few weeks before I tried that again. Due to expense I didn’t have x-rays until I got home and for some reason they only did one elbow (both were black and blue).

    One therefore got put in a sling, the other not. A couple of weeks later when they finally x-rayed the other, the movement recovered in the non-sling arm was much greater.

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