Hi,

I came off my road bike on black ice in November last year and was diagnosed with a radial head fracture. Went to the fracture clinic twice over a 2 month period and it all seemed to be healing OK.

Over the last few weeks I have noticed that there is now a large lump on the outside of my elbow where I suppose the radial head is. When I straighten my good left arm there is a dimple. On the right arm there is a pronounced hard lump in the same place.

At the moment, I can bend my arm fairly well but cannot fully straighten it. I suppose I am about 10-15 degrees out. My arm is getting stronger and getting towards being mostly pain free, but I am worried about it every being straight again.

Anyone had something similar? I am thinking that the bone has grown outwards while repairing itself and it is limiting my elbow movement.

I was discharged from the fracture clinic at Christmas and I am thinking of going back for another look.

Cheers

were you sent for physio and/or did the registrar tell you what degree of movement to expect over time? I fractured my olecranon process 25 years ago and have never had the ability to lock out my arm since, but I was warned that would very likely be the case

not sure about radial head recovery prognoses

I’m the same as the Captain. Olecranon fracture that was plated and screwed. I’ve since had the metalwork out.

It was much worse when I first started physio. I could barely bend it 90 degrees, but that improved through a lot of work – basically forcing it straight with my good arm. Now I can get it to about 5 degrees or less than straight, but not locked out.

I also had a fair old lump where the fractures were. This is almost gone now, almost 5 years on.

I fractured my radial head a few years ago , my arm has never fully straightened since but does go to carry straight (for want of a better description)and it doesnt fully rotate either and occasionaly locks when straightening apparently this is normal . Sounds bad but has never been a problem and no pain.

What I found best to get it straight early on was to sit in a(work style) chair with arm rests and to rest my arm on the arm rest with my palm uppermost and elbow at the end of the rest and let gravity slowly work its magic. The physio did her magic too.

The AC seperation which happened at the same time is another story

Ditto with not straightening. Fractured, plated and pinned. Maybe 10-15 degrees away from locking out. 3 years on doesn’t cause much issue, u get used to it.

Yeah similar story to the above for me really.

I feel your pain OP – horrible injury – just so limiting and so slow to heal.

The physio did a great deal of good for me and got results quick – I can maybe get to within 5 deg of straight.

2 years on I still get the occasional ache but I think it is improving lately actually.

I did my humeral lateral epicondyle (outside lump of upper arm, at the elbow) nearly 10 years ago. Was in cast for 4 weeks but couldn’t straighten it for about 2 months after that. No physio despite asking several times.

I used to be able to bend both elbows ‘beyond’ straight – I can still do this on the good arm, but the broken one stops at 180, which is fine.

For about a year I could feel a bit of bone floating around, and it would lock up in the straight position, solution I found was to squeeze forearm bones a bit whilst bending it. Still get a bit of pain from it on an infrequent basis, especially if I am lifting or pulling things at an angle.

I hyperextended and fractured most of the bones into 16 pieces, it was a bit of a mess. After plenty of surgery, metal work, 10 weeks in a cast and 2 years of physio most of the movement returned. I can fully extend it and is about 5 degrees of my left elbow when bent. There are few lumps and bumps but I’m pretty lucky really.

I snapped my radial head in November a good years ago though, I got it back to straight by around christmas but I do have a a bit of hyperextension in the other elbow. Swimming did it for me, but I did have a lot of motivation as I had booked a surf trip to oz, stopped feeling sorry for myself pretty quick when Bethany Hamilton got back surfing.

Got the hyper extension back last year when I had another crash and rammed the shaft of the radius into the head which effectively shortened it!

Still needs works though as its lost a lot of stability

Cheers for all the replies. Lots of good history.

Seems it is not uncommon to not have full extension after. As above I have hyperextension in my left arm.

I did not mention that I fractured the lateral epicondyle in the same arm in June last year, 4 months before the latest injury. That was fixed together with plate and screws. I had physio for that and worked hard to get it straight and it was all going really well.

I felt very sheepish going back to the fracture clinic with the new injury. This one is taking longer to heal but is gradually giving less pain. I did not have physio as I already had a set of exercises from the time before.

Stretching my arm out as much as possible and supporting it with my other arm does resemble a kid’s impression of an elephant. This amuses the people at work!

a radial head fracture.

Same here. Nasty business, painful.

I did mine about 5 years ago, and that arm doesn’t straighten out by about as much as my other arm over-straightens if you see what I mean.

Generally otherwise it’s fine, but I do still get pain from time to time if I catch it wrong in bed or whatever, and it makes some loud cracking noises.

Good luck with the recovery.

longmover,

I hyperextended and fractured most of the bones into 16 pieces,

how the heck did you that?

Were you never even offered physio?

I had a similar injury – broke the base of the humerus not the elbow – and after plating/pinning/in a cast for 3 weeks I had about 20 degrees of movement at the elbow! Months of pretty damn painful physio, but it was worth it as I have (almost) normal movement now.

Get ye back to fracture clinic ASAP.

I haven’t read the replies so sorry I’m repeating myself! Mr MC fell off his bike in May 2011 and ruptured his tricep tendon by snapping the olecranon off, needed surgery to re-attach it, it’s now fine however he has that lumpiness and a dimple! I joke that it gives me the heebeejeebee’s to look at but it’s just a scar tissue build up. massage if and if you hvae a scar use moisturiser with vitamin E to massage it and help the scar tissue break up.

he was also told if not attached correctly he might never be able to straighten his arm again but as it’s healed it’s just about religiously doing physio exercises if you have some, it’ll come and if you have any worries and concerns speak to the physio or your GP. Good luck.