Bone healing – Any tips

Broke my wrist yesterday at Twisted Oaks. Any tips for rapid bone healing?

So far I’ve got:

• Lots of sleep
• Comfrey (bone knit) once the cast is off
• Don’t go mad on dairy (can leach calcium out of bones apparently).

I’ve heard something about going in an oxygen chamber??

Hyperbaric oxygen chambers, basically on 100% oxygen to promote faster healing through increases in new blood and bone cells, not sure of the viability for it though, best bet is to just make sure the doctor/surgeon has set it properly so it actually has a chance of healing properly, then rest, eat well, sell the bikes, etc.

Adamantium infusion combined with rest and recuperation. Winky eye.

Don’t smoke. Eat a balanced diet with adequate calcium. Don’t try and do too much on it too soon.

Not sure how it works with a wrist but when I broke my leg (both times!), weight bearing as tolerable was pushed heavily by the consultant. This was with a plate in so my leg wouldnt collapse, but just loading, unloading etc which promotes growth apparently.

As as above, balanced low inflammatory diet with calcium & protein. I took a protein shake and amino acids every day (I did quite a bit of muscle damage too).

Laser bone welders.

Its all very snake-oily but, both times I’ve properly broken stuff, I’ve employed their services and both times I’ve been healing faster and functioning better than the docs have expected and have had zero issues afterwards.

Originally I went to Physioclinic in Ipswich but the guy who ran that (Brian Simpson) has now retired so when I snapped my collar bone last summer I saw one of his ex-employees at Mid Suffolk Physiotherapy.

I’m guessing if you were at Twisted Oaks your in that kind of area?

Whether it does anything, whether its just placebo, whether I’ve just got good genes, I couldn’t honestly say, but I do feel that in both instances it made a difference (the collarbone effort, the advice given about posture, sling setup, sleeping etc was worth the entry price alone, compared to the (lack of ) info given to me by the NHS “here’s a sling, don’t call us, we’ll call you”). When I eventually got to a fracture clinic a couple of weeks after the break, all the docs who saw my X-rays were impressed with how quickly and well the callous around the break had formed.

And yes, clean living, no alcohol, definitely no smoking, I did lots of walking in both cases, just to stay active and vaguely fit.

Same as @JonEdwards above, collar bone lasered by Brian Simpson many years ago. Distal fracture, healed very quickly (I’m a type one diabetic and healing is not my strong point…), snake oil or not it worked for me.

Laser bone welding sounds right up my street! So I have to wait for the cast to come off before I can do that?

I don’t drink or smoke and my diet is pretty close to perfect so hopefully it’s a speedy fix.

No – get there ASAP. Its done through the cast.

https://www.midsuffolkphysiotherapy.co.uk/treatments/fracture-healing/

Apparently cats purring also helps as the frequency is just right to stimulate repair* so go sit in a big chair with lasers and have a purring cat sat on your arm. Full Bond villain.

*I heard this on the internet so must be the troof

the collarbone effort, the advice given about posture, sling setup, sleeping etc was worth the entry price alone

@jonEdwards  Anything you remember, you could pass along? As you say the NHS have just sent me on my way with a sling & hope/prayer.

Thank you @jonEdwards.

I’m currently sitting back in A&E waiting for the right paperwork to be filled in before I can get plastered. Plenty of time to read up

Stowmarket is do-able for me. Although I’ll have a look and see if there is anything Norwich way

I had K laser therapy after a recent op where I’d had a heel osteotomy. Can’t say if it did or didn’t speed things up. Wife had it on her back too…. neither of us were convinced. But my cousin went to the guys in Ipswich after a Moto X injury and swore blind it was amazing.

Balanced diet with lots of proteins, vitamins and dark greens. I also got some supplements, Calcium, Vitamins, Marine Collagen  – and under surgeons guidance, he suggested that some “stress” (weightbearing) would promote the healing faster. But that was a fine balance between just enough and wrecking the healing.

I’d be putting more emphasis on continually moving and wiggling everything you can either side of the cast so you’re ahead of the game with the physio when it comes off.

I got one of these a few years ago when I smashed my fibula and it didn’t heal for 12 months, it was free as part of an NHS trial.

Ultrasound Bone Healing with Exogen®

Worked well, though they’re not cheap new (£6k). Still have it somewhere!

1. Stay away from NSAIDs (brufen, Naproxen, Diclofenac etc..) they slow down bone healing by reducing the blood supply to the injured area.  Accept it’ll be uncomfortable, and take paracetamol.

2.  Investigate the controlled loading & vibration benefits for your specific fracture.

3. Speak to that expert, but get as much info as possible from the staff you’re with just now first, to identify the exact piece of damage done.  Get a copy of your films onto your phone, you may need them.

Wrists have a wide range of fracture types, some respond well to loading, others (eg some specific fractures of the scaphoid) can resist healing when they’re being loaded.

@z1ppy – sure!

The basic premise was to rotate arm and shoulder out to pull the ends of the collarbone into line – the natural instinct is to hunch over and protect the hurty bits, which means the ends can overlap and it heals shorter.

To that end – when up and about – hold your arm (in the sling!) by your side – forearm pointing fore/aft, rather than held across your stomach.

Sleeping, I booted the missus out, and faffed around with pillows so I could sleep on my back with my arm out at 90° to my body, palm up, as if I was signaling to turn on the bike.

Plenty of gentle exercise (walking for me, as above) as soon as you feel able to – get oxygenated blood moving round the body. I was due to go on an MTB holiday 3 weeks after breaking the bone, turned it into a hiking trip instead

Spend time out of the sling every day to avoid your shoulder seizing up and reduce muscle loss – initially just while you’re sat in a chair, by 3 weeks in I was spending breakfast and then evenings without it on, or minimal use. My rhomboids were still ‘ked by the end of it, but no frozen shoulder. Started gentle riding (gravel bike on tarmac) after 4 weeks and physio shortly after.

I made a right mess of myself last year with 19 breaks in total. I was prescribed Vitamin D and Iron tablets to help with calcium and oxygen absorption. Other than having 3 ribs wired up everything else knitted back together well.

cheers & many thanks Jon, interesting way to hold the sling, as you say thats at odds with what the NHS said (in my 10minute appointment… after waiting 4hrs). I can definitely understand the worry about hunching, as I keep finding that I unconsiously do it, or lift/support the shoulder using muscles, kinda defeating the point of the sling. I’ve been getting out of the sling, moving the finger/wrist/elbow and shoulder (carefully) to avoid issues with seizing. It’s difficult to believe how stiff my hand became over the first 3 weeks, and the elbow wouldn’t extend without hurting. I could wish for riding at 4 wks, but that boat has already sailed. Finger crossed for my next appointment.

NHS highland have some good leaflets on clavicle fracture exercises. For posture you should bring your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for 30 seconds 5 times and some shoulder pendulum exercises which help. Remember to back off any movements if they are painful.

I’ve ditched the Ibupofen and started taking a vitamin D supplement. I am 3 weeks in but getting fed up with the turbo trainer. Come week 4 I will try the gravel bike on tarmac very carefully.

If all goes well my understanding is 6 weeks to heal a fracture as a general principle. The final phase bone remodelling is helped by using your arm more, lightly loading it up. I had an x ray at the time of the accident then 3 weeks in next one is due at 6 weeks.

Second collagen supplementation – though not sure marine (as someone said above) is necessary? I’d go bone broth if you want to be all Guardian reader about it, or get bovine collagen protein powder by the kg from a body builder place if you’re more prosaic.

Also – Powerball wrist trainer for rebuilding strength in your arm, though it might be a good few weeks after the cast comes off before you can manage this even lightly.

Good advice above, to which I would add: take a Boron supplement. Worked well for me (hip fracture). Evidence here.

Just get on with life doing what you can of what you’d normally do and one day it’ll  be in the past.

Hyperbaric oxygen chambers

I was under the impression that hyperbaric oxygen was still a treatment looking for a disease outside diving medicine; certainly not going to be available on the NHS and so will be £££.

Most people should be taking Vit D 10mcg a day for bone health, at least in winter (PHE advice here) but as with all things there are also contraindications so worth asking GP/pharmacist.

Just get on with life doing what you can of what you’d normally do and one day it’ll  be in the past.

+1

As a three time veteran of breaking the same radius in under 2 years, if you’re a non-smoker and getting your 10,000 steps in every day and dop the physio then you’re ahead of 99% of people who won’t even stick to the physio.

If you’re vegetarian then take any calcium supplements between meals as beans/pulses can block it’s absorption. Do take some VitD.

Some movement/stimulus is good, too much is bad and results in non-vascular (dead) bone, I learnt that one the hard way. Don’t rush it.

It’s natural to stress/panic/overthink it because you’re not in control, you’re a prehistoric monkey brain presented with a scary and stressful situation with access to the internet, don’t make it worse!

In 6 weeks the doc will say it’s OK. In 12 it’ll be actually be 95% there, in 6 months you should be back to almost completely normal pain free movement in a year (or two) it should be as strong as it ever will be.

Don’t crash on it again.

Got some organic bone broth and just received a delivery of expensive vitamins.

Now waiting for new bike parts to arrive. Partly as a reward for major progression just before crashing. And partly as motivation to keep to the physio.

https://images.app.goo.gl/qBXwRr1R71BweWNz6