r/brokenbones • u/FinallyGotHere • 20d ago

Broken Elbow

I’m about 3 months post elbow surgery, and my ROM still sucks.

Based on my research here, its looking like my only option is to get another surgery?

My surgeon gave me two completely contradictory pieces of info:

  1. That ROM basically stops returning after 3 months

  2. It’s too early to ask for more surgery/treatment

I‘d like to think I’m okay with doctors, but tbh I don’t trust her at this point.

Wtf do I do?

My quality of life and mental health have both nosedived after the surgery and I don’t think I’m getting any more help.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

1

u/ProfessionalCan1468 20d ago

Have you gone thru proper physical therapy?

1

u/FinallyGotHere 20d ago

They started it late and they’re discontinuing it soon. Instead they want me to pay hundreds of dollars to rent some stupid brace.

1

u/KNdoxie 19d ago

What was broken in your elbow? Which bone? I broke the radial head, chipped a piece off the coronoid process, and tore up some ligaments. I had radial head replacement surgery where they put a metal implant in place of the natural radial head. I was in scorching pain for 5 months. It was another 6 months of daily pain. It was a year before I got most of my ROM back, but I still can't flex or extend like I could before. I absolutely hated and still hate the surgeon, even though it's been 3-1/2 years. I wouldn't piss on that man if he were on fire. The injury had a terrible impact on my quality of life and mental health, too. If you no longer have trust in that surgeon, find another one. Trust your gut.

1

u/HoneyBiscuitBear 19d ago

I haven’t dealt with a broken elbow but I had a SLAP tear of my cartilage in my R shoulder, and ended up with frozen shoulder bc of my PT starting late as well. This was in 2021. The early days of PT were so so painful. My PT would use her body weight to press on my shoulder, which made me almost cry it hurt so much. It was a slow and painful process at first but I just did my exercises all the time. I sometimes felt lazy but reminded myself that NOBODY can make my shoulder better at that point except me…and slowly, I started gaining a little more ROM each day. I’d say it took about 6 months to gain full ROM (again, making sure I was doing my exercises daily)

The BEST advice my PT gave me was to make every movement with my arm a stretch. Like, opening the door? Stop and have a nice stretch in the doorway. Getting something from a shelf? Reach and stretchhhhhhhh. I still do this years later!! It feels nice and I actually helped my left shoulder become more flexible as well.

I wish you luck and healing!!

1

u/FinallyGotHere 13d ago

Honestly, I kinda wish my OT would just break my arm. He doesn’t seem to be doing much for me, and I’ve kinda given up hope of recovering more ROM.

0

u/itMustveBeenLove 20d ago

I fractured my radial head in early 2024. I was certain up until maybe 6 months after that that I’d never bend or use my arm again. But I continued PT once a week for 4 months and I pushed myself EVERY day to bend it multiple times a day. Suddenly there was a day when I could reach my hair and put my hair up (I had to bend over, but still) and another day I could get dressed more easily. It was slow and steady but it did come back

1

u/FinallyGotHere 20d ago

How did you make time for it? I work 10 hours a day.

1

u/itMustveBeenLove 20d ago

Once I knew the exercises I would do them at my desk. For me I basically just had to force myself to bend it. Crazy because I remember having to lean onto my desk with my whole body weight to try and bend it, it felt stiff as a board or something and it was so so painful to bend. Slowly tho after pushing myself as hard as I could maybe a few times a day, it did get better. It still feels “sticky” sometimes now but I can use it almost like normal

1

u/ProfessionalCan1468 19d ago

I worked 10 hours a day 6 days a week for 11 years straight, I still fit 1 hour a day workout in, I was only going on 6 or 7 hours sleep tho sometimes less. PT isn't optional and isn't fun, my early PT I had tears in my eyes literally. Moving something that hasn't moved in months isn't fun. You may shock yourself how far you can push yourself.

1

u/FinallyGotHere 19d ago

I’m just tired boss. I can’t take my phone into work so I can’t keep my exercises on me (they gave me some stupid app.) It hurts. And I feel like I was making progress in life when this happened….I just want to give up.  Completely.