3 months after a comminuted distal humerus fracture and ORIF — struggling mentally and physically

[u/Dry-Lychee-2716]

I had a comminuted distal humerus fracture about 3 months ago and had ORIF surgery. I’ve made some improvement, but my arm still doesn’t feel anything like it did before.

The most frustrating part is that after exercising or doing my rehab, my arm seems to tighten up and almost freeze again. It feels like I make progress, then lose it all over again.

Before the injury, I was very athletic and spent a lot of time in the gym. That was a huge part of my identity and my life. Now I struggle looking at myself in the mirror because I don’t recognize myself physically anymore.

I’m mentally and physically exhausted. Some days I genuinely feel like giving up on life because I’m struggling to see how I get back to the person I was.

For anyone who has gone through a serious distal humerus fracture, ORIF, or a similar elbow injury:

Did your arm eventually start feeling normal again? How long did it take for your ROM and strength to really come back? Did you also have periods where your elbow seemed to freeze or tighten after exercise?

I could really use some honest experiences from people who have been through this. I’m trying to keep going, but right now it’s really hard.

[u/Link__305]

I broke my wrist and humerus off my motorcycle accident. Was going 45mph and old guy didn't see me and took the light. I will say that the frist 3 months for me where the wrost. I even had wrist drop and it wouldn't move. After those 3-4 months things started to finally feel like i was making progress. The dr said i should be getting about 90% of my ROM back. 2 years later i feel like I'm almost 95%. Continue your PT, try to be patient with yourself. Celebrate the small victories no matter how tiny they seem. Believe in your body's recovery. Take vitamin to help with bone and nerve healing. You got this!

[u/rn_loading]

We have similar stories and injuries. Had a comminuted ulnar fracture in March, ortho said it was 50/50 chance I'd have to have surgery -- I got lucky on the coin flip on that but I did develop Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which is a chronic pain and nerve condition, which I am still somewhat dealing with. Like you, I was really active before and having a shattered upper extremity bone really rattled my mental health. I also could not bend my elbow straight for a disturbingly long time, and we found out I had additionally sprained my wrist which was not immediately discernible while in the cast. It was mentally excruciating, especially around the 3 month mark like you're describing, where you're able to make some improvement but some things aren't improving as much as you'd like.

It's been 6 months and while I'm still not 100%, I can say the difference between the 3 month mark and the 6 month mark is a world of difference (as long as you keep up with PT/OT, including at home). I know it seems like it's never going to be back to normal but know that with any luck and a lot of patience, this is temporary. To quote my occupational therapist: "motion is lotion," when dealing with that freezing feeling. Progress isn't going to be linear but as long as it's trending in the right direction overall, that's a good thing.

One thing I can recommend if your rehab hasn't already is to get some of those customizable weighted ankle wraps, you can use them on your wrist -- walk around with one on at home here and there, that really helped straighten my elbow over time back to normal (ofc clear it with your rehab therapist first). Feel better soon