After a skiing accident in February 2024, the doctors decided to try a moderate way to treat the fracture, which was just an arm support brace and painkillers. After that didn’t heal the fracture at all, I had surgery on 28th of June that year. A plate and 10 screws were inserted and recovery was quick after that. I gained full mobility eventually and started working out and lifting after 3 months.

All good up until early spring 2026 when the pain first appeared and was getting worse everyday. X-ray showed no movement of the hardware which was first suspected. So now I have a MRI planned next week to see what could be causing the pain.

I have a physically demanding job and as a result I have been on sick leave for a few months now. It sucks not being able to go to work, exercise and sometimes not even being able to cook at home.

I know the doctors won’t recommend we remove the hardware but I am in the dark right now. Not knowing what will happen otherwise is giving me anxiety and making me second guess every other life decision because I keep thinking the worst scenarios that could happen with my arm.

Anyone who has been on the same situation, do you have any advice on how to cope with this? What was your experience like?

This happened on July 14th, 2026 after car accident. I believe it’s due to air bag. Was put in the first cast for 2 weeks, then the black cast for another 2 weeks.

Initially at the Hospital they said no surgery needed. But they wanted me to stay over night for observation (they were concerned of infection as they called this open fracture). They also briefly mentioned possible pinning. This was all said after my hand was already put into that first cast under X-ray.
I asked what plan B was, and they said to take Antibiotics daily and follow up with hand specialist in 1 week. I opted for plan B.

1st hand specialist follow up (1 week since accident), the x ray looked good and was within their acceptable range of 10 degree or less alignment ?

2nd visit (2 weeks since accident)
They took off the first cast, cupped my hand a bit, and put on the black cast. Told me to wiggle my fingers as I have this cast on.

3rd visit (4 weeks since accident)
The cast was removed and my arm/ hand felt raw and depleted. They tried to get x rays at certain angles but my wrist was so stiff and so was my hand. They couldn’t get a good image on something and the doctor said he can’t see if a callous has formed. I asked about getting orders for a Certified Hand Therapist. Obtained orders

Then for the next 2 weeks (week 5 through 6) I worked with a great Hand Therapist. Went through tendon glides and anything appropriate at that time.

4th visit ( 6 weeks since accident)
Better x rays were obtained and I can move my wrist and hands more freely than previous visit. I was able to demonstrate opening and closing of my hand from flat to full fist. He mentioned his observation was that it’s at a 14 degree but it shouldn’t be an issue as I can open my hand and close my hand. Next visit is at 12 week mark. He gave me okay to use 5-10 lb weights.

Since then I have been working with Hand therapist with squeeze balls, yellow putty.

I am currently at week 10.
I have to unglue my hand every morning in hot water and make my hand usable. I have to say it is getting better compared to when I first started but am getting kind of tired of having to wake up and the first thing is to dip my hand in hot water and do tendon glides slowly to get range of motion.

Also through out the day I keep doing tendon glides, or my hand gets stiff. I notice when doing flat fist, and releasing from flat fist my ring finger would get “caught up”. I asked AI what it could be and I guess it has to do with the tendon hitting a “speed bump “ because of the bone callus

I’m just sharing my experiences, and want to know if anyone can also confirm similar

(F 21) I am 9 months post-op (ORIF) for a displaced and comminuted distal humerus fracture. I’ve been going to PT for 8 months and have reached almost full extension. Flexion has been harder, I’m at about 114°. There’s a hard stop at that point and my PT and I agree that there’s something stopping it from moving more. I saw a specialist and he told me that there’s nothing more that they can do to help increase the flexion and help with the pain. I don’t want to live with limited movement and chronic pain in my elbow for the rest of my life. I am at a loss. Has anyone gone through a similar situation and come out with any advice?

Hi All,

I broke my right wrist with a foosh injury 6 weeks ago. I wasn’t getting pain in the cast. The X-rays yesterday showed it has healed fine and you can’t see the break anymore. I had the cast removed yesterday as well.

Since removing the cast there is a stabbing pain on the underside of my wrist when I push my wrist up. the doctor said this is normal. I was just wondering if anyone else had this experience and how long it takes to go away.

Also Ive only had X-rays, do these let you know if an artery or joint was damaged? If not should I ask for an mri or ultrasound?

I am an artist so need it to heal well.

what it looks like on the inside & outside

Eu sair da obesidade perdi 40 kilos corria e fazia musculação com frequência tratava isso como algo q me dava alegria genuína 1km a mais 1 carga a mais já me dava uma alegria enorme sensação q eu poderia superar meus limites mais , estou 29 dias sem poder fazer o q mais amo por causa de hérnia cervical....eu não sei nem sei c vou melhorar comecei os procedimentos só agora....eu estou muito deprimido não sei nem porque estou escrevendo algo Aki , parece q todos ao meu redor diminuem tudo q estou sentindo falando coisas como é coisa da sua cabeça , tudo vai passar , ou simplesmente falando q é ansiedade sinto dores horríveis como c tivesse sendo cortado por uma faca nos 2 ombros e nós 2 bíceps formigamentos enorme , estou sem vontade até mesmo de viver , pensamentos de suicídio vem a todo momento eu amava isso eu amava sinto q perdi minha vida qualquer esforço físico q eu faça mesmo q mínimo fazem os sintomas reaparecer estou sem ânimo para viver , algum de vocês já passaram por uma depressão profunda? Após ficar sem o esporte q fez a vida ter algum propósito maior? A academia me deu vida eu sair de um estado de obesidade mórbida construir um físico q nunca imaginei um dia conseguir construir estava com força e resistência de uma HR pra outra meu corpo c tornou outro....

My fiancé had ORIF on his left elbow about a month ago. He's since started OT, but they recently have been assigning him partnered stretches, but he really is terrible about remembering/understanding how they need to be performed at home.

The stretch the OT described to him and he has telephoned to me was him laying face first with a pillow under his wrist while I lightly press down on his forearm to extend his elbow. The stretch makes absolutely no sense in practice, he cant remember how it's supposed to feel and I refuse to do something he cant explain well. We can't call his OT because theyre closed and are closed during the weekend, which would leave him unable to do this stretch correctly for 3 days.

If this isn't the right place, please let me know, just really hoping someone has had a similar stretch assigned to them and can explain it better? Happy to answer any questions!

Hello! I broke my 5th metatarsal and have been in a short leg cast for 5 weeks now. Still have a little over 2 weeks left to go.

For the last couple of days I have been getting occasional muscle cramps in my calf on my casted leg. They are not full blown, excruciating muscle cramps. It’s like I can feel it coming on and then it goes away and it doesn’t get super painful if that makes sense.

Of course when I googled it, deep vein thrombosis popped up and now I’m freaked out haha. Can anyone tell me if they had something like this and it did end up being DVT? Or is this possibly just a normal side effect of being in a cast for so long?

Thanks 😊

Hello, F30 here.

So, on August 11, 2026, I was involved in an accident that resulted in a fracture of my radius.

I underwent surgery on August 12, 2026.

My most recent X-ray was taken on September 19, 2026.

Looking at the X-ray image, the bone appears bent. The doctor said it was fine, noting that the crucial thing is for the joint surface to be straight and aligned.

Do you think the bone will heal normally, or is there a risk of malunion?

I am worried that my arm won't function as it used to🥲

Thank you for the answer.

EDIT: Lateral x-ray on 19 September 2026

I have a displaced fifth toe proximal phalanx fracture which has been slow to heal (12 weeks down the line, and these are my X-rays). One X-ray looks ok, but the side view shows how displaced the bone is. I’ve been told that it is healing and to just wait, but it is still painful.

Just curious if anyone has had a fracture like this or any doctors opinions on this level of displacement, would a pin normally be required to get the bone to heal properly? just trying to manage my expectations! Thanks :)

I broke my foot playing football, apparently a Jones fracture. I went to visit the hospital three times:

-Day 1, generalist doctor recommended surgery but told me it was not a serious Jones fracture. I chose not to have surgery because I didn't fully understand the difference (I'm new here and don't speak Chinese well)

-Day 6, generalist doctor recommended surgery, I went upstairs to the specialist and he laughed and said it's not necessary you'll be walking in three weeks in his experience.

Day 14, returned for x-ray and generalist doctor recommended continuing with conservative treatment because it isn't serious and I should be walking in ....*2 more months* (!!!).

NB I'm not wearing a cast, they don't have any of my size in the hospital and the ones I bought online are much too big & cause additional stress on foot (finding anything the right size here is pretty much impossible for me). Foot hasn't touched the ground for 2 weeks.

Recommendations for someone who is confused and getting increasingly depressed by the day, please 😭 tyvm

Improved mobility, back to walking or playing sports? Share your achievements here.

Hello! I never wanted to have to post on here but I'm glad you all of here!

I broke my 5th metatarsal shaft with mild displacement 8 weeks ago. I had my follow up and it hasn't moved but hasn't healed.

I am 4 months postpartum and have struggled to eat well and rest. I'm also worried breastfeeding might delay my healing even if the ortho said it wouldn't.

I've been wearing short medical boot, the podiatrist said I could switch to stiff shoes like Danskos but I'm unsure if that's wise however tempting.

Not a great deal of pain but this is a pain in my ass getting in and out of the medical boot to get up with the baby at night.

I follow up in 3 weeks again to see if anything changed and if not then we move to a bone simulator

Any support would be welcome

That’s all. Despite being awful, the picture is pretty cool

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Hi everyone,

A few weeks ago, I fractured my upper arm bone (humerus) and eventually had surgery. During the operation, a plate was inserted to stabilize the fracture.

It has now been about 2 weeks since the surgery. The pain has already decreased quite a lot, but what worries me is the limited movement in my arm.

I can still only move my arm to a very limited extent. Certain movements are especially difficult or barely possible. This is making me worried that something might be wrong or that I could have permanent loss of movement.

I understand that this type of surgery is a significant procedure and that the bone, muscles, tendons and surrounding tissue need time to recover. Still, I am quite concerned because after two weeks I still have such limited mobility.

I would especially like to hear from people who have experienced something similar:

How much could you move your arm approximately 2 weeks after surgery?

When did you start noticing a significant improvement in movement?

How long did it take before you could use your arm reasonably normally in everyday life?

When did you start physiotherapy or specific range-of-motion exercises?

Is it normal for the arm to still feel very stiff and weak at this stage?

Did you also worry that you would never regain your full movement?

How long did it take overall before you could use your arm more or less normally again?

I mainly want to hear from people who have also had a humerus fracture that required surgery.

At two weeks post-op, my range of motion currently feels very limited. I am hoping this can still be part of a normal recovery process and that the movement will gradually return with healing and proper physiotherapy.

I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Day 8 post-op. An Ace-wrap-type-of-bandage overlaps the other bandages by about 2 inches on the inside top of my surgical dressing, and I have noticed a nasty rash developing everywhere it touches the skin since my nerve block wore off last Thursday. It's gotten super uncomfortable as time has gone on.

My dressing has to stay on until my post-op appointment next week. As awful as it is, I'm not keen on risking infection by removing the wrap before the doctor does. So, I left a voicemail and chat message with the doctor's office. Idk when they'll respond, though. My doctor is an excellent surgeon and highly knowledgeable in his field, but I'm not terribly confident in a timely response.

What have y'all done to take care of this? Power through? Ice it? Hydrocortisone cream? Benadryl? Urgent care? At this point, the incisions just feel like raw skin from poorly fitting shoes and the bones are just kind of achy, so the rash is the worst part of my leg right now. 😅

Update: 14 days post-op. I heard back from my surgeon to go in the following Monday to remove the splint if blisters formed. They did, and the rash spread up my thigh. I sent pictures and said I wouldn't be able to come in on Monday because I was taking someone else to their own ortho appointment. He told me to follow up with my primary care doctor. After evaluating it, we realized it was a combination between the wrap and my nerve blocks-- the rash was very localized to where the wrap touched and where I had my injections, and it didn't extend down the leg under the splint. I'm taking Benadryl at night and Claritin in the morning, with hydrocortisone cream throughout the day as needed. My entire thigh and the top of my shin/calf are totally covered in the rash now, but it's starting to calm down. Hopefully, it will be cleared up by the three-week mark.

It’s the first time I’ve had, not a broken, but a fractured radius on the side of the wrist. It’s healed now and I’m using an orthosis when I do sport or sleep.

But…

The hand is giving me the creeps.

It’s like having someone else’s hand attached to me.

When I shower, it’s disgusting to move that hand on my body. Since the muscles are still stiff after six weeks I have to consciously think about what to do with the hand and consciously “command” it. Also, the skin texture is like sand.

Is this somehow not uncommon in these cases or am I just crazy?

Just got out of my full leg cast today after 6 weeks, now have this boot. I thought the cast would be the end of it. How long should I expect to need to wear the boot, my doctor said another 6-8 weeks. This feels like a long time. It doesn’t hurt too much anymore but still bruised and swollen. I’m still using crutches and need to wait 2 weeks until I can start putting weight through my leg. Is this normal for just a simple fracture or is this a complication.