Broken Elbow Recovery

Elbow injuries are the most common throughout our lives, they have visited one and all at some point in time. Sure, some leave you laughing and nostalgic with memories. But some have left you awfully in pain. The elbow forms a complex joint that connects your lower arm and upper arm. A quick glimpse on the anatomy - The elbow is a complex joint made up by three bones, the humerus, radius and ulna. The humerus is a bone that runs through the shoulder, in your upper arm, where it connects two bones of the lower arm, i.e. radius and ulna. This joint gains movement and stability from the muscles, ligaments and tendons. The major functions of movement like bending, straightening, extension, rotation and moving the palm upwards and down are delivered by the elbow. Any serious injury or fracture to this complex joint gives you a broken elbow. This damage can result in poor functioning of the blood vessels and nerves. If the elbow is fractured during the growing years, like childhood, it may also affect the growth and development of the bones. The reason being, children have more of what is called 'growth centers' in the bone, so any injury in these growth centers can hamper the growth of the bone.

Causes

Some of the most obvious causes of a broken or injured elbow.

• An attempt to bear the fall caused by any mishap, that makes you stretch your arm and support the fall. This can cause an elbow fracture.
• A major trauma to the elbow due to an accident or collision.
• Any straight blow on the elbow due to a fall or mishap or accident can cause injury.
• A conflict in the movement of the elbow against anything can also cause a fracture or major injury.
• Sometimes, even a linear blow or injury to the hand, wrist or shoulder, can result in elbow injuries.

Symptoms

Symptoms can be most common. However, the intensity will differ with the kind of injury or fracture.

• Intense pain, swelling in and around the elbow immediately after injury, is the most common symptom.
• Bruising and discoloration of the elbow.
• Difficulty in movement of the elbow. For example - one should be able to bend the elbow, and also fully straighten it, rotation of the palms inward and outward, with the elbow bent (90° when stretched with arm side-out).
• Tender to touch the elbow and area around the elbow.
• Pain with any movement of the joint.
• A decreasing sensation, numbness or cooling sensation in the forearm, hand or fingers.
• Any open injury like a cut or wound to the elbow after a major accident or mishap.
• A cramped or tight feeling/sensation in the forearm or elbow after injury.

Treatment

The treatment depends on factors like the amount of displacement of the fracture, location / area, age and the severity of the injury or fracture. Let us look at some treatments that will help in recovery along with some tips to follow. Remember that if you have a serious injury / fracture or broken elbow, do not wait for it to heal at home. Always rush for medical help. These tips will not heal the injury but help you decrease the severity of the fracture to a certain extent and prevent it from getting worse, till you get professional medical assistance.

• Immediately after the injury, use an ice pack to decrease the inflammation and also reduce the pain of the swelling. You can also use cool compress on the area of fracture or injury. Make sure you do not use the ice pack for more than 20 minutes, as this may cause frostbite.
• Cover the wound if the injured elbow is bruised and bleeding. Use a clean bandage. In case of heavy bleeding, put some pressure on the wound to curb bleeding. Be careful, do not do this if the bone is dislocated and protruding.
• If the bone is broken, do not even try to straighten it. Also, do not try to push a broken bone, if it is protruding out of the skin. You don't want to worsen the damage.
• Try to keep the fracture as steady as possible, use a homemade splint, hang a piece of cloth around the neck or use pillows to support the arm and elbow.
• You can opt for anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce pain and swelling.

Once at the doctor, an X-ray will give the exact diagnosis of the fracture or injury, depending on which the treatment will be prescribed. Usually, children and adults have varying fractures, and different ways of healing too. So the treatment and time for the recovery in children and adults is usually not the same. There are two types of major treatments, that is Splinting or Cast and Surgery. Some fractures (fractures of the ulna mostly) recover with immobilizing the joint by using a splint, sling or cast. In case of major fractures and displacements, a surgery may be required. Also, if a bone is protruding from the skin, a thorough cleaning of the skin is required for recovery of the fracture. Options like pins, stitches, screws, or plates may also be used to fix the bone together, followed by a cast or splint.

Post Treatment Tips

After proper diagnosis and treatment, the doctor may advise certain exercises to speed up the recovery. Physical therapy may be advised. The use of antibiotics may be necessary for reducing infection. Do not return to a rigorous routine until your elbow has recovered properly. The normal recovery time is between 8 - 10 weeks. However, it may vary depending on the kind of fracture / injury. But as 'prevention is better than cure', take care of your bones. Avoid any trauma or injury to the elbow, follow a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium. Exercise regularly and build an agile body.

Never try to rush a broken elbow recovery. Patience and proper care will bear all the fruit, until then... scribble a few healing memories on the cast!