broken my humerus - how long recovery?

Oh dear I'm not sure what I'm about to say will fill you with much hope. I broke mine mid shaft a few years ago. Had hanging cast for a week then q brace. Ugh the bones moving was an awful feeling. I had to wean myself off painkillers qa for addicted to them after 6 weeks :( I had physio quite early on but could not move my arm more than an inch from my side for ages. Anyway after 3 months I was moving house and had to drive for 3 hours. Physio said no way, I still coukdnt move my arm very well but for a week I practiced changing gears. Didn't have full use when I drove it and had to drive for 3 hours in 3rd or 4th gear! But that was the best physio and statlrted to heal properly then. Took 5 months to heal in its odd bumpy unstraight way and now have a strong but slightly bent arm and not quite full range of movement and aches on cold/damp weather and was 9 years ago now (god 9years has gone quick). I wasn't allowed to rife until 6months but did after 5 on a very safe plod. Was very nervous for a while but soon got confidence back. It's a pain of a bone to break but it will heal eventually but don't be in a rush to ride or drive.
 
Broke my radius (right arm) Nov 12th last year. Not the same bone for sure, but same issue of having an arm that doesn't work properly :o

Made a bit of a mess. Went in on the following day (Monday) for a check up and ended up staying in for an op to plate and screw it.

Have good days and bad days. The back of my hand tends to hurt a fair bit. Every now and then there is just pain in the wrist. Comes out of no-where and then goes away again.

Not riding until the end of this month, depending on weather and saddle fit (horse has lost muscle).

The Registra said he enjoyed putting arms back together when they've been broken at the end of the plate, which was put in to fix the first break! I didn't fancy the sound of it, so have erred on the side of caution and am taking it easy :cool:. I really don't fancy this pain going on into future! The scar is settling down, just stings every now and then.
 
I had a partial cast on mine.. I broke the proximal epiphysis and dislocated the same shoulder at the same time and was off riding around 12 weeks or so.. I had to have a GA to reset or my arm would have stopped growing :(

I was show jumping a very hot pony.. Seems all my breaks and larger injuries have been horse related, lol..

Wishing you a speedy recovery..
 
treacle_beastie said:
Oh dear I'm not sure what I'm about to say will fill you with much hope. I broke mine mid shaft a few years ago. Had hanging cast for a week then q brace. Ugh the bones moving was an awful feeling. I had to wean myself off painkillers qa for addicted to them after 6 weeks :( I had physio quite early on but could not move my arm more than an inch from my side for ages. Anyway after 3 months I was moving house and had to drive for 3 hours. Physio said no way, I still coukdnt move my arm very well but for a week I practiced changing gears. Didn't have full use when I drove it and had to drive for 3 hours in 3rd or 4th gear! But that was the best physio and statlrted to heal properly then. Took 5 months to heal in its odd bumpy unstraight way and now have a strong but slightly bent arm and not quite full range of movement and aches on cold/damp weather and was 9 years ago now (god 9years has gone quick). I wasn't allowed to rife until 6months but did after 5 on a very safe plod. Was very nervous for a while but soon got confidence back. It's a pain of a bone to break but it will heal eventually but don't be in a rush to ride or drive.
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Similar story to mine broke my humerus 10 years ago and it still aches from time to time
First four months I was in agony if I touched anything with that hand I didnt have a plaster or brace it was simply hung round my neck in a sling I wouldnt wish the pain on my worst enemy I have subsequently broken my ankle and knee the same day and I didnt even know they were broken as I expected the same level of pain I had in my arm.
I did return to work after 2 weeks even though I had to be driven there and had an assistant hired to help me (I Broke it a work and they were liable)
I returned to driving at about 6 months and riding about the same time. It took 4 years to be pain free especially at night and as I say it still aches even now if I get cold.
I hope your experience is much better than mine and everything goes well and you can get back to normal as quickly as possible. I was roughly late forties when I did it so maybe age played a part in the exptended recovery
 
Nice positive update!
Firstly – thanks for the responses – no wonder people think us horse riders are mad! and what a mixture of recovery experiences! No, not sure I do want to hear it still aches after 9 or 10 years – thanks! 
Back to fracture clinic this morning (12 weeks & 3 days after break) and… drum roll…..I’M OK’D TO DRIVE…YIPEE!!
I felt fairly confident they would say I could as have felt a massive improvement on a daily basis over the last week or so. I commented to a friend that it felt like I had my arm back! Doctor asked me how I was getting on and what I could do, so did my impression of driving a car whilst saying “brum brum” and he laughed. So first solo school run followed by evening stables for 12 weeks – bliss! I am being careful obviously but luckily lovely light steering in my truck so no problems there.

My arm is obviously pretty weak, but has improved already with the physio I am religiously doing and doctor today was quite impressed/surprised when I lifted my hand above my head. It’s getting it behind my back I find impossible. I think I have been very lucky and although this natural healing has taken an age, so far it seems to have worked. I am still in my brace but can take it off if no risk – so watching tv! Then wean myself off it after another month. not to carry anything heavier than a tea cup for another few weeks then a little more but nothing too heavy for next 3 months and next check up. He said don’t ride until 6 months minimum as the risk of a pull on the arm too great – he said he’d rather I waited a year til arm fully strengthened but realized little chance of me doing so. I’m wishing I had a gentle plod to ride as bit wary of my lovely lady after moths off, but when the sun starts shining I’ll be desperate to get back on board.
Same as others, it is at night it aches the most – why? doctor says I may be sleeping on it? but I haven’t needed painkillers for weeks.
But all positive…slow but steady, and the freedom of being able to drive to the yard/shop/work/anywhere again is wonderful.
Better crack on with the physio then……
 
Brother broke his humerus a few years ago, fell off and did a clean break at the top near his joint....he had a heavy plaster cast on with a weight at the bottom to pull the humerus down as the muscles had pulled it up...if that makes sense.....brother could feel it grinding as it slowly came down:o
He then went into a light one for six weeks...he was supposed to have seven weeks off riding but he went back straight when cast came off and just ride with his right hand.....
 
Have just whizzed through this thread, and so many different stories! Am very glad to hear of the improvement you've made and that you have the go-ahead to drive again. Agree about a plod to ride, so a good excuse to nose round your nearby riding schools with a view to a private (or semi- if you have a willing friend) lesson, maybe on lunge, to get you back in the saddle with confidence before chancing your girl. Also an instructor could come and ride her for you, warm her up/get rid of her sillies then give a "lesson" on her so you're not on your own for the first time on her.
BTW nice timing to avoid Ofsted!! I'm a primary school 1:1 TA, who used to be a radiographer, and broke my humerus falling off a trekking pony half way up a welsh mountain age 12. I had to get back on and ride back, swear that was the best traction, tho painful, healed by end of summer hols...these days could have been rescued by Prince William!! Strangely, my daughter broke same bone, almost same place at same age attempting a jump on a pony who went sideways instead of over. We are all nuts!
 
If you're young, don't smoke, do as told by Drs, bone heals well then the break should heal in approx 6 weeks. Driving...think your insurance company would have a view on things but rule of thumb is that you need to be able to do an emergency stop. If you can't, don't drive! If your job is teaching, I'd have thought you could return to work only when the bone is healed as any tiny accidental knock could set you back and only when your employers will let you having done risk analysis.
 
ETA - didn’t see the date of the first quote or read the latest posts so ignore
 
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only_me said:
Strange to create a support page for a common enough fracture tha normally heals well over time, even stranger to drag the thread up after 6 years...
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Lol I got confused yesterday when I looked at New Posts and there were so many about broken humeruses, I thought some curse had fallen on H&H and a load of us had been injured ;) She basically used the search function to find all threads mentioning "humerus" and then posted about her FB group on all of them!
 
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