broken humorous bone, age 58, orthep't put n sling which I wore 4 sev'l wks & did the exercises he?

Question

suggested. I was supposed 2 go to physical therapy 4 it but at just that time my mom was told she had cancer & the next few wks were spent taking care of her.

It's been 4 months since the break. I've cont'd to do the exercises. I've been able 2 crawl my fingers up the wall til the broken arm can go up as far as the other one. I can even sleep on that side, tho I usually wake up in pain. The main exercise I haven't been able to do is put my arm behind my back.. My new insurance doesn't cover physical therapy & its been 4 months, but I'm still working at range of motion exercises.

I have this little 1 pound wgt bar & wonder if that would help
w/ the healing. I've made sure I got enough calcium. I do sitting yoga ea day which works the arm tho I still can't reach as far as the other arm. When I lift tht lil wgt 4 curls it doesnt' hurt. I was told that at about 6 mths scar tissue forms so I now i want 2 do as much as i can over the next 2 mths. any help appreciated.

Answer 1

Just keep doing it, and add a little weight each week.

Answer 2

I'm certainly not a physician, but I had even more extensive surgery on my shoulder -- a reverse total shoulder replacement joint -- after a really bad bike accident. Long story. Before that I had a clavicle broken in an auto accident, so I've been down this road a couple of times. While you should rely on your physician for advice, I can tell you about my experience for whatever it's worth. I used the sling for the the first few days after surgery and after then whenever I needed it, usually when I was tired near the end of the day. I was VERY careful not to lift anything heavier than a pencil and I did not raise my arm above about shoulder height, which is a good way to put strain on the healing clavicle, which after all is the part of your skeleton that allows you to raise your arm above your shoulder. I was able to get by without the sling relatively early. The real challenge for you, at least in my experience, is not doing without the sling, but in the physical therapy to stretch and exercise the muscles that will atrophy while your broken clavicle is healing. There is no way to avoid the atrophy as you simply cannot use these muscles while waiting for the healing. The therapy will be needed to restore strength and full range of motion to the muscles that operate your shoulder. If the therapy is not done, you will wind up with very limited motion in that shoulder, so if your physician has not mentioned PT, you probably should ask. The therapy is not fun -- stretching the muscles is somewhat painful, but probably not as bad as you already have experienced with the break and the recovery from the surgery. A good therapist will be a huge help, but you have to tough it out and do the exercises and stretches that the therapist prescribes. As I said, this is not medical advice, just the experience of someone who has had similar treatment. Good luck!

Answer 3

just keep doing exercise and use it. I have a plate,pin and rod in my left leg. was off it for a month, and did not go to physical therapy at all. when I got to put a little pressure on it i did but not full pressure until 3 months later. I never babied it. The only time it really hurts is in the winter. and I still don't baby it. I figured if I babyed it it will never get back to the way it was, so what im trying to say is take it at your own speed. and get it back to the way it use to be. do your own exercise, eventually you will be able to use it. like before, and don't let it stop you from doing what you want. The only thing I don't do is run. I can't run as fast. but I really have no reason to run anyways. good luck and stay strong.

Answer 4

You are doing well with what you have been doing. You really should get some therapy if at all possible, shoulder limitation can sneak up on you. Keep working at your range of motion though, you can use a towel to help you assist with moving your arm behind your back, as well as looping it over something to use your other arm to assist with raising the arm in front of you.