UKC

Hi, my daughter fractured her arm and is out of plaster for a bit. The break didn't mend totally straight but was in the limit they are happy with. She is a long way away from being able to straighten it and hasn't had any physio yet. Just wondering if anyone has been through physio for this and what it involved. I'm a bit worried that if we don't get on with it she might not get a full recovery (plus she is keen to get back to gymnastics and climbing).

In reply to luke obrien:

How old is she, where was the fracture exactly, how long was she in plaster for, how long has she been out of plaster for?

In reply to luke obrien:

Depends a lot on the fracture and what her orthopods will and won't let her do.

I had a bad wrist fracture last year (needing operations x2) and did a lot of physio. At first I was only allowed to do passive movement, so just gently and frequently move it as far as you can. Set an alarm and do this hourly. Then I did active-assisted movement, so just move the wrist as far as it will go then give it a little gentle encouragement to go further. Again, minimum hourly. Then I moved on to a rice bucket (basically a bucket full of rice that provides some resistance - see http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/way-iron-fist ). When allowed to do strength stuff, hammer pronation / supination was good, then used a wrist roller (weight on a string that you wind up with a stick). In the following months I improvised lots of weird physio moves involving kneeling on my wrist, weight plates, asymetric dumbells, plank positions, etc. Self-massage is advisable to take down the swelling and mandatory if she's had surgery. Hard work, but it worked for me.

Be guided by the doctors / physios (and the above is my experience, not medical advice), but remember 1) that the physio might be catering to the lowest common denominator for a distal radial fracture, i.e. elderly women, and 2) the end result very heavily relies on perseverance, determination and potentially realignment of the pain threshold.

Good luck!

In reply to luke obrien:

Two years ago, I suffered a radial head fracture of my right elbow. I was involved a cycling accident and my bike landed on top of me (I don't remember much of it but this is the info from a witness).

I was given lots of conflicting advice, and undertook some basic physio to try and get back to shape again. I can climb again, but long term implications, for me at least, include the following:

I can lift a bag with my right arm, but cannot lower the arm without placing the bag in other hand.
Down climbing involves additional techniques now to get around the same problems.

You will find, after research, that the radial head has still not properly formed until you reach your early twenties. This may or may not be a positive factor in your daughters' recovery.

I would HIGHLY recommend buying Dave Macleod's new book 'Make or Break'. Also, talk to the best physio climbing elbow specialist you can find who has significant experience in treating youngsters. Talk to a pediatric surgeon if you can. The trick is, as I understand now, to research the EXACT problems as best you can, come up with a recovery plan with a specialist consulational talk, and then stick to it religiously. I did not do this, and regret it.

Hope this helps in some marginal way. My advice is useless in some respects because all recoveries will require an individualized plan. Even if two people have had the same diagnosis, the method by which they gained the injury and the diagnosis will be completely different. Best of luck - in my time as a sports instructor, I am always amazed at the speed by which young people recover.

In reply to luke obrien:

Luke,

Try contacting danny brown at dannybrownphysio.com

he specialises in youth climbers I'm pretty sure I heard him talk at Big Rock Milton keynes a couple of years ago.

Howard

In reply to Howardw1968:

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. It is up right near her elbow, she had it 'straightened' under anaesthetic 3 weeks after the break when they weren't happy with the angle. It is within spec now, though I'm not at all happy about the movement she has in it and the consultant first said we weren't out of the woods yet (I though he was suggesting another op). He then had a word with the main consultant who confirmed it was mending well and the angle was ok and recommended physio. We haven't had the appointment yet but I wanted to make sure I was asking the right questions and pushing them if it wasn't improving enough. I will try contacting g dannybrown to see what he says. Thanks

In reply to luke obrien:

@koalapie

She is 8 and fractured the radial head. She had a backslab for 1.5 weeks then an op to manipulate it into position (they managed a 30 degree angle). She had it in a cast for 4 weeks after the op and has now had the cast off for 1.5 weeks.

In reply to luke obrien:

Would need to check the x-ray, reads more like a radial neck fracture.
Follow the advice of your paediatric orthopaedic surgeon, that's your safest bet.
Kids usually heal fine and in due time providing they get out of bed.
Things which have potential complications are extent of joint line or growth plate involvement, which is what the x-ray and surgeon will be aware of.

In reply to luke obrien:

Just an update for anyone who is interested in this in the future.
We went to a decent sports physio who in one session recovered at least an extra 20 degree movement. Most of the focus was on flexion (rotating the wrist) which then unlocked other movement. We have exercises now, tips on basic home physio we can do and guidance on how far to take this and another appointment. She said that physio sessions over 2-6 weeks is not at all uncommon as the elbow is a reasonably complex and sometimes stubborn joint. I will post on the final outcome and can pass on details of the exercises if anyone is interested in the future. The only other thing I learnt for people in the NW (around Manchester, Liverpool way) is that there is a highly recommended sports physio who works out of the climbing hangar in Liverpool.