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Radial Head Fractures Thoughts?

92K views 132 replies 50 participants last post by  Lisa12 
#1 ·
So I'm riding in an area I was unfamiliar with and going much faster than I should have been for not knowing the terrain. That was, in hindsight, a bad idea... but to make matters worse my gear snaps. Basically I'm pedaling air for about a half second. Never happened before and scared the crap out of me.

I look down for that quick second taking my eyes off where they should have been and blammo! Hit a bump, went airborne, and over the front... smack and both elbows broken.

My right took the majority of the force. The left, unfortunately, was also jacked up. My right was broken in a couple places and looked like like two big pieces of a jigsaw on the xray. The left was broken with a slight step out.

Anyway I'm now almost six months out from my surgery. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to feed myself, drink, wash, shave, brush teeth... and well... go to the bathroom myself :)

My left arm feels fairly normal. It's not back to where it was but it's darn close. My right though... it's still very stiff. I don't have much in the way of flexion or extension.

I was wondering if anyone had similar experience and if your situation improved.

I've read that six months is about the window for the most amount of improvement... generally speaking. So now I'm obviously concerned that I may never be able to ride again.

I tried a couple times and I can ride, but it's fairly painful when I hit any kind of bump. I still can't do any kind of "pushup" with my right arm either.

Just hoping someone in here will give me some good news... like they had the same situation and it improved hehe.

Anyway thanks for any insight.
 
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#27 ·
I had the pleasure of radial head fracture myself:

2 months ago: Road bike ride. Brand new Look 555 with about 30 miles on it to replace my '93 Trek with 25,000 miles and 3 dozen races on it. A one-in-a-million chance of nicking a stick with my front wheel and putting it perfectly in the spokes. The carbon fork shattered and I went over the handlebars hard. Brand. New. Bike. Grrrrrrr.

Anyway, I put out my right hand for impact. Cracked the radial. That was 7/11/09. The orthopedic surgeon cut off the ER's cast and said no surgery - only PT. I did 6 weeks of PT and have pretty much all range of motion back.

I haven't ridden since the crash. I've been building up my new frame: Look 565 this time (there was a tiny patch of cracked paint behind the head tube of the 555 meaning the the frame was damaged in the crash.) and I'm also itching to take out the Stumpjumper.

Question to anyone else who had gone through this: How long until I can safely ride on the elbow? The doc said 2 months, but I work as a camera man and have put alot of weight/work on this arm in the last month - I don't want to over stress it any more. It is still sore and putting miles on the trainer definitely irritates it. Is the pain something to ice after a ride, or am I risking further damage at this point? I'm running out of DVD's to watch while on the trainer. (BTW - on the old reliable Trek.)

Thanks!
 
#28 ·
yeeper said:
I had the pleasure of radial head fracture myself:

2 months ago: Road bike ride. Brand new Look 555 with about 30 miles on it to replace my '93 Trek with 25,000 miles and 3 dozen races on it. A one-in-a-million chance of nicking a stick with my front wheel and putting it perfectly in the spokes. The carbon fork shattered and I went over the handlebars hard. Brand. New. Bike. Grrrrrrr.

Anyway, I put out my right hand for impact. Cracked the radial. That was 7/11/09. The orthopedic surgeon cut off the ER's cast and said no surgery - only PT. I did 6 weeks of PT and have pretty much all range of motion back.

I haven't ridden since the crash. I've been building up my new frame: Look 565 this time (there was a tiny patch of cracked paint behind the head tube of the 555 meaning the the frame was damaged in the crash.) and I'm also itching to take out the Stumpjumper.

Question to anyone else who had gone through this: How long until I can safely ride on the elbow? The doc said 2 months, but I work as a camera man and have put alot of weight/work on this arm in the last month - I don't want to over stress it any more. It is still sore and putting miles on the trainer definitely irritates it. Is the pain something to ice after a ride, or am I risking further damage at this point? I'm running out of DVD's to watch while on the trainer. (BTW - on the old reliable Trek.)

Thanks!
Well... do you still have pain in any form from it? If you do then I'd maybe wait a while although my Physio tells me the pain is not damaging all that much. It is still a weak area, well it is for me.

I had mine about 2 or 3 weeks after you and it still gives me bother. I've only had 2 weeks of physio yet though but it still has it's problem.

Have you really got full range of motion back? I mean without pain? You can fully extend it and flex and rotate it without pain and to every extreme? If so - then that is quite amazing.

Good luck with the riding. You could ask some of the guys here. Maybe go on some straight roads and see how it feels. Tie it up a little, I mean with some support. It should help.

You could try PMing some of the guys above for more advice.
 
#29 ·
Hi....regarding radial head fracture.

I am the mother of a racer from Seattle...first name of Tim.

Anyway, I thought maybe I could ask all of you about my radial head fracture.

8/22/2009 date of injury. hard cast for five days then half cast splint and sling that I used for two weeks, doing range of motion, palm up, palm down.... for past 10 days splint only.

I now have swelling again..just been using the sling...do you think I could have broken again?

Thanks
A supportive mother of your sport
 
#30 ·
Wow......one week ago I had a (horrific) road bike wreck. Doing about 30, looked down for a second and veered into a curb. Went OTB and hit the ground where there happened to be a culvert, so instead of sliding along the pavement, I came to a rapid stop.

Lots of rash, and I learned two days later that I had a radial head fracture on my right. Doc said it was 1.5mm wide, looked to be about 1.5" long on the Xray. Same deal, no cast just work moving it. I am still in pain every day, but today was the first day without advil. I am probably working it too much. I hope to be back on the bike in 2-3 weeks, pending a good dr visit.

Range of motion gets better daily, but it is still quite painful to do palms up/down.

Also have shoulder pain now, should have mentioned that at docs office, but did not notice it with the arm.
 
#31 ·
Matt...just the same except how it occurred. I was sitting on the top of the steps at cabin and probably caught heel behind first step when I stood up....basically flew over five steps and landed directly on the concrete below...crossing my arm in front of me probably prevented worse injuries.

My fracture is identical to yours at 1.5 mm...slight distraction. My elbow did lock at 90 degrees.. that has improved.

It still hurts. still taking Advil. Hard for me to touch my face...It may have been immobile too much of the day in the 2nd week.. not sure. or maybe an age factor. Keep your fingers moving...and if you think your wrist hurts even a little bit have it x-rayed too or re- x-rayed if it already was done.
 
#32 ·
forgot to mention..see a PT..I did therapy on my own and think I probably pulled a tendon in my hand. Also, your should probably have your shoulder x-rayed. If you have a sling keep the elbow strap behind your shoulder and not in front...seems to help me with the shoulder pain.
 
#34 ·
Matt. My son is 28, close to your age.... I am 56...may be why it is taking me longer to heal. My fracture was "healed" on x-ray at 4 weeks, but was told last week to still be careful, still no solid callus formation yet. I have hit my elbow a couple times and it scares me.

I am really sorry I did not insist on professional physical therapy and instead just had the orthopod say "do this do that, etc". I also have heard that occupational therapy is beneficial in helping to hold pen, etc.

Your accident does sound horrific, but I must say you are much further than I was at 1 week post injury. I find it hard to understand exactly how much exercise the MD wants me to do.

I will be anxious to hear what your ortho says.
 
#35 ·
Update on my injury:

I went on my first ride since my 7/11 accident yesterday. The ortho doc said no riding for 2 months following the accident. Even if movement is back and pain is down, that is alot of force going through that joint while riding. I'm a cameraman and work came up at week 5 that had me shooting for 2 straight weeks - that really aggravated it and I decided to add another 2 weeks to waiting to ride.

Patience. I'd rather do some time on the indoor trainer than risk compromising the healing process. My rides the last two days have been road rides and I'll keep off the mtb until another couple weeks, due to the increased amount of shock put into the arms.

Matt - I would definitely give it a lot more time than 2-3 weeks to return. The main instructions from my ortho and physical therapist were keep stretching, flexing, and improving range of motion - but keep all weight off it.

-Geo
 
#36 ·
I have to go out so will reply in detail when I return.

Leen - I don't think you've broken it again but only an Orthopaedist will be able to answer that. The swelling is normal and is basically the swelling covering the injury and also from movement (which you need to do to stop it getting worse).

If you are still concerned, then it is best to see the Orthopaedist. The Physio is more exercise and rehab based, the Orthopaedist can assess injury and stuff.
 
#37 ·
leen321 said:
forgot to mention..see a PT..I did therapy on my own and think I probably pulled a tendon in my hand. Also, your should probably have your shoulder x-rayed. If you have a sling keep the elbow strap behind your shoulder and not in front...seems to help me with the shoulder pain.
You can't keep x-raying because of radiation poisoning. I think you're supposed to have one ever 6 months only and only if it's serious you can have another.

The Orthopaedist or your Doctor could send you to somebody who could assess an injury without an X Ray.
 
#38 ·
yeeper said:
Update on my injury:

I went on my first ride since my 7/11 accident yesterday. The ortho doc said no riding for 2 months following the accident. Even if movement is back and pain is down, that is alot of force going through that joint while riding. I'm a cameraman and work came up at week 5 that had me shooting for 2 straight weeks - that really aggravated it and I decided to add another 2 weeks to waiting to ride.

Patience. I'd rather do some time on the indoor trainer than risk compromising the healing process. My rides the last two days have been road rides and I'll keep off the mtb until another couple weeks, due to the increased amount of shock put into the arms.

Matt - I would definitely give it a lot more time than 2-3 weeks to return. The main instructions from my ortho and physical therapist were keep stretching, flexing, and improving range of motion - but keep all weight off it.

-Geo
I haven't ridden and I don't think I will for a while. Winter is coming soon and I will also need to get my fitness back soon too.

It aches regularly. Most movement makes it ache - fast movement is not possible but when I do it struggles for a while.

I am thinking with what I've heard it will take probably months to a couple of years before I get any normalcy.

I also get a clicking sound too.
 
#39 ·
Yeeper.....Maybe my fracture was not as severe as yours....at least that's what I am hoping. The Orthopedic that I am seeing is a good family friend and has a really good reputation in the community. I am pretty sure he would have had me do PT if he thought the injury was bad enough. At least I hope.......

I'm having a hard time with it, mostly because I'm a farmer and a lot of my time is spent using that arm. I just hope I don't screw it up and have permanent limited range....

On a side note.....I run now that I can't ride, and nearly ate it today while running. I'd like to think I would have the presence of mine to pull in that injured arm, but I dunno. Luckily my feet caught me.
 
#40 ·
mattsteve said:
Yeeper.....Maybe my fracture was not as severe as yours....at least that's what I am hoping. The Orthopedic that I am seeing is a good family friend and has a really good reputation in the community. I am pretty sure he would have had me do PT if he thought the injury was bad enough. At least I hope.......

I'm having a hard time with it, mostly because I'm a farmer and a lot of my time is spent using that arm. I just hope I don't screw it up and have permanent limited range....

On a side note.....I run now that I can't ride, and nearly ate it today while running. I'd like to think I would have the presence of mine to pull in that injured arm, but I dunno. Luckily my feet caught me.
I'm not sure where you are in the world but in the UK your GP (Family Practitioner) will send you to a Physio.

I have talked to a lot of people regarding the injury and all of the guys I spoke to, told me to see a Physio and it has helped in a lot of ways.

I would consider taking this option and also talking to the Orthopaedist and later Physio about the work your are doing.

I put a bandage over my elbow by the way. I had a really strong bandage which helped support the arm while it healed. It does help.
 
#41 ·
i fell off my road bike at about 0.5mph about 15-16 years ago ...

i was quite lucky in that the doc in er was a cyclist and knew exactly what to look for when i told him what happened ... fractured my left radial head, complete with step etc ...

it took ages to free up and stretch the muscles out again after a few weeks being bandaged up ... as a operational firefighter it meant a few months off work too ...

i don't know what really happened, but i was in so much pain and frustrated with it not straightening out, doctors even put in a steroid injection directly into the elbow and were looking at possible srugery to remove the radial head itself ... then i woke up one morning and it was more relaxed and much freer ...

i was trying to stretch the muscles myself at home by putting palm on the wall with elbow on hip and using body weight to push the arm straight, and i was also doing some low level kayaking which i could do without too much pain or restriction ... dunno what would happen if i fell out though ...

over the years it has still given me a bit of trouble on occasion, but that could be an age thing too [am 48yo presently] ... if i lay on it for too long then it really starts to ache too, same if i hammer on a trail that is too rocky/rooty and if i use a rigid instead of front shocks ...
it also aches a bit if it is too cold on occasions ...

what worked for me was to keep it warm [warm water baths really helped] and to keep it moving ... but then mine was quite minor compared to what i have read here!

in hindsight, i cycletoured with a guy who had both radial heads removed following a motorbike accident and he really had a limited range of movement in both of them, and rode hunched over his bars cause he couldn't straighten out his arms at all ...

good luck, hope it improves soon!
 
#42 ·
hoogie said:
i fell off my road bike at about 0.5mph about 15-16 years ago ...

i was quite lucky in that the doc in er was a cyclist and knew exactly what to look for when i told him what happened ... fractured my left radial head, complete with step etc ...

it took ages to free up and stretch the muscles out again after a few weeks being bandaged up ... as a operational firefighter it meant a few months off work too ...

i don't know what really happened, but i was in so much pain and frustrated with it not straightening out, doctors even put in a steroid injection directly into the elbow and were looking at possible srugery to remove the radial head itself ... then i woke up one morning and it was more relaxed and much freer ...

i was trying to stretch the muscles myself at home by putting palm on the wall with elbow on hip and using body weight to push the arm straight, and i was also doing some low level kayaking which i could do without too much pain or restriction ... dunno what would happen if i fell out though ...

over the years it has still given me a bit of trouble on occasion, but that could be an age thing too [am 48yo presently] ... if i lay on it for too long then it really starts to ache too, same if i hammer on a trail that is too rocky/rooty and if i use a rigid instead of front shocks ...
it also aches a bit if it is too cold on occasions ...

what worked for me was to keep it warm [warm water baths really helped] and to keep it moving ... but then mine was quite minor compared to what i have read here!

in hindsight, i cycletoured with a guy who had both radial heads removed following a motorbike accident and he really had a limited range of movement in both of them, and rode hunched over his bars cause he couldn't straighten out his arms at all ...

good luck, hope it improves soon!
Hi Hoogie

Thanks for your experience, it's really appreciated.

I am only 2 months out (on my 8th week right now) and I do feel this is a long term thing i.e. it will give me some pain, some discomfort over the years. At present I am working at minimalising with Physio and such which is helping but I have realised how obscure the injury is because it's in a complex area so will just accept it play around over the years.

Anyway cheers again.
 
#43 ·
Update....I went today for another visit with my doc. His wife caught me opening a car door with the bad wing and thought I may have damaged it doing other such things. Took pix and it looks like everything is coming together nicely (2 weeks post incident). He said that I should let it rest as best I can for another two weeks and then start more aggressive PT (at home, I hope). So that's the plan, I hope to be back on the bike in a month at the absolute latest. I did ride it around a bit, albeit one handedly. Probably being foolish with the injury but whatever. Glad I read this thread.....I tricked myself into thinking that since a cast was not called for, it was not that serious of an injury.....when in terms of long term issues, it is probably more serious than a complete break of the arm.

Glad I am young and a fast healer.

Hope you all get healed up as well...!
 
#45 ·
.I am glad you had a good x-ray report and MD visit. Go for the professional therapy if offered. I see the ortho on Thurs...unsure about how it will turn out. My elbow feels unstable.. I have been wearing the sling more often even though I am 5 weeks out. I am pretty sure I have done too many exercises too soon. When I wake up in the morning I cannot close my fist. It takes a few hours then it is okay...seems to be more my wrist, but I am not sure. I totally agree with you...this type of break is definitely a long-term and harder to heal injury then maybe a long bone.

Hope you are allowed professional PT... The more I think about it the more irritated I am with my ortho that he just expects 60 seconds of instruction to take the place of a professional several times a week. Will write on Thurs
 
#46 ·
Good luck, Leen. The more I read on this topic, the more it sounds like there can be a pretty good range of damage according to the individual accident characteristics.....Just be glad you don't have to go in for surgery....ugh.

Look up online PT and you can probably do a decent job on your own...
 
#47 ·
Matt..the good news for me is that my fracture is totally healed and my flexion is normal and extension only off 7 degrees.. I do have some bad news. Remember how I said my arm was bothering me. I have reddish/blusish fingers with quite a bit of pain..kind of shiny skin. I have a complictaion from the fracture called CRPS complex regional pain syndrome. I guess it is pretty uncommon and happens mainly in women. Basically my nerves decided not work in my arm. There are several stages...I am in stage 1 and it is totally reversible. I have professional therapy several times per week and do therapy everyday at home.
Thank you...
I am glad your fracture is healing well. I wish you the best.
 
#48 ·
left radial head fracture

Im new to both the forums and mountain biking (2 mos) i got into mountain biking to enjoy the freeride aspect of it... long story short, i fractured my left radial head 1 week ago. Im in a sling now for 10 days and have an appt to see the Dr. again on monday.

Just wanted to comment and say thanks to everyone for posting useful information about this injury and what i can expect to recover.

Ive always been active in sports, skating and broken a lot of bones... this injury, by far seems to be the most nagging and frustrating.

Thanks Again everyone... i enjoy the reading.
 
#49 ·
Okay - this thread is depressing, so here goes. Fractured radial head on 8th Dec 09 road cycling - girl clips my back wheel with her front wheel and I hit the deck at 6mph with arm outstretched. Was riding my 5 day old Specialized Tarmac SL!!! Luckily that was not damaged.

No displacenment initially. 2 weeks later I have 1.5mm displacement. 3 weeks later - no change & signs of recovery. at 7 weeks I go to PT and he starts manipulating the elbow which was VERY painful. After 3 weeks of getting nowhere and increased pain after manipulation PT referrs me to specialist. She requests another X-Ray and now I have 5mm of displacement and no signs of the bone healing??!! She referrs me to another "specialist" whom I have yet to hear from.

I have approx 50% movement I recon so it's rather depressing. Now I haven't heard back from specialist/ PT/ hospital and no one knows whether I should have surgery or what.

:madman: :madman:
 
#50 ·
Hi Bushman.

You are right, this thread is depressing. You are two months out with no real treatment plan. If you live close to a Teaching University I would get copies of all my chart notes, PT notes, digital x-rays, etc and make an appt ASAP with a orthopedic hand specialist (they do shoulder on down). My radial head fracture is very similar to yours, just a bit less. I am still doing therapy and will tweak my elbow and it hurts like crazy (like tonight, felt fine scrubbing the skin and you would think I just broke it all over, but I have RSD as you may have read above as a result of this fracture---rare..do not worry about getting it). I have read almost everything I can find and realize this is a tricky fracture even if a tiny fracture or minimally displaced. Therapy seems to be what most agree on. Palm up/palm down, but I would not do this unless instructed by physical therapist. I got the run around similar to you, but it only hampered my recovery. So my main advice to you is be advocate for yourself in your care and do not let anyone keep you from getting the treatment/care/therapy that you need, especially if you are only at 50% movement. BTW therapy can hurt, but it should not hurt to the point of tears...too much too soon can cause more damage. My therapist specializes in hand/arms/shoulders only. My best to you...Kathleen:) :) :)
 
#51 ·
Meee Tooo!

I am a dirt/street bmx guy but I actually hurt my elbow in a motox accident, about 4.5 months ago. I was training for supercross and I had a bad get off which put me in ICU for a list of things and the elbow pain/swelling was on the list. I insisted that there was a problem but the Dr. said it was not broke and had clear x-rays..... a month ago I am still in pain and am not getting much better so I saw two specialists and both said that I had a radial head fracture that had become displaced and both said that it needed to be screwed together initially. I am having constant pain still and I will be going in for a cartilage cleanup surgery and a possible ulnar nerve re-location. One Dr. said that it probably wont be worth Fixing the displacement???. I have broken many bones and this is definitely the most complicated by far. Good luck to you guys.
 
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