Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow



I broke my humerus in the first and second third of it.

They did implant rod surgey on it. I now have trouble with pain on the inside of the elbow right on the bone and top of the forarm on the top left side.

Dont know if this has anything to do with it but I also have a spot that when my arm moves into that spot I loose control of it and it just falls about three inches and then it is like i regain controll again at that point(ex. if u were in an arm wrestler position)

It does cause the pain in both spots when this happens.

I have told my ortho doctor and he just says he didnt do nothing to that part. Where he did the surgery feels fine and I dont think it has anything to do with that.

I think when I fell I injured something else and it was overlooked. I did this when I fell. If my arm get into certain postions it cause sharp jolts of pain.

The pain on the inside of the elbow started after a pop that caused pain and has hurt ever since.



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Joshua Answers:


Hi there.

Some clarifications and questions:

1. Is the fall that broke the arm the same arm
that caused the 'pop' that started the elbow pain?


2. How -exactly- did you fall/land?


3. What exactly is the position that causes the arm to lose control? Does it have to be holding weight for it to lose control?


4. Isn't it just like a doctor to think that one part of your arm is TOTALLY separate from the other part of the arm?

I mean, how could major surgery on your upper arm have -anything- to do with or have repercussions on your lower arm. That's CRAZY!

(yes, that was sarcasm)


5. Does it hurt if you do a bicep curl? If you wiggle your fingers? Open a jar? What kind of pain?

What exactly causes pain, and what is the pain it causes?




Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
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Comments for Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow

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Dec 31, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PART 2 - Broke arm /elbow pain - Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow
by: Anonymous

The pop that I am talking about happened about three months after the accident. I was pulling an elastic band for the outside of the body to the inside of the body.(PT exercises)

It was caused by a running fall. Far as to how i landed I'm not sure. The doctor seems to think I land straight on the elbow.

Far as losing control of the arm, pretend you are going to arm wressle, the position that is straight up and down, now move the fist to one side or the other about 1-2 inches and then the arm will just fall about 4-5 inches before it will stop( to the outside ) not quite as far on the inside. This is without any weight at all.

Opening a jar will cause a pain level I would say of about 3 but enough I will have someone else to open it if I can find someone.

Bicep curl- I can feel a strong pull on the inside of the elbow. I cannot put any pressure on the arm such as wash a dish will cause pretty bad pain and hard because of losing control of the arm.

There is a lot of popping that seems like it is coming for the bottom part of the break and now the dr is saying he thinks I am having trouble with the screw and that is what is causing all my trouble.

I DONT KNOW IF I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS IS IT.

I dont know how that would have anything to do with the inside elbow pain and the loud painful pop that happened that started the inside elbow pain.

That pop was definately not the same as what I feel in the bottom half of the break.

I said from day one that it seemed like I had instability in the elbow.

Your opinion would be a great help.


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Joshua Comments:


Hmmm. That's kind of weird.

Do this test for me.

1. Put your hand in the arm wrestling position you describe. hand straight up.

2. Put a little pressure on the hand with the other hand, and push one direction (the direction you say you move it that makes it fall).

3. Does it still lose stength/fall?

4. Do the same for the other direction.



Do this test for me.

1. Same postion.

2. Put A LOT of pressure with the other hand and resist in one direction.

3. Pain? Fall?

4. Repeat in other direction.


Do this test for me.

1. Poke around in your forearm/elbow area. Can you find the spot that pops? Can you find the point where the screw is?

Do they hurt?

If you move your elbow around while you are feeling for the spot that pops, can you feel it pop? Can you feel what pops?



Dec 31, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Part 3 - Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow
by: Anonymous

In the arm wrestling postion with resistance it does not fall(strange) but it does cause pain in the upper arm about where the screw is. Whether it be little or lots of resistance. Doesn't seem to have a problem with losing strength.

I can find the spot that is popping if I extend the arm and bring the hand in toward the body. (but keep in mind that this is not the same pop that caused the pain in the elbow.)

It feels like it is right above the screw. (going by the scar where they put the screw in) Really close to the break. It does not hurt to touch but I noticed it has a knot in the spot that is popping.

I do know I still have signs of a little nerve damage because of the way my thumb feels when you touch it.(like you put scotch tape on it and are touching it and it tingles)

The surgery that I had was 5 months ago. I would expect that after this ammout of time to at least be able to do simple tasks like washing dishes without it hurting and losing control of it.

Sometimes when I reach for things I lose control too. I have went through 2 months of PT and complain the whole time about the spot that I can't control and they told me dont let it fall.(if I could figure out why it was losing control it wouldnt be doing it was what I was thinking!)

I dont baby the arm other than lifting over 10 pounds.(dr orders)

If i tighten up the muscles in the arm without the resistance it will still fall. I am so confused and really starting to feel like this is just the way it is going to be.

Anything you can suggest will be a big help.



Jan 02, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PART 4 - Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow
by: The Tendonitis Expert

Joshua Comments:


Hmmmm.

Well, I'm guessing a little bit here, but I'll do my best.

It doesn't make a lot of sense that it would fall without resistance, but have strength through a range with resistance. But the body does funny things. Especially with pain/and injury.

I -think- that the 'fall' is because the nervous system is reading danger due to the metal in the arm and the tissue around it and and and.

When the nervous system reads danger, it makes a structure go limp.

Like, if a piano fell on you, your nervous system would instantaneously read a huge weight load, and it would keep your body from resisting the piano. Not that it makes any difference in that scenario.

You see it more in the knee. When there is a ligament problem, or there's a chunk of cartiledge floating in the joint, the nervous system can cut out all power in an attempt to save you from injury. This is why people will be walking along and their leg will 'give out'.


I would think it would do it with resistance to, but I'm not surprised that it gives out with no resistance. All the factors are lining up for it to do exactly what it's doing.

1. Start doing daily exercise with the resistance I had you experiement with. For a week, just do a bunch of resistance. Create strength.

Then start reducing resistance. As you get down to little/no pressure, this will start building up fine motor systems. This may start retraining your nervous system.

We're talking nervous system here far more than we're talking strength.


2. Start ice dipping the forearm as described on the How To Reduce Inflammation page.


3. Gently massage around the metal in your arm. This will help get tissue mobile and make the tissue healthy. Trust me, that was a very long story short.

Do this often, a minure here, a minute there, all day long for the next month or so.


You suffered a significant injury. This will take some time to recover from, especially with the trauma of surgery and metal being in there.

Maybe something went a little funky, maybe a nerve is getting pressed on and sending funky signals.

Now it's a matter of doing the right things to help it along as best as possible.
Jan 03, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		PART 5 - Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much. I will do what you have suggested and pray that this works. I have nothing to lose and eveything to gain from it.

Again thank you.


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Joshua Comments:

Great. Try it. It will take some effort, but at this point, you have to -actively- help your arm get better.

You're welcome. Keep us updated.



Jan 29, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PART 3 - Fall that broke humerous, implant rod surgery, now have pain on top outside of forearm and inside of elbow
by: Anonymous

Went back to Ortho Dr. and he said the 1 of the bones isnt healing and after 6 months it most likely wont and he thinks pain is coming from that in combination with a loose screw in the rod.

More surgery to take out rod and put in some kind of protein bone growing like gel put a plate and screw in the remaining break that hasn't healed which is the middle portion of the arm.

Thank you


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Joshua Comments


Yikes.

I wonder why the bone isn't healing?

I'd get your Vitamin D levels checked. Low vitamin D keeps Calcium from being used well.

Which could even account for the loose screw.

Hmmmm. That's no fun, looking forward to another surgery....

(Also, please use the 'add your own comment' link below to reply, it makes it WAY easier for me to respond.)



Nov 21, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I Just Want My Life Back! after broken forearm and tendonitis pain
by: Tom

Hi there,

I am 26 years old and have broken my left and right forearms twice each. I work a truck unloading job/sales job in retail and have done so for 6 years now. I work out and live a fit life, been working out for 5 or so years.

I have had wrist pain issues for years and they have almost disappeared but the last 6 months have been utter torment as I have had intense pain in my right elbow. The pain has been on the outside or the outside of the elbow or both. My tendons are definitely inflamed right where my forearm meet my elbow joint.

I have followed your ice dipping routine for a couple weeks but I have yet to feel any relief from my symptoms of whatever ailment this might be. I read your articles about nutritional deficiencies and started taking a multivitamin,fish oil,hyaluronic acid,vitamin c 1000 mg and vitamin d 5000 mg a day.


Please, is there anything else I can do to get my life back? My job has been very difficult and stressful since my hands are crucial to it's execution. One other question I have to pose because I am curious, if I were actually deficient wouldn't I have issues with both elbows and not just one?

Your feedback is sincerely appreciated.


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Joshua Comments:

Hi Tom.


1. This is a great question: Wouldn't nutrional insufficiency cause pain in both sides?

One of the ways in which the body is very predictable is that, symptom-wise, it doesn't have to follow any rules. And every body is a little different. And if it is nutritional, it can be affecting -everything- (because that's how nutrition works) but other factors are at play such that only one side hurts, and later may another side will start hurting.

The important thing to know that nutrional lack IS affecting your symptom, whether you are currently feeling it or not. The body is pretty amazing...it will continue to run...until it can't.



2. Broken bones set you up for a particular direction: inflammation, muscle tightness, nutritional lack (hey, those are the factors of Tendonitis!).

You didn't mention Magnesium. I would absolutely do that.

If ice dipping (assuming you ice dipped enough, which you may or may not have) didn't do anything, that points to nutritional lack (the body doesn't have what it needs to be able to respond adequately/appropriately/enough to the cold).

How much did you ice dip?



3. I'd get my Reversing Wrist Tendonitis ebook. It covers some small but important things I reserve just for the ebook, and I can talk you through some specifics for post-broken bone scenarios (which is basically Tendonitis Plus).

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