Shoulder Humerus Fracture -- Rehab Physical Therapy

@ruthie254 Having a fracture is frustrating for sure, and significantly painful. I have had shoulder issues that have gone through rehab, some torn cartilage in one, and a frozen shoulder in the other. The frozen shoulder happened because of a reaction to injected gadolium during a diagnostic MRI that caused so much pain and inflammation that it hurt to breathe with the slight amount that it moved my shoulder, and I just had to put my arm in a sling. When you put your arm in a sling because you have to, it does hurt to get your range of motion back in therapy and sometimes progress is slow.

It is good that your fracture was not displaced. Most recently, I have been recovering from a bad compound and dislocated ankle fracture that happened 2 years ago. I had surgical hardware that caused pain, so I had that removed. Getting my leg to try to do its job after the muscles have atrophied from the injury is hard especially because of needing to bear weight on it. This was definitely much more painful and for a lot longer than the cervical spine surgery I had to fuse C5/C6 with a bone graft. That was done without hardware which for me adds to the success because my body just does not like foreign metals inside.

I also lift hay bales, as carefully as I can because I tend to cheat and use neck muscles which just brings on muscle spasms. I need to remember to set my shoulder blade first and then lift without using the upper traps to do the job. I imagine you may get similar advice and probably will have lifting weight restrictions for a long while. One way I get a hay bale into a wagon is to put both the bale and wagon on end and rotate them into a normal position while pulling on the bale to keep it on the wagon. With the strength that you have had and physical ability, I think you'll make a good recovery. I am not nearly that strong. Perhaps being a spine patient, I've lost some shoulder strength, and I also have thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) that affects circulation and shoulder strength.

It's great you have Mayo trained doctors. I had my spine and ankle surgeries at Mayo and had wonderful care and a great recovery. Having compassionate providers really helps. Recovering from factures happens in baby steps. I am really surprised how long it has taken me with my ankle. I'm 2 years past the injury, and 10 months past hardware removal which lengthened my recovery time. You will know your limits when you fatigue and have pain, and then just need to rest. It may help to keep a journal of your progress because progress is slow, and you can compare and recognize just how much progress you have made. Celebrate your progress. Sometimes it seems like you'll never get back to normal. There may be a new normal or what they like to call maximum medical improvement. For me that includes some cartilage loss and that doesn't come back, so I need to try to prevent further wear and tear. At some point, I will probably have stem cell injections in the joint after my body has done as much as it can on its own because it can help clean up some debris in the joint and help the ligaments that were damaged in the injury.

What animals needed all that hay? I feed horses where my 2 horses are boarded. It sounds like you've been stacking hay or feeding a lot of livestock. Have your doctors predicted a return to your former activities?

Hi Ruthie, I am sorry you are going through this. A year ago I fell and fractured my humerus in 3 places, along with a rib. Had surgery, a plate and 9 nails are drilled into my bones along with cadaver bone to cement and seal the deal.

A week later, started PT. At that time I thought I would never be able to use my arm again! It took 8 months of intensive PT 3 days a week. It was rough. My therapist kept telling me to believe in myself and I would get there. It was hard work. I was 63 when i fell, in good health and active.

A year later I am better. I do have some limited range of motion. I do have pain on someday when I over exert. But I am able to do things I did before. I still do the PT exercises.

So I can't say this strongly enough, keep at it, don't get discouraged and do the best you can everyday. It is a process, don't rush it, it takes time. Hang in. Please keep us updated.

Thank-you so much for your encouragement. It really helps. I have PT at 3pm today and I will keep working!

Thanks for sharing your experiences and encouraging thoughts. I like your suggestion of keeping a journal. I am going to do that. We think we'll remember, but we don't!--so a journal will be good. Our livestock is DAIRY GOATS -- and no . . . the med professionals have not said what my future will be . . . which is part of my frustration. I have PT at 3pm today -- and I will try to keep in mind that I need to measure my progress in "baby steps" and be patient but persistent. Again -- thanks very much!

I had a "comminutive" break of my humerus about twenty years ago, at age 50. No surgery and the muscles brought it back into place. I did PT, used cool paks at work and kept doing the exercises. It took months to recover from pain, to be able to lie flat in bed (a towel under the shoulder helped) and to regain the ability to lift. It took a few years until I was comfortable with that sideways movement one used to pick up a teacup from a side table. But, now I can reach behind my back, reach up, etc. without problems. Now and then it aches, but not much arthritis going on. As others have said, be patient, keep up the PT exercises you learn and ice/heat whenever it is "annoyed."