I’m writing this blog to detail the accident and recovery process from my dislocated elbow back in December. When I tried to find information on the recovery process and return to sports/activity, I found very little information, so hopefully this will be useful to someone in the future.
2018 ended on a little bit of a rough note as I took a fall while running down my home town trail of Gregory Canyon (on Green Mountain Boulder), smacking my elbow just right (or wrong) fully dislocating the elbow. Oh boy did that hurt like hell. I sat in the middle of the trail, taking very controlled deep breathes for what seemed like 5-10min (but could have been much longer), trying to figure out exactly what had happened. I initially thought I’d broken something, but as I probed the bones of the upper and lower arm, nothing distal hurt, and the hand, while it tingled was not numb. As we rolled up my sleeve my friend Andrea and I noticed my elbow appeared hollow, yep dislocated, and holy hell did it hurt.
One gnarly looking Xray of a text book elbow dislocation without fractures. I dislocated the elbow in flexion because of major trauma to the humerus during the fall.
Jake and Andrea used two jackets to sling my left arm to stabilize it so I could walk myself out. The final 1/2mi to the TH seemed to take forever, but with the help of a few friends I was able to slowly trudge my way out to the trailhead. For better or worse, the OSMP rangers had been alerted to my fall, so they met me at the trailhead and asked me to wait for the first responders to arrive. The firetruck pulled up, they interviewed me as I sat shivering in the cold, and once they determined I was ‘stable’ they allowed me to forgo the ambulance ride and to arrange my own ride to medical care.
Andrea was kind enough to drive me over to Urgent Care where we were hoping to get my elbow fixed, though when I described the injury the nurse said ‘nope, you need to go to the ER, because you’ll need to be sedated, given muscle relaxers, and it’s a violent procedure to relocate an elbow’….well ok then. We walked into the ER, second in line and I was soon taken back into the operating room. After some very painful X-rays (involving moving my still dislocated elbow around), I was sedated and next thing I knew I awoke, asking when they’d reset my elbow, glanced down and it was already done. They put me in a half cast, wrapped me up and sent me home with some Percocet.
I done broke myself again…argh.
Over the next week all I could do was rest the arm (in a sling) and learn to do everything else one handed. Opening pill bottles with my feet, typing with one hand, showering with a bag over my left arm, getting dressed was a fun adventure. After a week I went in for my first visit with Orthopedist, who gave me the good news that nothing was broken and nothing was completely torn (ie no surgery!). So they took the cast off and told me to move the arm around but NOT to lift anything heavier than a coffee cup. Let the rehabbing begin.
After only a week, the cast comes off, and the elbow/arm looks all kinds of nasty.
Over the next several weeks I gently used the arm for some limited activity; picking up items, typing, showering, but still very minimal weight/pressure. My range of motion had been reduced to 45-90 degrees, pretty pathetic, so I was tasked with moving the arm around and slowly working the ROM back, the most important thing to focus on in the first few weeks. After about three weeks the elbow finally began to feel stable enough so I started some easy jogging and pushing the ROM a little further. After four weeks I began some very light band work (5lb resistance), to try and reengage the atrophied bicep, tricep and forearm. By the new year I was running uninhibited, but still limited to 8lb of resistance in the left arm, so of course I did 60-100 reps of each exercise to compensate….cause that’s what you’re supposed to do right? Working not only on the bicep, tricep and forearm, but all the shoulder, back and chest muscles that had been neglected as the arm recovered. Rehab isn’t very sexy when you’ve got a 5lb weight in your hand.
Working on getting stronger however I can.
Back on the sticks finally, feels good to be out even in a limited capacity
At my 5week post-accident appointment my Dr took some additional Xrays, did some stress tests on the elbow, measured my ROM and declared me healthy enough to start weighted rehab and to increase activity. I was permitted to ski (YEAH), carefully, but to stay away from any activity that would put impact on the arm directly (volleyball and climbing) for at least another 3 weeks. So that brings me to the present day (1/16/19), where I’m now up to 12lb weights for my left arm, I’ve skied, done some wall pushups, a few assisted pullups and have increased my ROM to 10-115 degrees (a dramatic improvement). I’ve still got a lot of work to get back to full strength (still at less than 50%), but I’m getting there. The most important thing at this stage (6weeks out) is to regain the final bit of extension in my arm to straighten it, easier said than done, but with daily stretching and strengthening I’m getting there.
Weighted stretching of the elbow, trying to regain ROM 6weeks after the accident. Getting closer.
Update 1/30/19:
Now just over 8weeks out from the injury and my strength is coming back quickly. I can do assisted pull-ups without pain, push-ups on my knees (albeit with a hitch in my elbow), and even started doing some very easy bouldering. The weight and stretching actually feels good on the elbow. I’m still not at full range of motion as there is some stiffness/tightness in the joint so I’m stuck at 5degrees (not full extension) and I’m almost back to normal on the flexion side. Progress…
Update 5/14/19:
Just over 5 months after my accident I’m ‘fully’ healed, but still dealing with some lingering joint stiffness and I don’t have the last 3-5degrees of extension in my elbow, which may never come back. I’ve been back at full unhindered activity, but still rehabbing the strength and flexibility deficits. I started hitting heavier weights in late March and climbing regularly as well to help stretch the joint and strength the tricep and bicep on the left side. It’s been a slow process, but overall I no longer feel hindered, but it still feels like there’s a block in my left elbow preventing me from fully straightening the arm.
I noticed my face inadvertently cringing reading this. Good luck with a full recovery, Eric.
Thanks! I dislocated my elbow around 2 weeks ago. I’d literally rather give birth to a couple more kids! Worse pain ever! Now I am not in constant pain but can’t extend my arm, extremely tight and painful to push :(. At l ast I don’t need surgery, but I’m too old for this shilt
Dee,
I’m really sorry to hear that, hope you recover quickly, and know there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’m back to full activity, but still working on the last bit of strength and range of motion, but climbing, skiing, running again.
All I can say is now keep moving that arm around as much as you can and stretch it out. Keep the shoulder strong if you can too. It’ll pay big dividends in the long term recovery process. Best of luck, and feel free to ping me with any questions.
Eric
Hi Eric,
Ive had an elbow dislocation and fracture,and also a shattered wrist for which i underwent surgery on the 9th of April 2019, im undergoing physio since the last 2 weeks and these sessions are more painful than the actuall break !! and my Rom is i can extend but cannot flex , my flex is only 90 degrees, im extremely worried about the same …
Sue,
I’m really sorry to hear about that! I got lucky and avoided any breaks (just dislocation and tears), so I can only imagine the pain. I’m now 5months out from my injury and have been at full activity for the past two months. I will say that its been constant work to get the strength and ROM back (of which I’m still not 100%, but close). Have faith, for me I started out with only about 90degrees ROM total and that’s with no breaks, so in time you should regain much of that strength and ROM. It’ll definitely take some time (and lots of PT), be frustrating at times, but just think about getting back to the life you want to live without the pain and limitation. Slow progress can be frustrating, but its progress.
Eric
I dislocated my right elbow in a fall 6 years ago and dislocated my left elbow 3 days ago while walking my energetic 90lb puppy. I’m kinda over dislocating things. At 58 years old, it’s taking longer and longer to heal!
Janice, really sorry to hear that, heal fast! Dislocations are a real pain and totally frustrating.
Thanks so much for publishing this. I dislocated my left elbow falling back on it at the Muay Thai gym I go to 1 month ago. The most frustrating part of this process has been being unable to find a recovery timeline like yours to refer to. My injury sounds similar to yours, no breaks and I am glad to hear you were back to some skiiing and sports 2 months in. My life’s passion right now is surfing and spending a week let alone 4 months out of the water is excruciating.
I’m bumping up my physical therepy to 4-5 days a week a month in. My doctor more slow and precautious than others according to the PTs.
Elbow is still fairly swollen, pushing for more range of motion with exercises.
Do you have any advice for this stage in the process?
JR, sorry you’re going through this, pretty frustrating injury, seems so simple, yet such a pain. I listened to my PT mostly because he saw me regularly, some Drs are definitely extra cautious as they’re not used to dealing with athletes who are active, healthy and heal a bit faster. About a month out I was really mostly working on range of motion, daily as much as twice a day. That’s step #1, just getting the movement back and breaking up some of that scar tissue. That being said you gotta be careful not to stress the ligaments too much, as each dislocation does different amounts of damage to those. For me the hardest part was getting the bicep and tricep to engage properly, so just trying to flex/engage those without weight or with a super light band was step #1. Gotta listen to your body first off. Best of luck with the recovery. I’m back at full strength and barely notice the loss of ROM (about 3 degrees); climbing, running, was skiing, lifting weights etc.
Thank you for this write up. Running and bouldering are my biggest passions, but last week I took a big unprepared fall and completely dislocated my elbow. Just got the cast off and the swelling is pretty ridiculous! My hand looks like someone blew up a surgical glove. Itching to get back to work, a trail race booked in 5 weeks, and to climb again. Your blog post is helping calm my jitters.
Sorry to hear Liz! But hopefully the recovery processes quickly and you’re able to make the race. Get an elbow wrap to help stabilize the recovering joint and you should be able to start running in not too long. Climbing might take a bit longer, but will come back.
Eric
Thanks a lot for your information. I need your advice.
I have my left elbow dislocation before 3 weeks .yesterday I removed the splints but today suddenly my arm ,hand swollen. Did you experienced the same? Thanks gramos
Gramos,
I had some swelling after removing the splint and a lot of stiffness. Not unusual, because the splint/wrap was limiting the swelling. I kept icing the elbow and wrapping it periodically for another week or two after the splint came off. Good luck with recovery.
Eric
Thanks so much for publishing this, it’s very hard to find info on elbow recovery! I dislocated my right elbow falling off the bars at crossfit and it’s been 2 weeks today.
Just wondering if you had any bruising reappearing through rehab? My physio pushed it quite hard yesterday but I’ve got new bruises in the same spot as before now. Hoping there’s not a fracture in there that the xray missed.
Also just wondering if your elbow was tender to touch after 2 weeks?? Still have heaps of pain so wondering if that’s normal.
Thanks heaps!
Nicole 🙂
Nicole, sorry to hear about the elbow, definitely a super painful and annoying injury! Glad the blog helped, as I had the same struggle as you, not being able to find much info about the recovery process online.
I def had quite a bit of bruising immediately after the splint came off (8 days), and it didn’t really fully go away until 3weeks after the injury, I was also still using a sling for a fair bit of this time. I don’t recall much new bruising during the rehab process, but definitely had days where the elbow and muscles were super sore from the work. I’d just mention it to your PT, more likely just stressing the soft tissue than a fracture in the bone (you’d feel it structurally). The muscles atrophy around the elbow really quickly, so there’s definitely going to be a fair bit of soreness and stiffness as you slowly rehab. Just gotta be patient with it, definitely sucks, but I’m back at full strength now, climbing, lifting, etc without issue, so you will get there. Best of luck!
Eric
I dislocated my elbow and the er took an x Ray and nothing was broken so they sent me home and told me to take Ibuprofen. 6 weeks later I went back to the doctors and told them I still had pain and redirections. They said to wait 10 weeks and come back if I still had problems. At 10 weeks I still had pain and couldn’t put weight on it. They finally took an MRI and said I had some nasty tears. I had torn two ligaments and partially torn my flexor tendons. I had surgery and I’m finally recovering. I’m not sure why my this process was so long for me to finally received help, but I’m glad you are recovered and doing well!
Alyssa,
I’m really sorry to hear about that. My understanding is that elbow dislocations come in a broad range of severity. I had the good fortune that I was sent to an elbow specialist who worked with me starting week one. She had me doing stretching and ROM exercises immediately, but that’s only after she verified that there was no severe damage to the ligaments. I’m always of the opinion that a general practitioner is great for day to day things, but for any major injuries specialist exist for a reason, and it’s the way to go. Hope you recover quickly and fully, and just keep on all the little things the PT recommends!
Hi Eric, thanks so much for sharing this! Amazing how little stuff is out there on this topic. I’m now a bit more than 2 weeks after my dislocation, and it’s the not being able to bend more than 90 degrees that’s my biggest challenge right now. Very useful to have some context in the form of your story and the comments it generated before calling the doc. Anyway, glad to see you had such a full recovery and thanks again!
12/17/19
forgive the lack of caps and other standards of typing- crashed a week ago skiing (the snow was great–until it wasn’t) and disloc my right elbow, dominant side. typing is challenging; writing ridiculous.
your description of the acute injury is spot on. man oh man that hurt, didn’t it?
kudos to walking out. i bought myself a ride in a toboggan.
i so appreciate your post. you’re right- very little info on the recovery path! i admire your commitment to your recovery and you’ve given me great hope for my own.
at 64 y/o, i have a lot of skiing left to do!
thank you and have a merry christmas. think snow!
Ouch Cindy, sorry to hear about the accident, and it sooo hurts like hell! I was only able to walk myself out thanks to a few good friends with FirstRest u Responder training (got a nice sling). Rest up for the first bit to let that pain go down, but once they give you the ok definitely move it around as much as you can to keep the ROM and break up that scar tissue. There’s definitely life after dislocation, as I’m back to climbing and skiing without issue. I’m still missing a few degrees of motion in my left elbow, but it doesn’t prevent me from doing anything. Happy holidays, and heal quickly.
Oh man…dislocated elbow on Sunday mountain biking. Fortunately I did it in a mountain town where injuries like that are super common, so ER care was fast and straightforward. Glad to hear the process from someone who went through it. I’ve already been to a specialist. Wishing I could fast forward to the recovered part. Holy crap was that a painful, painful injury. Still is but glad to see there’s light at the end of the tunnel!
Sorry to hear that, but glad they got it back in quickly, it’s definitely a painful one! Just keep on those mobility exercises at first, then the strength will come back quickly, after the initial injury heals. Patients is one of the keys though.
Hi.. i hope this thread is still on. Thank you for this as it’s true that there’s not much on testimonials of patients out there on the internet.
Had left elbow closed reduction ( posterior dislocation, no fractures) 2 days ago following a FOOSH injury at home. I’m in the early days of immoblization and splinting.
I wonder how long,how often, and how many months your rehab/physio took until you got your near full ROM?
This is scary for me as my job involves a lot of gross and fine motor movements of both upper limbs, and I’m fairly athletic as well.
Also, how long till you were able to drive again?
Thanks!
Maria, sorry about the late response, sorry to hear about your injury. I was able to drive (personal use) again about two weeks after the accident, once the hard brace came off and I could move my arm. I had to be very careful though as the elbow was still very weak, and while it could hold the wheel I couldn’t not reach across or crank the wheel with my bad arm (so no commercial driving).
The PT work took several months, but within 5weeks I could move the elbow and use it for light duty exercise (jogging, picking up jars/pans) and band rehab. I didn’t start climbing until over 8weeks after, and even then it was low angle and not fully hanging on the elbow. At about 3months I was comfortable enough to do pullups and put full weight back on it, though the injured arm was still weak and regaining strength. Best of luck in recovery.
Eric
So happy I came across this thread! I managed to dislocate my right elbow and tear all the ligaments in the process three days ago when I fell off a sideways jump bouldering… I suppose it was bound to happen at some point considering my dynamic climbing style and love for jumping around, I’m actually a tad surprised it took me six years to pick up a serious injury.
Having heard some gnarly tales from friends who have dislocated their shoulders and reading about your experiences here I guess I at least got very lucky in the pain department, didn’t hurt nearly as much as I was expecting it to! I’ve got surgery coming up this Friday, I can’t wait to get started on PT afterwards and hopefully come back stronger than I was before 🙂
Maja, good luck with surgery and recovery! Glad it wasn’t as painful for you, but unfortunate about the torn ligaments. Just remember to be gentle during the initial healing process and get back to moving it around and increasing that range of motion as soon as your PT allows. It’ll heal, just takes a little time and a lot of work.
Eric
Update: It’s been just over 6 weeks since the surgery, which went well. I’ve been doing PT three times a week since one week after surgery and spend a lot of time working on mobility at home, and while I’m back to doing most everyday things without much issue, my ROM is still worryingly awful (45° from fully straight, 125° bent, and that’s after working and pushing it for a while). Both my surgeon and physio say it’s some the worst mobility they’ve seen after this type of injury, which is always lovely to hear! That being said, the arm hasn’t stopped improving yet, it’s just very slow progress. I’ve now been told to take Ibuprofen to reduce the swelling of the capsule, so let’s see if that helps. Either way it’s interesting to experience the opposite of my usual hypermobility for once – my other arm overextends by around 20° so holding both arms at full extension just looks ridiculous at the moment (let’s just hope it doesn’t stay that way forever. That would be… not good). Baby steps!
Glad to hear it’s still improving, even it slowly. I can’t speak to post-op recovery, as thankfully I never had to have any surgery done, but I’d imagine it’d be slower. My PT actually had me using a weight (3-5lb) to gently stretch and straighten the arm, maybe inquire to your PT about this. Of course, only do this if the muscles/tendons are strong enough to handle it, but might help increase that ROM a little faster. Also work that tricep really hard, it’ll help pull the arm straight! Good luck.
I’m glad I found your post. I dislocated my right elbow just about a week ago. Also broke a small piece of the bone. No surgery thank goodness. But I was wondering how long before you were able to go back to work? My job has me use my hands and arms for pushing and pulling, and lifting . Not constantly everyday but could have to every now and then. Im hoping to have a good recovery but not wanting to be down for 3 months or more. Any advice for a healthy and hopefully a bit faster recovery.
Ann,
Sorry for the delayed reply, I somehow missed this message. Really sorry to hear about your elbow, it’s a painful and annoying injury for sure. The question about work probably depends on how much you have to lift, how often, and how much ligament damage you sustained. I was back at work the following week (functioning one armed), I could move my arm around and lift very lightweight things within 3weeks, but couldn’t lift any heavy weights until 6-8weeks afterwards. Best to take it slow at the start, as any extra strain you put on your elbow will slow the healing process and can damage the ligaments. If you can work with a PT regularly that’s the best way to assess how the healing is coming along. Best of luck!
Eric
Hey there! I had The same dislocation you ddI about 10 weeks ago. I have been doing my stretches and I can lift 10lbs comfortably..the more I seem to be doing this the more my pinky, ring finger and back of the hand are going numb.. I have a hard time opening and squeezing things. Just wondering if you had any of the same symptoms?
Thank you so much
Rachelle,
Glad to hear you’re getting stronger after the dislocation. I did not have any of the numbness or tingling you describe, though my Ortho and PT definitely checked for numbness and nerve damage at each appointment (for 3months after). Good chance one of the nerves got either pinched or damaged in your elbow and that’s what’s causing the issues. Definitely talk to your Orthopedic Dr (hand and elbow specialist if you can find one), as they’ll be able to best diagnose it. Best of luck.
Eric
Good evening, I dislocated my elbow work an avulsion fracture January of 2019. I also shattered my radius. My elbow is still quite sore. What is the brace that you are wearing in your photo and how did you find it to wear? Thanks so much on advance for your help. 😁. Jennifer
Sorry to hear your elbow is still bothering you so long after the injury. The brace I’m wearing in the photo is a Mueller adjustable elbow support. It’s just neoprene and provided a little extra stability and also prevented me from over extending the elbow by slightly limiting the range of motion. It’s definitely on the more minimal side in regards to support, but is an inexpensive item. If your elbow is really still bothering you a lot probably best to see a PT who specializes in arms/shoulders and have them take a look at what is causing the pain (weakness, ligament damage, alignment, etc). Hope you find something that helps.
Hi Eric,
I’m curious about your ROM. Did you regain full ROM after all? Or are you still missing a few degrees of flexion or extension? I’ve dislocated my elbow 4months ago and my ROM is not impressive. I’m 40 degrees short on extension and maybe on 120 degrees on flexion. I’m doing my stretches every day and the exercises every other day, used to do them every day too but then my good elbow started showing overuse signs.
Thanks for your story, it has been helpful
Jenny,
Sorry to hear about the injury and struggles. For me after 3 months I was back to near full ROM, though to this day I still have about 3-5degrees of extension that have not returned, fairly minimal. I did do a lot of strength training and stretching through the rehab process, starting about 4weeks out from injury. The exercises that my PT gave that seemed to help the most were a combination of tricep/bicep strengthening, hanging stretches from the affected elbow and using a weight to help stretch the extension of the elbow while hanging it over the edge of a table/bench. I was also seeing my PT every other week for which he used massage and ASTYM to help breakdown the scar tissue in the joint. Thankfully I didn’t have any major ligament damage, so that helped my healing process. Best of luck, and keep working at it, it’s a slow frustrating process for sure.
Eric
Happy to find this blog and feeling encouraged after reading it (-: I dislocated my left elbow 3 weeks ago after falling off a horse. Simple dislocation without fracture, treated by closed reduction. I have been so frustrated and scared and haven’t found too many encouraging stories online…. I was casted for two weeks and then put in a sling which stays on all day and night except for the four times a day I do the exercises my ortho/PT recommended (not sure how long they want me to wear it). I started twice a week PT this week and I can already see a *little* progress but am terrified that I’ll never be able to fully straighten my arm again, which everyone keeps telling me is a possibility. I’m hoping it’s also possible to regain full extension and that I will. I’m also hoping I will be able to get back to my daily yoga practice, which includes lots of crazy arm balances…. seems hard to believe my elbow will ever be normal again but you’ve given me hope!
Emily, sorry I just saw this message! Hope your recovery is going well. It’s a slow and frustrating process for sure, but just keep working at it and you’ll definitely get back to full activity. My elbow still isn’t 100% normal (minus 3-5degrees) but it no longer inhibits me from doing anything I enjoy, including climbing, volleyball and yoga. The body is strong and incredibly adaptable, good luck!
Eric
Hello Eric, thanks for your blog! I dislocated my left elbow last week when I fell off my bike. Was in a cast for 5 days but it started to itch so I switched to a splint instead.
May I trouble you with two questions
1. How stable is your elbow after you recovered? Has it ever felt like it will pop out again?
2. I reckon I will need an elbow brace in the near future. Can you recommend one please?
Thanks again. Really appreciate your efforts to create this blog which provides valuable info and advices!
Oscar, sorry to hear about your accident but glad you’re on the mend. In regards to your questions my elbow was at full strength approx 6months after the accident (maybe sooner), climbing, running, skiing without hinderance. The joint is still a bit tight, but there’s very little risk of redislocating it again, it’s not like a shoulder in that way. For a month or two after the accident I wore a soft neoprene Muller elbow support to help reduce any jarring to the elbow, but never used a hard brace. I don’t use any braces or supports to this day, as they’re not necessary.
Good luck with your recovery, just take it slow and be diligent with the exercises. It’ll be a slow process but little gains each day and you’ll be back to normal in no time.
Eric
Hello Eric, I had a simple but painful dislocation like a month ago, no fractures anyways, was sent home in a splint for about three weeks, and I was never told that I needed to move the elbow ASAP, instead waited until doctors removed it, and when they did this they were surprised because I had little if not any rom, I could not extending nor flex it, they sent me to physical therapy, a week now but proggress is little, the elbow joint feels like is stuck in place & no matter how hard I try it doesnt seem to work, rather I fear the worst, Im really worried about it
Eddie,
Sorry to hear the Dr didn’t give you good advice about starting the ROM work ASAP. While it might feel hopeless right now, the first bit of ROM and strength was the most frustrating for me too. Progress will seem slow and painful, but keep working with the PT and pushing the exercises little by little and hopefully everything will come back. It’s a slow process, so give it several months of hard work with the PT before making any conclusions about the future. Best of luck with the recovery.
Eric
Glad to see this post!
A week into my elbow dislocation injury bouldering, took the cast off as they seem to think there’s no complications, out of the sling immediately to start restoring rom, majority of extension back after one physio appointment, flexion is looking like it’s going to take a little longer, physio seems to think a full recovery will be around 8 weeks do you think this is overly optimistic?
Bicep/triceps already atrophying but ability to flex biceps coming back but triceps appear to have taken a bit more of a hit
Good to hear that you’re on the right track quickly and that things didn’t atrophy too much and that the ROM is still good. Each case is so different, and sounds like you’re in a good spot. I’d just take the rehab one week at a time with the PT and work on the tricep strength especially. That’s what helped me most get back to normal. In regards to activity, it’s totally a case by case basis depending on the amount of damage, and how much the elbow needed to be immobilized after. The only thing to be careful of are any contact sports where you can fall in an uncontrolled manner on the elbow (ie outdoor bouldering). More mellow stuff indoors where you can load the arm without fear of falling are probably much safer and will come back sooner. Good luck in the rehab, but sounds like you’re on a good track.
Eric
Wow kinda embarrassed in this circle to say, “I tripped, fell, and dislocated my elbow”. Unfortunately, it is the 2nd time I have done this in 10 years, the same arm. This time a bit worse. I think because I landed on hard ground. (last time it was mud) So my wrist is bruised, swollen and sore. Yes, hurt like XXXX. As you said, there is not a lot out there in regards to information about recovery. I think it may be because this injury can be so different. Which bone came out and internal damage. I hope I won’t need surgery. I don’t think I will. 2 weeks in a splint now 4 weeks in hinge brace. I am 53 so I think Doc is being cautious and doesn’t want to rush PT. I am not an athlete and my arm is getting a workout just typing this.
Hi, really glad to find this post. Was also struggling to find information on returning to sports and exercise after a dislocated elbow. Especially timelines although I appreciate it varies from person to person.
I dislocated my right elbow a month ago falling off my cycle. My x-ray looks almost identical to yours! Thankfully got to the hospital within an hour and had it popped back in after some tramadol. I was in a splint for 3 weeks but was told to keep it immobile.
Luckily my wrist retained full rotation and I’ve kept a lot of strength in my shoulder but now, a week into physio, I’m only able to bend the elbow to about 85 degrees and extend to 135 degrees. Super grateful that I’m left handed though!
I’m very active usually. Running, cycling and home workouts (weights, HIIT etc).
Been doing very basic ‘non arm’ workouts at home for the last week – mostly stretches really. Been doing lots of walking too since I obviously haven’t been able to cycle or drive my motorbike!
Just did my first cycle ride to the shop (3 minutes away!) although definitely needed support on my elbow for the bumps.
Going to try jogging in the next few days with elbow support too. Was feeling pretty down the last couple of days but this post and even my slow progress gives me faith I’ll be back in action soon enough. Just need to be patient! Thanks!
Hi Jacob,
Seems like I had the same injury, fell bouldering and they took the splint off just two days later. I’m itching to get back to surfing and climbing. How long did it take you to reach full recovery? I was told a similar time frame!
Best,
Katie
Katie,
Sorry to hear about the elbow, it’s a sucky injury. Timelines for recovery really depends on your individual case, and best to take it in small steps. Climbing is pretty hard on the joint and ligaments, so probably one of the last things to come back in full. If you’ve maintained most of the ROM and some strength you’re better off than I was. Best of luck with the rehab, just remember it’s better to give it the extra week to heal and do it right, rather than rush it and reinjure/tear something.
Eric
Hello,
So happy to have found this. My son dislocated his elbow 3 days ago and I am worried the ortho is asking him to immobilize for 3 weeks in the sling. He’s a competitive swimmer and rehab is important. When did you see your physio after the fall? He’s afraid to move his elbow but I am afraid he loses ROM and take a longer time to rehab if it stiffens! Did you try extending your arm shortly after or waited a few weeks. Thanks!
Serene,
Really sorry to hear about your son’s accident, definitely a hard thing for any athlete to deal with. The 3weeks sounds VERY conservative, but a lot of the initial timeline depends on the amount of damage done to the ligaments. I’d try and find an elbow specialist, preferably that’s use to working with athletes, because the amount of atrophy and loss of ROM that will happen in 3weeks will be dramatic and make recovery much harder.
I started PT one week post accident when I got the hard cast off, then was doing exercises (albeit light) daily after that. I wouldn’t try to move his elbow immediately as the joint does need to heal some, but I would have much more regular appointments and check-ins with the Ortho/PT to assess the recovery and move it forward as quick as possible.
Eric
It is so helpful to hear of another person’s progress. Thank you for sharing how your rehab progressed. I dislocated my elbow end of July.I similarly was out hiking and slipped and hit my arm sending my elbow out of alignment. I’m working on my ROM, and hope for it to be a quick recovery. Hope you are now doing well with your elbow.
Marcella,
Really sorry you have to go through this, but hopefully this and all the comments will inspire you that there is hope for a good recovery! I’m back at full activity (climbing, hiking, running) with only about a 2-4 degree ROM loss. The last bit of ROM can be frustrating but just keep working each day and you’ll get there. Good luck.
Eric
I know this post was made a really long time ago, but hoping I can get some info. Everything I’ve read sounds pretty promising. Anyway, I dislocated my left elbow a little over a week ago. I was sitting in a chair and my dog jumped up on me and we went flying back. I completely dislocated my elbow and had to be put to sleep to put it back in. I’ve been sitting in a half cast and sling since, and will be seeing an Orthopaedic doctor tomorrow. I’ve been getting some pretty severe lightening shooting pains that run all the way through my arm to my hands, making my arm/hands very cold and tingly. So far I only had an X-ray at the hospital to determine if I did dislocate, which I did. But I’m wondering if I should be asking for an MRI to see if there’s anymore damage. I’m reading that the recovery time is so dependent on the injury, but I can only imagine I’ll be out of work for at least 6 weeks?
I’m a health care aide, so I use my arms a lot, pulling/pushing very heavy weight patients. I’m so worried I won’t be able to go back to work!
Chantale,
I’m really sorry to hear that, it’s a bummer of an injury for sure. As you elude to, exact recovery and outcomes do depend on each individual injury and the amount of damage done. I’d talk with your Ortho about the possibility of a pinched nerve as well, as that’s one potential cause for shooting pains.
Recovery timelines depend on how quickly you can get back to general mobility (not even weights, just movement) and if there’s any collateral damage outside of the dislocation itself. I would assume at least 6weeks to heavy lifting and normal activity, but the Ortho and PT can help you better set those timelines. It might be possible to get back to light duty (a few pounds and movement) quite a bit sooner though. Might be good to have a discussion with your employer about the things you can do (with one arm), and making a plan on how to accommodate that for both of your needs. As a manager I totally understand this, and a good employer/manager should work with you in this regard. Best of luck.
Eric
Hi Eric
Thank you so much for this post.
I dislocated my right elbow while boumdering. I felt from overhang straign on my belly /arm. It hurted as hell. I am really impressed that you could walk I was so out that the emerigency had to take me. Unfortunatelly, I torn almost everything I could, but did not have a surgery. I am on week 5 doing rehabilitation. It is so flustrating the range of movement, still not fully straight or bend. But your post and this comments made me feel better. I am not alone and you understand it. The joins just does not want to move 😀
Also thanks what to write I will try some light running. Let see how it goes.
Thank you
Sara
I know this is old, but I can’t find anything else on the net that gives much info. I dislocated my left elbow about 3 weeks ago mtn biking. It was completely out (forearm pointing in an ungodly direction) and I was able to put it back in place. I had a small bone chip and fracture, but the ortho is treating it like a simple dislocation. Ortho decided to skip MRI for the time being to see if I can show natural improvement and move on with my life.
The swelling has been bonkers, especially in my hand, but is finally going down. I have noticed more pain in my hand and forearm in the past few days with less swelling. My ROM is still pretty limited about 40/90, but is slowly improving. I’m not able to get a PT appointment for 3 more weeks and was given some basic ROM exercises to work on. I saw you started jogging around 3 weeks, and am eager to start again (maybe today). Did you notice any setbacks or limitations when you started running? Any advice for other good exercises around weeks 3-5 post injury? Thank you for this post, it has been so helpful!
Jonah
Jonah,
Sorry I didn’t see this comment sooner, but I hope you’re recovering well from your injury in October. The biggest challenge when getting back to exercise was just the muscle imbalances and some nervinous due to weakness around the arm. Hiking was definitely easier then hard running, but I was also able to use an elbow brace to help stabilize the joint and reduce the bouncing on the unstable joint. Hopefully by now you’re back to feeling stronger and more functional.
Eric