# Dislocated Elbow Recovery



## LaXCarp (Jul 19, 2008)

Anybody else ever dislocate their elbow? I did mine a few weeks ago on a fairly slow speed crash. I put my arms out to brace (shame on me, but too slow to tuck n roll) and my right arm didn't support me. I looked over and it was pointed at nearly a right angle but in the WRONG direction. I immediately grabbed it and was able to put it back in place.

Luckily there were no fractures so the doctor says the road to recovery is only through physical therapy. It seems the ulnar ligament is torn (if not severed) and the capsulate as well. 

I'm concerned about its functionality when I am recovered. Will the stability return or will it pop back out easier when I crash, similar to a dislocated shoulder? Anybody have experience with this injury?

Oh and this happened 2 days before my wife went into labor with our first. Father of the year candidate over here.


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## Jangus (Feb 29, 2004)

Yes I dislocated mine 12 or 13 years ago. I had the same reservations as you but PT done the job and I had a full recovery. The mental thing was more of an issue than the physical recovery. Ive had my share of crashes since but the elbow has always been fine. 

I've also dislocated my shoulder and that somehow seems more likely to me that it will pop out again if I land wrong. 

Good luck with your recovery.


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## calzonical (Aug 30, 2005)

Hey OP how's your recovery going?

I recently dislocated my ulna and have a feeling that mtbing may become a thing of the past.


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## biker910 (Sep 8, 2008)

Dislocated mine about 18 months ago. No fractures or ligament tears. Was back mountain biking in 2.5 months. Had some pain for the first few months but continued PT and time took care of that. Doesn't bother me at all since about 8-9 months after the injury.


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## LaXCarp (Jul 19, 2008)

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but my recovery seems to be consistent with Bike910's. Happened March 5, I actually started mtb'ing taking it easy towards the end of april. By June I was riding more normally with just some irritation and lack of strength in the arm.

I still have improvement to go with the injury but it feels sound and substantially healed now at this point. 

I don't think MTB should be a thing of the past, this injury really seems to be a freak accident and the potential for reoccurrence seems low.


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## DelC (Aug 18, 2017)

About 1.5 months ago, I had a fall on the road while riding a bicycle and was lucky the car behind me stopped in time. Went to A&E in hospital at 1am and the doctor put me on cast for 2 weeks before seeing a orthopaedic specialist.

After an xray It turns out that I had 2 cracks at the rotating bone and it was slightly shifted. A surgery was scheduled 2 days later.

After the surgery I was on 2 weeks bandage and a brace adjusted to free movement. When the day finally came to remove my stitches, I realized that my arm was unable to straighten and bend above 60 degree and Supination was impossible. 

It has been 1 month since the sugery. My elbow showed very little improvements, supination is 95% healed although there is still some stiffness every morning after I wake up.

On normal situation, my flexion is about 90 degree. With aggressive bending, it can reach 110 degree. But every 1hr it goes back to 90 degree and I have to bend aggressively again.

On normal situation, my extension is about 30 degree. With aggressive stretching, it can straighten to 20 degree. Same thing, every 1hr it goes back to 30 degree.

I am getting frustrated and depressed, I work so hard and endured the pain, every hour and every min as long as I am awake I just keep moving, massaging, working on it. Yet everyday I woke up facing the same reality again and again. I am starting to think that it's either the metal plate or abnormal bone is causing this.


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## calzonical (Aug 30, 2005)

Hey DelC. Sorry about your predicament. I am not a doc or pt but you may want to check in with your ortho doc or a PT about the range of motion, could be as simple as a build up of scar tissue from the surgery.

Hope the arm gets better soon.


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## Maizie88 (Apr 29, 2014)

I didn't dislocate my elbow, but I have had a partial dislocation in my knee that took months to recover from. I think i did the most damage by trying to use it normally even though it was damaged and swollen, I feel I likely doubled my recovery time by being so hard on it in the beginning. Rest and ice is the best thing you can do for the first few weeks. Once it has started to heal itself, then you can start PT, that and massages help by exercising the parts of the joint and increasing blood/lymph flow in the area. I would also recommend a brace for while you sleep to keep from turning in your sleep and damaging yourself. here is some more info on a website that sells cold gel pack braces.


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## calzonical (Aug 30, 2005)

*TJS - inevitable - Update 10/16*

It's been 4 weeks since having Tommy John Surgery (TJS) to repair my torn up Left elbow. And while the elbow remains swollen and range of motion is limited I am hopeful that the elbow will be as good as new in a few months.

The downside is that I will not be riding until early 2018. Additionally, another downside is I need to sell my Lenz Fatmoth to help pay for the procedure.

Lenz Sport Fat-Moth - 29er - Medium - MTBR Classifieds


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