# Crushed elbow



## williamson.james (Apr 27, 2016)

I did this 4 weeks ago while riding the monarch crest trail - fortunately happened at the end of the ride and was able to get to the ER very easily. Hoping for a speedy recovery!









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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Yep, that elbow is boned. My experience was the upper arm section (see avatar pic), but either way, it's a pain. It doesn't stop me from riding, but it does affect it. Can't do bunny hops for jack and difficult to move body weight around. I didn't get lucky with rehab, and couldn't get elbow full flex back. I've only got about 20 degrees of flex. Can't straighten my arm and can barely reach my mouth with a fork, but I can drink a beer. Different motivation affects how much pain I'll go through.


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## the-ninth (Nov 1, 2013)

Wow, that looks bad. 

Just out of interest, how did it happen? Were you wearing elbow pads, and if not, do you think they may have made a difference?


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## williamson.james (Apr 27, 2016)

No - I was not wearing elbow pads. And yes, they would have likely prevented this or significantly reduced the level of injury. I am 41 years old and will definitely continue to ride; however I will no longer be doing jumps and I will be wearing knee and elbow pads. I do NOT want to go through this again!!!


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## williamson.james (Apr 27, 2016)

Watts 888 - can you post a higher res pic of the arm?


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

FACK! :eekster: Confirmation once again that I will continue to be diligent and wear my TLD Speed elbows and knees on every ride. Even at OP's "young" 41, that's gonna be a b*tch of a recovery. Best of luck with that OP!


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## Steezus (Jul 25, 2007)

Well, your post has convinced me to order a pair of elbow pads. Been through similar with my shoulder when I was younger and rehab was worse than the accident... each time I went. Hopefully you get most of your mobility back.


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## rogerfromco (Jun 22, 2007)

Dang, that looks rough. Is the Monarch Crest trail that technical or was that just a freak accident? A friend has been asking me to do it for years but I broke ribs twice this summer riding. Being 54, I've started being more cautious after the second wreck with 7 broken ribs.


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## williamson.james (Apr 27, 2016)

The crest trail is great! Not super technical at all. I actually crashed after I finished the main trail - a bit embarrassing...


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## trmn8er (Jun 9, 2011)

Ouch. Hope you are not in too much pain. Get better!


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Work hard at your physio to get your strength and range of motion back. Don't rush your recovery


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Sorry about your injury man, I've never seen this. 

But I'm going on the record that pads wouldn't have made a huge difference. They are simply not thick enough to absorb significant energy, and since the stress is concentrated on your elbow, there's not much opportunity to spread the impact onto a wider surface area. 

Think of the crumple zone on your car: it's 30% of the length of the car and double the width of your body. Those velocities are higher, but still you get the idea.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

williamson.james said:


> I actually crashed after I finished the main trail - a bit embarrassing...


Same. Learning to ride a motorcycle. In an empty parking lot, coincidentally across the road from a hospital, so I had that going for me. Too much front brake, and that was that. Slow speed, maybe 10 mph. Best advise to give, learn how to fall. Sticking your arms out to catch yourself is the dumbest thing you can do. Tuck and roll baby, tuck and roll. I don't know if elbow pads would have helped much, but they wouldn't hurt. I wear them if I know I'm going to do something stupid.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

williamson.james said:


> Watts 888 - can you post a higher res pic of the arm?


best I've got is a slightly larger one on my profile page. 2 plates and something like 16 screws. And be careful with infections. I ended up with a bone infection, had to take multiple IVs per day. Injection site in my elbow with a tube going up to my heart.
You get weird looks when you give yourself an IV at a bar, but you have to follow doctors orders (well, most of them. That whole "you shouldn't drink" was a stupid rule)


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## gurban (Jan 13, 2014)

James, can you give us an update on your progress? I broke my elbow (olecranon process) just before Thanksgiving when I slipped on my stairs and landed on my elbow (not even a good story!). Mine was a clean break so ended up with a giant screw in my ulna vs. a plate. My doctor did not recommend PT until 6 weeks post-surgery which believe was a bit late. PT has not been very effective and I'm now only able to flex my arm to around 90 degrees (basically at a right angle), although I can almost extend it to straight (with a lot of stretching and pain). I've been surprised at how little information I've been able to find about this type of injury, but I guess its just not a very common injury. Anyways, just curious as to what your experience has been so far, and whether there's anything you've found to be particularly helpful in rehabbing it. 

watts888 - can you elaborate on your rehab experience? Honestly, your range of motion limitations are my worst fear, particularly with mountain biking. I felt like my riding was really progressing right before this injury, so knowing that I may not get back to the point I was at is really depressing.


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## williamson.james (Apr 27, 2016)

gurban said:


> James, can you give us an update on your progress? I broke my elbow (olecranon process) just before Thanksgiving when I slipped on my stairs and landed on my elbow (not even a good story!). Mine was a clean break so ended up with a giant screw in my ulna vs. a plate. My doctor did not recommend PT until 6 weeks post-surgery which believe was a bit late. PT has not been very effective and I'm now only able to flex my arm to around 90 degrees (basically at a right angle), although I can almost extend it to straight (with a lot of stretching and pain). I've been surprised at how little information I've been able to find about this type of injury, but I guess its just not a very common injury. Anyways, just curious as to what your experience has been so far, and whether there's anything you've found to be particularly helpful in rehabbing it.
> 
> watts888 - can you elaborate on your rehab experience? Honestly, your range of motion limitations are my worst fear, particularly with mountain biking. I felt like my riding was really progressing right before this injury, so knowing that I may not get back to the point I was at is really depressing.


Hey Gurban,

Sorry to hear about the injury! I broke mine on October 14th and had surgery 2 weeks later. I started physical therapy 10 days after surgery; which seemed crazy, but clearly was the right thing to do. I did exercises 3 times a day for the first 6 weeks. As I regained range of motion and strength, I dropped down to once a day. My range of motion is now excellent, I can bend almost straight and can bend almost all the way back - I am probably missing 5 degrees on either end. My doctor has put me on a dynasplint to help me regain as much range as possible - I am wearing this 6 hours per day. It is essentially a spring loaded brace that forces the arm to straighten out; it sucks to wear, but it is working.

Don't get discouraged - go find a CHT (certified hand therapist) as they specialize in the rehabilitation of hands and elbows. Ask you doctor about dynasplints or Jazz splints to see if you are a candidate. I can tell you that I sat on the couch every night for 30 minutes for 2 months straight holding a 2-3 lb dumbbell forcing my elbow to bend. I think that it helped a lot. Mine still hurts a bit, but has significantly improved over the past few weeks. Don't hesitate to find another doctors opinion. I am finding that Olecranon fractures as far more common than I originally thought!

James

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## gurban (Jan 13, 2014)

Thanks for the info James. I have an appointment tomorrow with a new physical therapist, but will look for a CHT. I'm actually in the process of getting a Dynasplint - waiting for insurance approval (another huge frustration). Glad to hear you are recovering well. That picture was nasty!


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

gurban said:


> watts888 - can you elaborate on your rehab experience? Honestly, your range of motion limitations are my worst fear, particularly with mountain biking. I felt like my riding was really progressing right before this injury, so knowing that I may not get back to the point I was at is really depressing.


Because I was a poor boy in college, no insurance, I couldn't afford the surgery straight away. I was lucky I was in the Army and could get VA benefits though. It took a couple days to get signed up for that and a couple more days for surgery. Didn't get surgery for about 2 weeks after the accident. I was advised not to do anything for a week after surgery, but after that I was supposed to hit rehab hard. I tried, and it hurt like hell. Just couldn't get the elbow to bend. As mentioned above, the laying down, elbow up, and holding a weight that pulled down on my hand was probably one of the most effective methods. At first, just 1-2 pounds was murder, but had to be done.

I did a hand/occupational specialist for physical therapy. I think they did a good job for hand/wrist/fine motor elbow stuff, but I think I'd look for a sports physical therapist for a major elbow joint where the main goal is just getting the sucker to bend.


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