broken humorous recovery (arm wrestling accident)

[bucknut22]

I broke my humorous bone in my right arm about 3 weeks ago, Sept. 13th, and I have to say its been very depressing ever since. I was the strongest id ever been in my life before hand, making excellent gains in size and strength before suffering this injury. I broke it arm wrestling (yeah i know stupid), I don't ever arm wrestle and this guy had been asking me to for quite some time so I figured what the hell? Little did I know it would lead to this...

I had a spiral fracture, and had to have surgery, which required a plate and screws inserted in my arm.. Doc says I will be able to lift again (thank god), but right now its driving me crazy, as bodybuilding has become my passion, and having that taken away from me really has taken a toll.

Just thought I'd vent a little and share my story, and when I am fully recovered, I will be even more determined than ever to achieve my goals.

[midnightrogue]

mate, i did the same thing on 7th september - arm wrestling, spiral fracture ,surgery and metal. not good. im useing it as an oppartunity to cane the cardio (excercise bike mainly) and have started doing wrist curls and light hammer curls (7kg weight is all i can manage without pain at the moment unfortunatly
im getting slightly better by the day but fear its gonna be a while before i can do dips and bench presses.
anyways let me know how you get on. all the best.

[SoVeReIgN]

Thats not very funny.

(Sorry - Had to do it lol)

Seriously though, I know how you feel - I damaged my shoulder 2 weeks ago (tendon,muscle,joint - The trifector) and I was pretty cut about it but I've used it as an excuse to start a cut that was a long time coming.

Goodluck dude keep your head up you'll get back into it.

[joncox]

hey bud, i know how you feel. july 21st i snapped my right humerus bone. its been 11 weeks now, and im back in the weight room curling 15's. making progress. its a slow, long long road back from recovery but youll get er back
muscle memory bro.

[bucknut22]

Thanks guys, im going to head back to the gym sometime this week and do some cardio, better than sitting at home and eating pleasure food like i was for the past few weeks....

no longer in a cast however I can't fully straighten my arm, and also my nerves are "alseep" as the doc says, and I dont have full use of my right hand. Good news is that it will come back in a few months. Hopefully going back to the gym and doing cardio will help me shead some unwanted fat, and also keep me motivated for my comeback, ill keep you guys updated.

[Alek]

Yo, any updates? Hows it going. I have the same thing.

[bucknut22]

went to the doc on friday, supposed to start physical therapy this week. Doc says should have full use of my right hand in about 2 months. Still cant straighten my arm out, hurts like hell after a certain point, alot of tension where the inside of my arm ( between forearm and bicep).

what happened to you Alek?

[bucknut22]

quick update: week 8 after the break. Arm is feeling better, but can't extend all the way straight yet, but PT is helping with that. Still dealing with the radial nerve palsy aka "wrist drop". Will see Doc next week and hopefully get good news.

[neilyoSoCal]

I broke my arm wrestling July 21, 2008. It is now 4 months and I am out of the sarmento brace. Just like many of you, I was at the peak of my strength and performance. All it took was some pride for me to think that I can beat my opponent.

Anyways, I was borderline surgery candidate, but I opt not to. Its been 4 months and its almost fully healed with no drop arm or radial palsy. I'm able to weight bear in push up position without pain, but my left arm is very weak.

I've gained 16 lbs since then and i find it hard to be motivated to lift weights especially since I'm so weak. But I know i will.

I will be seeing my Doctor soon. Once he tells me that its fully healed, i will start my training again.

Good luck to the rest of you.

[bucknut22]

I broke my arm wrestling July 21, 2008. It is now 4 months and I am out of the sarmento brace. Just like many of you, I was at the peak of my strength and performance. All it took was some pride for me to think that I can beat my opponent.

Anyways, I was borderline surgery candidate, but I opt not to. Its been 4 months and its almost fully healed with no drop arm or radial palsy. I'm able to weight bear in push up position without pain, but my left arm is very weak.

I've gained 16 lbs since then and i find it hard to be motivated to lift weights especially since I'm so weak. But I know i will.

I will be seeing my Doctor soon. Once he tells me that its fully healed, i will start my training again.

Good luck to the rest of you.

your lucky that you don't have to deal with the nerve palsy, its a bitch.

Another update:

During last visit with the Doc, bone is completely healed, got the okay to go back to the gym but i have to take it easy (as if i had a choice). pretty much like a beginner again for now, but at least im back in the gym. its been 3 weeks since ive been back and i guess progress is okay, still dealing with the nerve palsy so i have to wear a hand brace to lift, or even to do anything as the wrist drop pretty much requires me to wear a brace. Ive been struggling to stay positive, but being back in the gym helps. My goal before the break was to get huge, but as ive gain some excess weight from sitting on my ass for two months, im trying to cut now. Ill keep you guys updated.....

[neilyoSoCal]

My goal before the break was to get huge, but as ive gain some excess weight from sitting on my ass for two months, im trying to cut now. Ill keep you guys updated.....

I had the same goals too...Now I think i'm only going to get cut now.

I missed my doctors appointment due to work. But i'm able to do these exercises:

delt raises
bicep curls
triceps on pulleys
push up plus.
lat pull downs

it just sucks how much strength i've lost. I've lost more than 2/3 of my strength. but it feels so great to get back in the gym.

[SideFX]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...=arm+wrestling

Check out my personal experience with spiral fractured humerus from arm wrestling here.

Don't be so down on yourself bro, you'll honestly be back where you were in a matter of months and all this will be a thing of the past. For me, it took me about 4 months back in the gym to get back to my pre-break lifting levels... then a year later I separated my AC joint bench pressing and have been out of action for 3 months from that, can't get in for surgery until March. After the surgery it'll be god know how many months before I can start lifting heavy again, likely will be either completely out of action or in recovery mode for a solid year, and this is only one year after I recovered from my frickin humerus fracture. Just remember, you're not the only one who has to deal with the bull**** of being human

[metaldrummer]

There's nothing humorous about a fractured humerus!!!



























Well, they say laughter is the best medicine.

[Alek]

Yo guys, keep up the good attitude.

Its kinda slow, but progress comes, so its kinda fun. It's like a whole new different kind of bodybuilding.

Me... I took like 2 months to get motion that's at least somewhat human... Started lifting, then more and more and heavier... And at times you're thinking, F*CK, this sucks. I could lift 4 times more if it weren't for this damn hand. Its lame like, the rest of your body is screaming for more weight, but has to wait for the wrist to catch up.

But overtime its happening, so its cool. But damn, bench is like impossible, a weight I can lift over my head and spin, together with the barbel, I can't actually bench. Lame, lol.


But the MOST IMPORTANT part is what SideFX said, you'll be looking back at this in a few months like "oh, that period when I was super worried about my strength coming back haha". Truth is, its coming back. Just a matter of time.

[Fedorov999]

Hey Bucknut

While searching Google for more info on radial nerve palsy I came across this thread and figured it might be useful to share our current injuries and progress.

I tripped in a sports hall almost 8 weeks ago, my right elbow wedged near the base of the wall (I was 45 degrees at the wall) just as I was about to hit the floor with both arms out. I remember seeing my arm go up and behind me and also seeing my upper arm BEND. At first I thought I'd dislocated my shoulder having never done this before.

6.5 hours of surgery later and all I wanted to do the next day was start on my physiotherapy. My consultant has said on more than one occasion just how bad my break was and almost 8 weeks on the lack of movement in the wrist and fingers is a real killer but I spend 1hr+ doing all these exercises, then 1hr rest with arm raised up to reduce swelling then repeat this process as much as I can everyday for the past 7.5 weeks.

Do you have your x-rays you can post on here?
Mine are below, 1st one is the really good job I did of breaking it, others I think were taken during surgery.
I'm going to get copies of my 6-week xrays when I see physio next week.







Anyway if you want to chat on here or continue via PM as we are both sharing the same nerve damage it may be helpful for both of us.
I think it is more useful to talk with people who know EXACTLY what it is currently like.

I'm no body-builder, but I go to the gym to keep in reasonable shape and last week managed to get to the gym for the first time since the accident and do 20-mins on a bike and a few leg weights. Also was allowed in the hydrotherapy pool and again yesterday which is complete bliss being able to take all the self-protective tension out of my shoulder.

Floating my arm under the surface of the pool I am able to at least lift my wrist UP, something that gravity and the weight of my hand don't allow outside.

Regards

Fedorov.

[bucknut22]

Update:

Saw the doc yesterday, radial nerve palsy has improved, doc says should be close to 100% in 3 months, also said I don't have any restrictions if i wanted to play football or anything,which i don't plan on but nice to know... Ive been impatiently waiting for what seems like forever now (3 months) but at least my bone is healed and ive been back in the gym for about a month. Doing all the same exercises as before, lighter weight on most things, but not all. My bench is improving each week, but curls (especially with dumbbells) seem the toughest. Once my wrist is back to normal, im sure it will become much easier.

My morale has improved dramatically since the break, considering I was extremely depressed right after. Getting back to the gym can do wonders. Can't wait until im 100% again!

[Fedorov999]

Great to hear!

I've had a bad few days being too tired due to not sleeping good with it, this then has the knock-on effect of I don't do as many regular exercises through the day, leading to my biceps, elbow and forearm feeling tighter

Back on schedule today, it's feeling a bit easier now I've forced myself to do many more sessions today to keep it moving.

Elbow still only bends 90 degrees max but when I hold it there for 30 seconds each time with some force I can feel the muscle/swelling in there almost moving out the way - definitely a good blockage in there still.

Morale has taken its first major dip since I first did it due to these past few tired painful days. Hopefully I've pulled through it.

[neilyoSoCal]

hey guys. just some updates of my situation:

i saw my doctor and he said the break is almost finish healing (its been 5 months already), he said i have no restricitions unless i feel pain with it. He told me to come back one more time in a month.

I've been able to hit the gym again and I attempted to bench. It was so shocking to see that I could only do 135 lbs 3x10 (135 lbs 10x used to be my bench press warm up). very shocking to see how weak i've become, BUT i had no complications or pain with it.

I am now taking working out a little more seriously than before. I guess the break helped me realize that I'm not as strong as I thought I was, but I sure can get there. =)

Good luck to all of you. I hope a speedy and uncomplicated recovery. Lets show them that a humerus break can't stop us from body building.

[Zantetsuken]

Don't get dissuaded by how weak you are in the beginning. I had a similar injury I got during MMA. Kimura lock + no tap out = spiral fracture of the left humerus. Fortunately I did not need surgery and my arm healed just fine with a brace and restraints. I started upper body training again with increasing intensity about 2 weeks ago and it was really frustrating at first to see how (relatively) weak I was. I saw large gains over the past couple of weeks so I'm hopeful I will be back to full strength or close to it within a month.

[Alek]

Yeah it actually gets fun later on

I just surpassed my before-surgery maxes

What's fun is that its like REDISCOVERING body-building. Its actuall fun. ITs like being newb all over again and seeing newbie gains. The gains were so fast and so cool.

It might actually be the best thing that's happened to my lifting.

[aaoude]

Hey guys,

on Dec 27th 2008 I also broke my right arm humerus bone while arm wrestling my older and bigger boned brother... good for him. Anyway, I saw the orthopedist on the 29th and said I had 2 options:

- Put a cast and wait a long time for the bone to heal with by risk that it won't heal properly and my ROM would suffer

- Go through surgery to put a metal plate and screws which should let me recover at 100% including full ROM

I should note that I am very lucky as I have had no nerve damage. My wrist is very strong.

I decided with option #2 and went through surgery on the 31st of december, needless to say I was more drugged up then Tony Montana at the end of Scarface when New Years hit!

I am now in week 5 and I am using my right arm for almost everything but lifting. I am doing well in terms of ROM as I can extend my arm away from my body almost all the way (missing maybe 10 degrees of mvmt) and towards my body (missing around 15 degress of mvmt) and I haven't done any PT yet... doctor wants me to wait until there is complete union of the bones (approx week 8 most probably).

I am pretty down considering I was in the best shape of my life when this happened. Now I look deformed cuz my left arm is so much bigger then my right one... but will hopefully get back to where I was quickly. One thing to note is that although my right arm shrunk considerably, it is still somewhat muscular... could this be due to the fact that I was taking BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids) before the accident happened? Also, because I had the surgery and now I'm able to "move" and "use" my arm, it is not shrinking as fast as it would if I had a cast on for 2-3 months!

Anyway, that's my story... I can't wait to get back to the gym and gain back the weight I lost. I would really like to hear the updates from the rest of you guys as your troubles are very similar to mine!

I will post my preop and postop pics shortly and you will see what I'm talking about.

Take care guys.

[bucknut22]

Hey guys,

on Dec 27th 2008 I also broke my right arm humerus bone while arm wrestling my older and bigger boned brother... good for him. Anyway, I saw the orthopedist on the 29th and said I had 2 options:

- Put a cast and wait a long time for the bone to heal with by risk that it won't heal properly and my ROM would suffer

- Go through surgery to put a metal plate and screws which should let me recover at 100% including full ROM

I should note that I am very lucky as I have had no nerve damage. My wrist is very strong.

I decided with option #2 and went through surgery on the 31st of december, needless to say I was more drugged up then Tony Montana at the end of Scarface when New Years hit!

I am now in week 5 and I am using my right arm for almost everything but lifting. I am doing well in terms of ROM as I can extend my arm away from my body almost all the way (missing maybe 10 degrees of mvmt) and towards my body (missing around 15 degress of mvmt) and I haven't done any PT yet... doctor wants me to wait until there is complete union of the bones (approx week 8 most probably).

I am pretty down considering I was in the best shape of my life when this happened. Now I look deformed cuz my left arm is so much bigger then my right one... but will hopefully get back to where I was quickly. One thing to note is that although my right arm shrunk considerably, it is still somewhat muscular... could this be due to the fact that I was taking BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids) before the accident happened? Also, because I had the surgery and now I'm able to "move" and "use" my arm, it is not shrinking as fast as it would if I had a cast on for 2-3 months!

Anyway, that's my story... I can't wait to get back to the gym and gain back the weight I lost. I would really like to hear the updates from the rest of you guys as your troubles are very similar to mine!

I will post my preop and postop pics shortly and you will see what I'm talking about.

Take care guys.

hey bro,

Sorry to hear you also have had to suffer from this as have many of us on this thread. Good idea to go with the surgery, don't want to take the chance of losing ROM long term.

Keep your head up, I know EXACTLY how you feel as I too was in the best shape of my life when this happened. Just gotta stay patient and don't rush back! Wait till the Doc clears you to, and be smart about it, don't try to lift your pre break weights until you gradually build back to it.Don't know about if the BCAA's really helped your arm stay muscular or not, but at least you had that going for you. I couldn't even notice my right triceps muscle until a few weeks ago!

Im not yet 100% by any means, but my size is nearly back to what it was, if not bigger (although im sure its more fat), but ive been trying to do about 20 mins low intensity cardio afterwards to burn the fat! Dumbbell curls with my right arm is a complete joke and im sure some guys at the gym look at me weird as I go to pick up really light DBs... Right forearm is still a little smaller than the left, but definitely coming along. Nerve palsy has improved dramatically, but not 100% yet. I am determined more than ever to return to my pre break lifts, and then to appreciate my gains from now on as opposed to before when I used to b#tch about them coming too slow.

I really hate the scar on my arm though, as I definitely feel embarrassed when people ask about it... im sure as time passes ill get over it and ill just see it as a "manly" scar. Anyone know of anything that can help make it less visible? I got this Dr. Blaine's scar treatment that "supposedly" was once only available through a doctors prescription. We'll see how that works out... ill probably just get a tattoo over it some time in the future once im back to normal, and I know its okay to tat over.

Take care of that arm, be smart, and keep me updated on the progress! Definitely very happy that there are other people on this board that are goin through the same thing as me.

[Fedorov999]

I'm now 3.5 months since mine (xrays above), had another xray yesterday and the bones are still not knitted together.

Similar to bucknut22, had nerve damage but had nerve test last week and my radial nerve is intact and the very early stages of recovery were detected in my forearm below the elbow.

Now got a little bit more strength in the wrist but it's painfully slow progress with the nerve damage. Can only bend my elbow 90 degrees and don't know yet if it will improve, need those bones to heal more yet!

Take care!

[astral week]

hello all, I've been monitoring this thread for a while, since I broke my arm arm wrestling (spiral fracture) that required a metal plate and 12 crews about 2 months ago.

I am suffering from nerve palsy from the surgery that affects mainly just my thumb and index finger. This bothers me since I play guitar, but I understand that it should come back 100% in the coming months.

My main concern is my ROM; I was able to quickly improve my motion until the last week or 2, when I can't lock my elbow. I'd say I'm about 10% short of full ROM; it doesn't feel like an issue of stretching, but rather that the plate or something is blocking my elbow from locking.

I'm worried that I won't ever be able to lock my elbow. I'm going to see my doctor in about a week, but until then do any of you have advice or personal experience that is encouraging?

[bucknut22]

hello all, I've been monitoring this thread for a while, since I broke my arm arm wrestling (spiral fracture) that required a metal plate and 12 crews about 2 months ago.

I am suffering from nerve palsy from the surgery that affects mainly just my thumb and index finger. This bothers me since I play guitar, but I understand that it should come back 100% in the coming months.

My main concern is my ROM; I was able to quickly improve my motion until the last week or 2, when I can't lock my elbow. I'd say I'm about 10% short of full ROM; it doesn't feel like an issue of stretching, but rather that the plate or something is blocking my elbow from locking.

I'm worried that I won't ever be able to lock my elbow. I'm going to see my doctor in about a week, but until then do any of you have advice or personal experience that is encouraging?

You probably will have to go to physical therapy to help with the ROM. As for the nerve palsy, you have to be VERY patent. Its been since Sept since I broke my arm, and although its gotten MUCH better the nerve palsy is still affecting me (at first i could not even lift my wrist, so it would just drop if not in a brace). The only thing I can say is try to stay positive and just be patient, I thought I would not be able to lift for a year but now its been around 2-3 months and im back at the gym.

Good luck!

[93tsi]

Well guys, i'm in the same situation as the rest of you. I broke my right humerus from arm wrestling at a bar on Saturday Feb 7th, 2009. I am getting surgery tomorrow. Looks like I need a plate and screws.

I have never been this upset in my entire life. I got into lifting in December of 07, and have been in love since. I went from weighing 160 to 190 in little over a year. Pre-break benching was 245x4. Doctor says i wont be lifting heavy until end of summer.

I can't believe it. the one thing I really love to do, I can't do. and now I get to watch my hard earned size just slowly deflate. Talk about upset.

But the good news is that i will be able to lift again. it may not be soon,but when that day comes it will be all worth it. But i keep remembering the quote, fitness is a journey, not a destination. I will remember all the amazing days at the gym, all the milestones.I was so pumped the first time I benched 205. I never got to feel the rush of benching 315x1. But i will do it.

I will keep you guys posted on my progress. but reading your posts give me hope that i will return to my pre break level and surpass it. thank you.

ps- excuse my grammar, im typing with 1 hand

[astral week]

I just went to the doctor today so I thought I'd post a follow up.

I broke my arm and had surgery mid-December.

Today the doctor told me I can start LIGHT weightlifting, but only up to 20 lb dumbbells, and no benching, pushups, pullups, dips, etc. So really all I can do is light curls and maybe light tricep pulldown.

However, he did say that within 4 to 6 weeks I can basically do anything, including lift heavy. So that would be about 3 months after surgery, for those looking for an idea of how long it will be for them. 3 months isn't really that bad, although I'm not looking forward to the first couple of weeks back when I'm as weak as a kitten.

I still have some nerve damage in my hand, but I can play guitar now (though not as well) so I don't mind waiting too much. My ROM is better and I'm no longer worried about ever being able to lock my elbow again; after drastically increasing my stretching I'm only about 5 degrees away.

good luck to the rest of you. Dare I say, Godspeed.

[93tsi]

Guys, how are those arms healing?

I'm 5 days out of my surgery. The pain in my arm is slowly going down, however it's still annoying. I am going back to the doctor on Friday. Hopefully, he will take this hard sling off of me and give me something removable.

Every day tasks have been a pain, especially bathing. But I went back to school today, at least.

Man, I can't wait to get back to the gym. I hope to be able to start lifting heavy by summer. This forum has really helped me keep my head in the right direction! Thanks guys.

[Fedorov999]

I'm praying my next x-ray in March will show the bones knitting together, I'm 4 months now and cannot increase any weight on my arm until the bones are healed.

I'm also trying to use my hand as best I can with my dynamic freddy kreuger glove but it's very hard when you've only got 90 degress max bend in the elbow. I'm sure my nerve damage would recover quicker if I was able to reach my face to eat or brush teeth etc... still relying so much on my other hand due to the elbow.

[bucknut22]

Another update on my situation:

Been back at it in the gym for a few months now it, body symmetry is pretty much if not all back to normal in my arms,shoulders, and chest. Right forearm is still smaller than the left, im sure due to the nerve palsy. Strength is increasing nicely, not where I was at before but gains are steadily improving. I actually feel im bigger than i was before the break (10 lbs heavier, but im sure some of that is fat), my old tees are way too small now! waist is getting bigger unfortunetly thou, been hitting up some low intensity cardio at least 3x/week after my workouts. I try to spend one extra weekend day for cardio only.

Ill see the Doc sometime in March and hopefully by now give me a good idea when the nerve should be 100% (It is close to it now, hoping it will be before I have to go in.) The nerve palsy is the longest lasting effect of my whole broken humorous situation. Those of you that don't have to deal with it are very lucky. Hope you guys recovery is coming along! And keep your head up, you WILL come back from this!