Broken arms are incredibly common in both children and adults. They can occur as a result of trying to brace yourself during a fall, like if you slip on ice or your child falls off a tree branch, or they can happen due to acute trauma suffered during sports or automobile collisions. Considering how often we use our arms each day, it’s imperative that you allow your arm to recover and then work to strengthen it so that you can get back to doing all your daily activities without discomfort.
But what can you expect from a rehabilitation standpoint after breaking your arm? We take a closer look at how you’ll recover and strengthen your arm with the help of a physical therapy program in today’s blog.
Physical Therapy After An Arm Fracture
All arm fractures are unique, but arm fractures involve a break in one of the three bones in the upper or lower arm, which are the humerus, the radius or the ulna. After a fracture of one of these bones, the first step of treatment will be to immobilize the area. You will have your arm placed in a cast or a sling so that the arm is protected while healing begins. Depending on your specific fracture, your arm may be immobilized for 2-6 weeks. You may also be directed to take some prescription or over-the-counter medications during this time to help with pain control and swelling.
Once enough healing has taken place, your doctor will want you to begin physical therapy. Although you fractured your arm, physical therapy isn’t really targeting the bone itself. Instead, physical therapy will work to strengthen the soft tissues that have been affected by the cast and arm immobilization. If your arm muscles, tendons and ligaments have been unable to move and handle stress for a number of weeks, they are going to have weakened. If left unaddressed, you could be at an increased risk for a future injury.
Your physical therapist will also work on improving your comfortable range of motion. Again, movement has been extremely restricted for the last few weeks, and movements like reaching, twisting or bending may not be as comfortable as they once were. A physical therapist will work to slowly improve arm flexibility so that these tissues can return to a normal range of motion without risk of injury because they took on too much activity too soon. It’s a delicate balance, but it’s vitally important.
Your physical therapist will also want to ensure that nearby structures that may have been affected by this immobilization are also cared for as you work to get back to normal movements. Hand and shoulder exercises will also be performed to increase joint mobility in your shoulder, which has likely experienced limited movement over the past few weeks, and to improve wrist and finger mobility that may have been affected as a result of the break.
Most patients experience a full recovery from their broken arm within 12 weeks, but your recovery may end sooner or take longer depending on a number of different factors, like the type of fracture you suffered and what kind of activities you’re hoping to return to. However, if you dive into a physical therapy routine with an experienced PT like the ones you’ll find at OrthoRehab Specialists, we’re confident that you’ll give yourself a good chance at making a stronger recovery in a shorter amount of time.
For more information about physical therapy after an arm fracture, or to talk to a physical therapist about a different injury that you’re dealing with, reach out to our team today at (612) 339-2041.