Feeling exhausted after PT: it takes a LOT out of you, especially those first few weeks.Getting home and settled, after PT: using the restroom, eating something, etc.… be real… you don’t just get back to your house and are magically ready for work/kids/school/life.Attending PT: sessions are about an hour… at first, they may be longer and then they might shorten up… but that also depends on how many therapeutic activities you have to do.Driving to PT: depending on where you live… it could take longer or shorter… but let’s average it out and say that your trip to PT is 30 minutes (so, that’s an hour… 30 minutes there and back).Obtaining a ride to get to PT: you likely will not be able to drive… if you are taking narcotic pain medications AND since your elbow won’t extend at first, you cannot reach the steering wheel.Oh, and don’t forget about the hourly exercises that the PT staff sent me home with.Įven if everything went smoothly and I only had to go through PT for eight weeks… that’s still eight weeks! Get it?!? Three times a week, eight weeks of… Just eight straight weeks of PT three times a week. And, she did a mathematical calculation, of adding five degrees per week that got us to the eight weeks of PT sessions.Īgain, this is if everything was going fine and dandy. Well, her goal was to get my elbow to move five additional degrees. The goniometer measured how far I could extend my arm straight and how far I could get my arm bent at my elbow. My PT therapist used a measurement tool, called a goniometer, to measure the number of degrees that I was able to hinge at the elbow, forward and backward. So, the elbow surgery patient has to engage in multiple therapeutic activities to get the elbow moving.
#Elbow compression sleeve for ulnar nerve full
And, how did my PT therapist get to eight weeks? Here’s how…Įlbow recovery after surgery involves a variety of different activities and exercises to get the elbow joint back to the full range of motion. A lot.Įven if everything went according to the timeline, my therapist mapped out how many weeks I would attend three times a week PT sessions. That’s fine.Įven if I had no complications at all, there’s no way I was back at my normal, fully functioning, independent state I was prior to elbow surgery. That’s not fair since not everyone will go through all the issues that I did. Now, I am not even going to write about the complications I experienced after elbow surgery. Elbow Recovery After Surgery: The True Timeline And I am here to tell you that after the hard cast came off, and I went to that first PT on that same day, I was NOT back to my normal functioning and level of activity in three days to three weeks’ time. On Augat 10 a.m., I had an elbow surgery procedure. When I fractured my elbow, the surgeon who was going to perform my elbow surgery told me that some of his patients are up, back at full activity, working, and into their life as it was prior to surgery in THREE DAYS to THREE WEEKS.įully back to normal functioning in just three days to three weeks after surgery. When I had surgery, the surgeon scheduled me with a physical therapy (PT) appointment the very same day the team removed my hard cast. Now, most surgeons will already start discussing elbow recovery after surgery even before the surgery takes place. You’ll meet with the surgeon who will review the procedure, its risks and benefits, and what to expect immediately after surgery. Once it’s confirmed that you need surgery, they will set a surgery date. Apparently, the middle fingers, knees, and elbows are the most challenging. Elbow surgeries rank up there with knee surgery and, get this, middle finger surgery.
Or, insert whatever accident, mistake, injury, or error occurred in your life that is now causing you to need elbow surgery.Īs a past elbow surgery patient, I was told many, many times that elbow fractures are one of the top three most serious and difficult. You wake up early, take your bike out for a quick ride before work, and BAM! Crash to the ground, falling off of the bike, shattering your elbow on the sidewalk. What’s much more realistic is some type of a scenario like this…
I’m sure you didn’t wake up this morning, thinking to yourself, “I think I’d like to have elbow surgery this month…” Most people who require elbow surgery do so after some type of accident or injury. Here’s an article from a patient’s perspective about elbow recovery after surgery. Elbow recovery after surgery can become exhausting, overwhelming, and emotional. If you’re someone who’s had or is having elbow surgery, this article is for you. A Patient’s Perspective After Elbow Surgery
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