Physical Therapy for a Broken Arm

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Physical Therapy for a Broken Arm

HOW CAN PHYSICAL THERAPY HELP TREAT A BROKEN ARM?

While a broken arm may have caught you off guard, you get some say in how you approach your recovery. Physical therapy is a great tool to help recover from any broken bone, including a broken arm. The role of physical therapy is different in the early and later stages of recovery but is an excellent choice to help you recover fully from the fracture and return to your prior level of function.

WHAT DOES PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR A BROKEN ARM LOOK LIKE?

In the early stages of recovery from a broken arm, my team of physical therapists will focus on protecting the healing arm bone, helping you learn how to perform tasks while wearing a splint or cast and addressing adjacent areas when needed. Once the bone has healed, your PT will direct their attention to the previously-fractured area itself in order to address any changes in strength, range of motion and flexibility that may have occurred and to help you return to your prior level of activity.

HOW LONG WILL I NEED PHYSICAL THERAPY

Most fractures heal on their own within 8 weeks. The healing time is different if the bones are stabilized surgically but rehabilitation is still an important component of recovery in those cases. While the bone is still healing, physical therapy interventions will focus on adjacent areas to limit the effects of disuse. Once healed, your physical therapist may recommend 4-12 weeks of rehabilitation to help restore normal function to the previously broken arm and surrounding areas. Once PT can target the previously fractured area, you should experience improvements in many symptoms such as pain and stiffness within a few weeks but returns in strength, flexibility and overall mobility and return to your prior level of activity may take longer. Achieving long lasting results may take some time, but dedication to your program will help you achieve these results more quickly.

broken arm PT

BASICS ON BROKEN BONES

Injury Rehabilitation

Broken bones, also known as fractured bones, occur when stress across the bone exceeds the bone’s tensile strength. A bone may fracture due to trauma such as a fall on an outstretched hand, or in the case of a weakened bone, can occur due to relatively normal forces. Fractures can occur in different patterns. They can be stable and nondisplaced and treated with a cast or splint or unstable or displaced and treated with either closed or surgical reduction and fixation followed by a cast or splint. A bone that is broken in several places or unlikely to heal well on its own often requires surgery to stabilize the fracture with some type of hardware.

Bone fractures heal in three phases. The first phase is the inflammatory phase which starts within hours of the break and is normally complete within a number of days. During this phase the body lays down a fragile matrix of new tissues to begin repairing the broken bone. During the next several weeks the reparative phase occurs in which a soft callus is initially formed by bone-producing cells and then transformed into a hard callus over time. The soft callus can easily be disrupted if the bone is not protected but the hard callus is much more durable. In the final stage, the remodeling stage, the callus is slowly removed and the bone is reshaped and smoothed out as it responds to the stress and activity placed on it by normal activity. This phase takes months to years to be completed but in most cases a fracture is considered healed in about 8 weeks.

When someone states they have broken their arm, they are usually referring to a fracture in the long bone of the upper arm, the humerus, or sometimes the bones of the forearm, the radius and ulna. Fractures to these bones most often happen due to an accident or trauma that applies large forces to the bones of the arm. Unlike some of the small bones in the body, a break to one of the arm bones is often quite obvious right away.

Signs and symptoms of a broken arm include:

  • Pain, tenderness and swelling over the upper arm or forearm
  • Redness and bruising near the injured bone
  • Difficulty moving the shoulder, elbow, forearm or wrist or putting weight through the arm
  • Signs of deformity or misalignment in the bones
A closed and stable fracture of the arm is often treated with a cast, brace or splint to immobilize the area while the bone heals. A more serious fracture or one that is at risk of poor healing may require surgery to stabilize the break. In this case an open reduction, internal fixation is often recommended using hardware to stabilize the fractured bone so it heals in good alignment. A break high up in the arm near the shoulder may also require surgery to ensure proper healing.

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End Injury Progression

Physical therapy for a broken arm has proven to prevent injury, slow and even stop pain issues, improve performance, and reverse injury progression in many cases.

Relieve Pain

The movements used in this technique can target your entire body helping you to manage discomfort and pain during the course of your physical therapy treatments.

Improve Range of Motion

Posture awareness is an important area to focus on due to the fact that certain positions may cause you further discomfort and pain.

Restore Mobility

You can regain mobility and flexibility by taking part in the stretches and exercises as prescribed by your physical therapist.

PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR A BROKEN ARM

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help with a broken arm, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20+ different physical therapy sessions that will each last 60-90 minutes. Once you complete your customized physical therapy treatment plan, you will be able to continue to do the prescribed stretches and exercises utilized during your PT sessions yet in the comfort of your own home.

PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR A BROKEN ARM

Your PT will avoid manipulating or stressing the broken arm until the fracture is healed in order to prevent disruption of the healing bone. During this time, your physical therapist may recommend the following interventions:

  • If needed, strength training, stretching and range of motion of adjacent areas of the body may be prescribed to prevent stiffness and atrophy while the arm is healing
  • Education on the healing process of bones
  • Recommendations on how to adapt daily tasks to the use of one arm
After the fracture is healed or your surgeon has cleared you, physical therapy interventions can be directed to the affected area of the arm and begin to include motions or exercises that will place stress on the bone. Though your physical therapy plan will be individualized to your needs, these are common interventions used to facilitate healing and return to full function after a broken arm:
  • Stretching, joint mobilization and range of motion to improve the flexibility and mobility of the wrist, elbow and shoulder
  • Soft tissue mobilization to address any adhesions or scar tissue in the area
  • Strengthening, motor control and coordination training of the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder to allow you to grasp, hold, manipulate, lift and carry objects with the arm
  • Sport and work specific training to help the injured arm return to higher impact and repetitive activities like throwing a ball, push ups, pull ups, overhead lifting and much more
CALL TO SCHEDULE AN EVALUATION FOR YOUR BROKEN ARM WITH EVOLVE PT

While dealing with a broken bone is never fun, having the right rehabilitation specialist on your team can make all the difference. The team of physical therapists at Evolve is here and ready to get you started on the road to recovery today.

Call to Schedule a Consultation! 1-718-258-3300
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Marine Park
3319 Avenue N
Brooklyn, NY 11234

Monday-Thursday: 8am-8pm
Friday: 8am-3pm

718.957.2422

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Mill Basin (located in Harbor Fitness)
6161 Strickland Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11234

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Thursday: 7am-8pm
Friday: 8am-1pm

718.957.2422

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Park Slope (located in Harbor Fitness)
550 5th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11215

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Wednesday: 9am-8pm
Thursday: 8am-6pm
Friday: 8am-3pm

718.957.2422

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Gravesend
372 Avenue U
Brooklyn, NY 11223

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Friday: 8am-3pm

718.690.3229

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Midwood
945 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 11223

Monday-Wed.: 12pm-8pm

718.524.3915

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PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR A BROKEN ARM!

Need physical therapy for a fractured or broken arm?

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Call: 1-718-957-2422