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mathew`
Sport climber
topanga, ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 23, 2008 - 08:37pm PT
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So I broke my elbow in a fall and got a radial head implant. Total bummer - the end of the radius is a cobalt socket thing.
That was six months ago - I've been healing really good, not much pain and got all my flexibility back, but I still can't see how it will respond to pulling on small holds - at the moment its just not possible.
Has anyone else out there had this op? Are you cranking again?
thanks - Mathew
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 23, 2008 - 09:58pm PT
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hey there matthew... say, best wishes on your getting well again, and back into shape...
hopefully someone will jump in there soon...
god bless to you, as you get ready to get back out there and get back up there...
edit---hopefully this will get the ol' posting-ball a rollin' for you...
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mathew`
Sport climber
topanga, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 23, 2008 - 10:36pm PT
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thanks!
you know I'd have thought what with people falling off stuff all the time and landing with their arms out quite a few climbers would have had this break and this same operation. The physio I go to has a clinic full of 'em. Seems a good chunk of the population do nothing but fall on their elbows. In 25 yrs of cragging I've never met a climber who did this.
the only thing that is freaking me out is that climbers who do this don't end up climbing anymore and so aren't on the forums :)
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Sep 24, 2008 - 01:11am PT
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Glad you are mending.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Sep 24, 2008 - 01:12am PT
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Take it really easy man. It might take years before you can pull really hard. Stick to the moderates and be happy that you can climb at all....as you get stronger it will likely return. Much luck.
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Sep 24, 2008 - 01:54am PT
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"the only thing that is freaking me out is that climbers who do this ... aren't on the forums"
Maybe they're actually out climbing...
No insight on that injury, but I hope you continue to heal 'til you're back up to speed.
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Lasti
Trad climber
Budapest
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Sep 24, 2008 - 02:19am PT
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Hey Mathew,
I dislocated my elbow a few years back. No cobalt thingy, no operation, just hugely elongated and shortend and torn and downright ugly ligaments, muscles 'n stuff. If the implant can take the beating, you will, just take it easy. I know the elbow I injured was more prone to fatigue and repetitive strain injuries for a long time (think maybe two years or more) after the initial 4-5 months of rehabilitation. Best guess is ask your doctor or physio about the implant... And take it easy, stick to the moderates for a while and strengthen that baby.
Have a nice healing!
Lasti
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mathew`
Sport climber
topanga, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2008 - 04:02am PT
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Thanks for all the kind words.
To be honest, its a great excuse to get back on moderates and do the sort of climbing that got me all psyched when I was 17. Minus maybe the whole sleeping in the dirt thing. Come to that minus the whole hitch-hiking and eating pot noodle thing too.
Bump the post up one more time - just in case anyone with a radial head replacement sees this - I got a ton of advice on how to get it flexible again.
Mathew
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 24, 2008 - 04:16am PT
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hey there matthew... say, there you go.. a few more folks showed up...
say, i HAVE heard that alots of adults that had never roller bladed (the so called modern way of roller skating) have (in that group of folks) broken MANY an elbow...
have not heard how they fared later, but they were not climbers...
well, say... if things don't work out as well as you expected, i have recently read about a climber that could not use his one side, and he was climbing any way he could...
course, in your case, you only need to take care---but the temptation may always be to over strain it---so just keep WISDOM first and formost, over pleasure:
hmmm.... seems like something our folks tried to teach us when we were kids... (seems like it nipped a lot of fun, in the buds, too---but, we did well to thus: play-again-another-day)....
sure hope some "successful examples" show up or come your way, while your on the mending-trail...
once again, god bless... look at them ol' rocks and smile-a-good-one... at least they are all still out there waiting for you, and you just might be surprised with some better fortunes than you expected... one nevers knows...
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Mar 27, 2009 - 02:40pm PT
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How are you doing Matthew ?
I managed to take a spill on (off) my bike last week. Low speed, flubbed the clip, hit the pavement on my left arm, just pedaling to the trailhead. I kept riding for a bit, then decided it was hurting too much to continue. I figured it was just a bruise ..
After a week I caved in and went to see an ortho / sports doc. X-ray showed a non-displaced fracture of the radial head. He said usually they don't even cast or splint these .. just let them heal for 6 weeks. Cycling is out for a while as is climbing. Guess I'm gonna be doing a lot of hiking though :)
He said most people get a good recovery after this sort of thing, but potentially with a little less range of motion. Any other experiences ?
f**k I have been getting lots of radiation the last couple of years ..
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Mar 27, 2009 - 02:45pm PT
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matthew-- dont know anyone who had a radial head replacement. but i can't think of any mechanical reason why that alone would prevent you from climbing. i can imagine certain types of crack climbing getting a lot more difficult, but that wouldn't end the sport.
about 20 years ago i climbed at jtree with a visiting german, flipper, former famous alpinist, who'd destroyed his elbow in a horrific rockfall accident. they'd had to fuse his elbow-- the arm was permanently locked at about 10 or 15 degrees past vertical. he still climbed remarkably well, even on surprisingly steep stuff.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Mar 27, 2009 - 03:00pm PT
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I executed a 20mph forward flip on my mountain bike back in '98 and (stupid me) put out my arm in an attempt to save the ol' brain bucket (I had a helmet on it). I ended up jamming the forearm bone into the upper arm bone (ulnar into the humerus?)and cracking the cup on the end of the humerus(?). Sounds like you did something similar, but much worse.
I didn't have to have any surgery, but it healed fine and I don't have any problems climbing, other than being generally weak and fat. Not sure if that would have any bearing on your situation, due to the differing magnitudes involved, but figured I'd share anyway. :-)
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Colt
climber
Midpines
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Mar 27, 2009 - 03:04pm PT
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mathew`,
I have had this injury and have had a 99.999% recovery. I didn't have the implant, but I did have 7 screws in a plate added to repair the radial head on my right arm. I had the surgery in late winter/spring of 2001. I had a follow surgery in late summer 2001 to remove the hardware and so the doctor could sculpt the bone a bit. This helped with the crepitus (sp?) which is the creaking sound in the joint. I was back to 85-90 % strength with in a few months of the second surgery. You'll likely find small holds are not the issue. Hard pulling on jugs puts more stain on the elbow generally. Anyway, I was 100% back in shape after about a year. The mobility was the biggest issue. Even at 1 year I could not full extend my arm...which lead to soreness after long days or hard bouldering. But, the mobility improved slowly..and kept improving for several years. Now, no more sore elbow when storms come in, full extension range, and only a slight supination issue. The recovery is so good by now that I never think about it...I acutally had to glance down and check which arm had the scar before writing down right or left...hah!
I'd be glad to try to answer any other questions you may have.
Also, sorry for the blocky post...in a bit of a hurry at work.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Mar 27, 2009 - 03:30pm PT
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Wow, didn't even know they were doing this replacement. Haven't treated anyone with this condition but......keep in mind 1).can still be a bit early in the rehab to press the lateral elbow with isolated stress like this, although with small holds it makes sense that the medial elbow will stress more. Maybe watch your wrist position with small holds and try not to extened(bend back)the wrist too much. 2). If the muscle attachment has been rearranged(anchored somewhere else)it could effect the pull AND contraction properties of the muscles involved. Good luck with it, maybe you just need more time and make dang sure yer muscles have had time to develop back to normal, strength wise.
Peace
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Mar 27, 2009 - 03:39pm PT
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Sorry Matt, I'll remember you in my good thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. lrl
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Mar 27, 2009 - 03:53pm PT
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Someone advised me to get full-body bubble wrap :)
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Mar 27, 2009 - 04:33pm PT
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Fat guy -- thanks for the suggestion .. how's that idea working out for you ? :)
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Big Breasted Woman
Trad climber
The Brown Crack
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Mar 27, 2009 - 07:13pm PT
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Hi Matthew! I dislocated and shattered my left elbow quite a few years ago. Wish I'd had a few more options as far as treatment is concerned. I ended up having my radial head removed. The first question I asked after surgery was, "When will I be able to climb again?" The surgeon looked at me with disbelief and said I had done the worst possible injury to my elbow and that I'd be lucky if I climbed again at all. To say the least, he obviously didn't know me well. I spent about 3-4 months struggling in PT and at one point actually got my arm totally straight. It never happened again though and I was left with about 50% total range of motion. Not to be deterred, I started slowly training again. It's amazing what the human body can do to adapt. I was always good with my feet but losing all that range of motion with my arm just made me use my feet even more. I know I climb steep slab even better now than I did before my accident. It's kind of a bummer leading with it though. My elbow tires more easily and if I hang on it too long, while placing gear, it forces it to straighten and that tweaks it a bit. Nonetheless, I'm just freakin' happy to be able to climb at all. Take your recuperation and progress slow so your tendons have sufficient time to regain their former strength. I'm able to hold onto very small stuff without any problem at all. Good luck to you and take it slow!! You'll be fine!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 27, 2009 - 07:21pm PT
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hey there, rhang.. say, were you the one to first bump this?
say, i was wondering how matthew is doing too...
say, there is some good shares here, too...
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Mar 27, 2009 - 10:15pm PT
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Good luck Matthew' I predict full recovery, takes a while though.
Rhyang, how many times can one pull the same Dragon's tail? Glad you're on the mend.
Lois, damn sis, horrendous! How come you never mentioned this before? I know, I prolly wasn't listening. BTW, I hadda order more books, one will be headed your way once I have my hands on it!
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mathew
Sport climber
topanga, ca
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Mar 27, 2009 - 10:22pm PT
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Whoa! the thread re-surfaced!
I didn't realize there were so many elbows out there. Thanks for all the positive thoughts from you guys. I have been lurking around the forum while I have been getting better (read many hours spent sitting on my ass) and you all have reminded me about what I was missing in my climbing. I first came here in '88 on a pilgrimage to the Valley. Man - it was fantastic, great vibe, great routes - as a result I moved to the US and have been here ever since. Now a card carrying member of the society that brought about such cultural innovations as 'Oz', 'Mr Natural' and 'Separate Reality'. So back to basics - it is clear that full elbow recovery will only be obtained by spending a lot more time in the valley. I got this summer all figured out. I think that this is what is meant by 'something good coming out of this'.
As for the last year of prosthetic elbow - well it was a lot less of a problem than I initially thought. They key elements are
1. ice it
2. stretch it
3. attend physiotherapy with a religious fervor
4. ice it
You do get handfuls of drugs at the outset. The only real outcome of the painkillers was that they made me tolerate watching CSI Miami. I happened to see a bit of it again the other day and I felt like the guy at the Dead concert when the weed ran out - 'Man this band sucks'. There are new anti-inflammatories on the market though - they don't mess with your head and if you take 'em before you go do something hard - elbow bliss.
LEB was on the mark with the pitchforking though - I've been doing a lot of that lately and in common with most of the range -of-motion exercise (digging, construction, neurotic cleaning) - it just generally gets you back in the mode of using everything together, being coordinated and in shape. Its also a lot more interesting than watching myself lift weights.
Anyway - last week - 1 year to the day that I broke it I cranked a 90 ft V3 (that I have wired) - my fist climbing in a year - and all is good - I think JT is on later this week.
Just one more random thought - as it is quite interesting to see how many people have had radii removed and still keep on jamming. In Buoux - sometime in the 90's - I met a guy who was climbing really well. Even better when I noticed that he had only one pectoral muscle. Strange, but even stranger that it didn't seem to slow him down at all.
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Bootlaces
Ice climber
County Fermanagh Ireland
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Hi Mathew, I found your old post whilst reading up on a recent Injury, I shattered my Radial bone 5 months ago. I have had radial head replaced, ROM is coming along with resonable flexion/extension. I'm wondering if you got back to climbing and how you have got on?
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damo62
Social climber
Brisbane
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What are these new drugs you speak of mathew?
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mathew
Sport climber
topanga, ca
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ha - the old thread appears to have been resurected ...
bootlaces:
to follow up - my elbow is much better - it clicks a lot - but the clicking isnt painful and it almost has total mobility - though my strength is down a bit - perhaps thats due to finding other stuff than climbing to go do ... you know ... other stuff - like mtb and surfing and stuff. I just moved to near Smith - so I'm planning on pulling on small holds this fall and that, I imagine, will be the acid test as I sense that tricky sport climbing will be a lot more stress on the joint than mellow J Tree granite or Derbyshire Grit. The key to all of this is ice, lots of physiotherapy, ice, small weights and ice. In that order. The big thing to come out of getting this radial head prosthesis is I now have a cast-iron excuse for not pulling down on the really hard stuff, having neatly eclipsed a lack of talent.
damo:
hmm - it might not be a new drug - but its new to me - meloxicam - its an anti-inflammatory that did wonders when things did hurt. TBH I try to steer clear of all that stuff where possible - but I did notice that it had a pretty strong effect upon the joint when I had gotten all enthusiastic and hammered it to hard.
best - Mathew
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damo62
Social climber
Brisbane
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cheers Mathew
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, matthew.... how nice when these old posts/threads come up after so long--they really help folks... BUT:
more important:
we get to see and share your joys of victories,when folks get well and through the therapy, and on into life, again...
thanks for stepping in and sharing, matthew...
god blesss...
*hope the NEWER injured poster, that bumped this a ways back, gets well, soon, too!
:)
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Souperman
Trad climber
Bloomington, Illinois
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I am currently headed to the Mayo Clinic for surgery for this same injury, and additionally a related wrist injury. It is not known whether or not I will have to replace the radial head, but the fracture is ugly. Reading this thread has brought me hope that I might indeed climb again. If aniyone still gets notifications of this ancient thread, I would love to hear from any of you who have reovered or are recovering from this nightmare injury. Let me know what's up.
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John M
climber
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Good luck with whatever treatment you get Souperman!
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dadmehr
Big Wall climber
tehran
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hi Mathew,
I fell 3weeks ago and broke my elbow. head of radius was replaced with a prosthesis. Can yon you help me how i can coma back to the rock again? what can i do for rehabilitation process.
Thanks
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futbol24x7
Social climber
NY
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Oct 17, 2016 - 11:19am PT
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Hello Mathew, Dadmehr, and the entire SuperTopo team here. Hope you guys are doing well.
I noticed that Dadmehr sort of re-opened up the thread here at almost the same time I shattered my own radial head. How is recovery going for your Dadmehr?
Mathew, it seems like your injury happened several years ago. How does it feel these days? Are you back climbing again? Have you had trouble doing regular exercises like pushups, pullups or even some weightlifting? What about on a day to day basis with regular activities?
My surgery was done end of August this year, right before my vacation...boy did that suck! I've been recovering instead of vacationing but just trying to stay optimistic here with things. How is everyone doing these days after this RHR surgery?
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