Anyone with experience of recovering after a broken arm?

lef

Well I've been unlucky enough to have a clean break of both my forearm bones in my left arm after falling off. I've just had metal plates fitted. Just wondered if anybody out there has any advice for getting back on the bike, strengthening, and in their experience what time to get back to full strength. Obviously varies from person to person and severity of the damage but your experiences might be helpful all the same.

As per my recent post about turbo trainers I'm going to by one so I can at least keep the legs moving over the coming weeks. Hopefully I can manage not to fall off!!

Johnny G

I did the same about 9 years ago and started physio after 3 months, after which my arm got back to full strength fairly quickly. I was on the bike about 5 months after breaking my arm, could probably have been earlier but may have been a confidence thing. Squeezing physio putty (or a rubber ball would do) was a big help. I’ll have a look tonight and see if I kept my old exercise programme, if I have it I will e-mail you a scan.

A turbo will be a great help. One silver lining is that at least your period off the bike will be over the winter when you would probably have been doing fewer miles on the road anyway.

gasgas

hi, i broke my ulna and radius and had them plated & pinned about 16 years ago in a cycling accident, it was proper nasty, both bones were sticking out of the skin and all sorts!

i was back cycling competitively within 6 months but it still gives me grief every now and then.

my thumb is still numb also?

I feel your pain!

lef

Yeah that would be really good if possible thanks. I cycled to work everyday so was still doing quite a bit but nothing longer than 30 miles at the weekend...all the same it definitely was the right time of year. I'm hoping by March I'm 100% back to full strength. I get you about the confidence thing, It does worry me that it will be an issue, the quicker I'm on the bike the better. Good call on the squeezing thing too!

lef

Thumb still numb! Well my thumb is numb but less so than yesterday (day of the op) so hopefully that will go. It sounds like yours was worse than mine, no breaking through the skin for me. Great news that you was back at it within 6 months after such trauma.