Dr. Manav Gupta
Orthopedician and Traumatology
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
Answered by
Medically reviewed by
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I had a sports-related injury which resulted in a midshaft humerus bone fracture, the bone was basically broken in three different places. I got surgery due to the severity and had a metal implant placed in my arm holding the bones together. It has already been a whole year since the surgery, and my question is if would be safe for my bone to start doing some sort of a workout (such as body weight or with weights, push-ups/bench press for example), of course considering that my left arm has atrophied and starting off very light and applying a progressive overload? I have two x-rays on me, two photos from when I had surgery, and two from 5 months ago, if that would give you an idea. I imagine that it would be safe, but wanted to get someone's opinion first, thanks. I uploaded the images. Kindly advise.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
Your fracture seems to have united on the x-rays (true AP and lateral views are not there) (attachment removed to protect patient identity). The best modality for fracture union is CT (computerized tomography) scan. You can start with the exercises and gradually you can increase the difficulty level and with time you can reach the preinjury level. There area few questions, that I would like you to answer in addition to the above info. Is there any local tenderness or pain over the fractured or union site? How much wasting is present as compared to the other arm? You can measure the girth using a measuring tape 10 cm above lateral epicondyle in both the arms and similarly 10 cm below the epicondyle in the forearm. Is there any numbness or tingling sensation in your hands? Regarding rehabilitation, based on your answers the exercises can be started, and gradually over three to four months you should be able to perform push-ups and bench press.
Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
There is no pain at the fractured area at all, and there is no numbness or tingling sensation in either my hand or arm. I have also regained full range of motion of my arm as well. The differnce in circumference between the arms is about 1 cm. I know this is because of atrophy and because I have been safe in using my left arm during the healing process. And I will pretty much start with light exercises to fix this. So can I take it that the bone looks healed?
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
Great, difference of 1 cm is more than acceptable and you can start doing physio/exercises. As I mentioned earlier the view you have posted for X-ray is not true AP (anteroposterior) or lateral view. It is more of an oblique view, so it is very difficult to comment with surety on that but it appears to be united. You can get the X-ay arm with elbow true anteroposterior and lateral view just in case you feel otherwise and upload them.
Was this conversation helpful?
Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
Orthopedician and Traumatology
Orthopedician and Traumatology
*guaranteed answer within 4 hours
Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. iCliniq privacy policy
