Anyone ever had a shattered elbow?

Surely your doctor would know better than we could. Recovery time almost certainly varies from case to case.

My mother got one saving me from running through a glass door when I was two. Her elbow was never quite normal again – it never bent as far as the other one or as it did before. I understand that the younger you are the more likely your elbow will heal quickly and without problems, but the elbow is a very complicated structure.

However, after about a year her elbow was as good as it was ever going to be. The same was true of foot bones I had to have surgically repaired – I could walk on them carefully after about six weeks, and run after 6 months, but thy didn’t feel fixed until about a year.

Just wanted to say welcome to Fluther, and ouch!

Hu shadoobi shattered.

My smashed elbow took about 4–5 years to heal.

In September, 1988 I fractured the head of the radius in two places, the physician said it looked like splintered wood but he set it and put a cast on it and did not have to do any surgery.

Cast came off three or four weeks later and I started physical therapy. I got about 80% usage very quickly and had to work fairly hard and consistently go to therapy in order to get the range of movement up to close to normal.

Now I almost straighten the arm, but not 100%. I am 59 and it is not going to get any better.

Screwed up my golf swing for a while but I adapted and managed to get my scores back below 110 within a month or two the following spring.

Not from anyone I know of. But ouch, that really sounds painful.
Not really my elbow, but my knee. I tore my left ACL a few years back, and it’s been one of my biggest regrets in life haha. I still do crazy stupid active stuff with it though. You just have to learn to adapt with it and respect it.
They say it’s easier to heal and replace bone than ligaments though.

@derekpaperscissors – Welcome to the club. I, too, tore my ACLs. Whatever you do, keep your quads strong. They can partially take over the role of the torn ligaments.

@Darwin Thanks for the tip. Some people question me why i still do sports and strenuous activities when they find out I tore mine up. Now I can say I’m working out the quads hehe.

Sure beats the dreaded wall squats!