why does my arm hurt so bad 10 years after surgery to repair my radius and ulna?

Question

orif of left radius and ulna in 1999
it now aches so bad even at rest.

Answer 1

ouch, ouch, ouch.



i also had this done some 16 months ago after a car accident and now have 2 plates and about 11+ screws and experience pain daily, some times worse than others. as i was overseas when i had the accident and surgery when i was cleared to fly home they gave me what is called a split cast in case of swelling and when my wrist is really bad i put this on and it helps. i also often strap it firmly underneath the cast. i have had extensive physio (which helped me regain quite a bit of movement) and numerous exercises to make sure it was healing correctly. in spite of all this i have lost some 50% of the movement and things i can do and it will never get any better from here on in.



don't mean to depress you any further but there is nothing further i can do so am now trying to cope with the pain. my doctor tells me that muscles, sinews, nerves etc all undergo great trauma and sort of have long memories.



you on the other hand have now depressed me as you are some 8+ years further on than me.



i am sorry the best i can say is get it checked out by your doctor and/or orthopaedic surgeon to make sure that there have been no changes and see if you can get some advice on pain management.



in the meantime take pain killers when you really have to but try and cope with it. relaxation and accepting the fact may help.



easier said than done. sadly pain can become really depressing so watch out for it.



sorry this is so long and possibly not much help except to say i can really relate to this. good luck and hang in there and know that you are not alone. at least we have the arm however useless it may be. mind you there have been times when i wished i didn't have it.

Answer 2

It is probably Bursitis but get a doctor to check it out. I have this in my shoulder from breaking my arm when I was 8 I am now 29. Definition Whether you're at work or at play, if you overuse or repetitively stress your body's joints, you may eventually develop a painful inflammation called bursitis. You have more than 150 bursae in your body. These small, fluid-filled sacs lubricate and cushion pressure points between your bones and the tendons and muscles near your joints. They help your joints move with ease. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. When inflammation occurs, movement or pressure is painful. Bursitis often affects the joints in your shoulders, elbows or hips. But you can also have bursitis by your knee, heel and the base of your big toe. Bursitis pain usually goes away within a few weeks or so with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are common.

Answer 3

It's not uncommon for old fractures that have healed to develop some arthritis and it could be soft tissue damage as well. Some of my clients with old injury's will still gets aches and pains around the old injury site. Try a firm pressure massage to the area not deep tissue u want to work the area but not hurt it more. If it is soft tissue damage then the massage will alleviate most or all of the aching. If the massage is not highly effective then i would then suggest arthritis u could try heat to the area and anti-inflammatory t help the ache but it sounds more muscular to me. When fractures and surgery's occur muscles often tear at the site. I hope i was of some help.

Answer 4

You may have a stress fracture.



See your doctor for an x-ray.



Also, if it's close to the anniversary of the break/surgery, you may be experiencing phantom pain expressions. It often happens after events that are physically or emotionally traumatic. Surgery would definitely count as physically traumatic.



Just see your doctor. Good luck!

Answer 5

Maybe it's not aligned properly. There are so many possibilities that asking here is kinda unproductive.

Answer 6

Maybe its because you don't do any work. You don't use your muscles.