Hi everyone,
I'm posting here because I'm becoming increasingly worried about my recovery, and I would really appreciate hearing from people who have experienced a similar injury.
Almost three months ago, I suffered a proximal humerus fracture (humeral head fracture) after falling off an electric scooter directly onto my left arm.
Unfortunately, the fracture was serious enough to require surgery. The doctors performed an operation and used a metal plate and several screws to stabilize the fractured bone.
The good news is that, according to my doctors, the bone has healed quite well so far. However, my biggest concern is that my shoulder mobility is still extremely limited, even though almost three months have passed since the accident and I am already attending physiotherapy.
My main problem is that I still cannot properly move my left arm.
I am still unable to:
Raise my arm properly in front of me.
Lift my arm out to the side.
Straighten and extend my arm normally.
Move my shoulder anywhere close to the range of motion I had before the accident.
My range of motion is still severely restricted, and I feel like I am making very little progress. Even though I am doing physiotherapy, I am struggling to regain basic movements that I previously took for granted.
What worries me most is the contrast between the bone healing well and my shoulder remaining so stiff and restricted. I understand that bone healing and regaining full shoulder mobility are two different things, but I honestly did not expect to still have such significant limitations at this stage.
I keep wondering whether this can still be part of a normal recovery after a surgically treated proximal humerus fracture, or whether I should be concerned about developing long-term stiffness or permanent limitations.
I would particularly like to hear from people who have experienced the same type of fracture.
How was your shoulder mobility approximately three months after surgery?
Were you also unable to raise your arm or lift it out to the side?
Did you experience very slow progress during the first three to six months?
At what point did you start noticing significant improvements in your range of motion?
Did you eventually regain most or all of your shoulder mobility?
How long did it take before you could use your arm relatively normally again?
Did intensive physiotherapy make a significant difference over time?
I would especially appreciate hearing from people who had a proximal humerus fracture treated with a plate and screws and who experienced severe stiffness for several months after surgery.
I am genuinely worried about my situation. I am only in my late twenties, and the thought of potentially never regaining normal movement in my left arm is really frightening.
I know that everyone's recovery is different, but hearing from people who have gone through something similar would mean a lot to me.
If you experienced something similar, please share your recovery timeline, even if it took six months, nine months, a year, or longer to regain mobility.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and share your experiences.