 Poster: A snowHead
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On 25 September I was knocked off my bike by a u-turning taxi driver and suffered a transverse mid-shaft fracture of my left humerus. I was fitted with a fracture brace and sling and could do without the sling after 6 weeks and the brace after 7. Still have a lot of strength to recover but have regained almost all of the range of motion in the elbow and shoulder.
Just wondering if anyone else has been through something similar with any advice about returning to skiing? A couple of weeks ago the NHS fracture consultant discharged me but said I should forget about the two weeks I have booked in St Anton from 29 December. However, I could return to cycling immediately 'as long as I don't fall off'. The consultant has a darts player like physique and doesn't look as though he's keen on exercise and doesn't ski.
Maybe I should just bite the bullet and give up on the holiday but doing this is just so bl**dy hard.
Can anyone recommend anyone sports minded I could go to for a second opinion? I live in north Kent but anywhere in the Greater London area would be OK.
Ta
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No second opinion doc offering, but consider how long pro athletes take to return after fractures could guide you to a decision, you might be a quick healer, and you might not stack if you ratchet back a little ? Equally you run the risk, no easy choice. Best of luck.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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No second opinion doc offering, but consider how long pro athletes take to return after fractures could guide you to a decision, you might be a quick healer, and you might not stack if you ratchet back a little ? Equally you run the risk, no easy choice. Best of luck.
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Check the insurance situation out. You will need to phone them and explain the situation in any case. If you have been formally told not to ski then you will find that the insurance company will not cover you. But then again I doubt the doctor would give you written clearance to ski.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I sustained a fractured neck of humerus after falling in a ski lesson on hard packed snow in aus on 31st July 3 days into my holiday
I don't have full range of movement but prior to injury I had booked to go skiing in Italy in February
I am determined to go still having physio have range of movement t o hold stocks
Physio not to worried says if you are going to fall nothing you can do about it
Good luck
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Thanks for the advice folks. Going to see a skiing injury specialist next week for a second opinion. Bit expensive though as it's private.
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I have just had injection in shoulder to diagnose whether need operation on injury caused by ramming elbow upwards after hitting slalom gate. I have broken back, neck, and sternum and maladjusted most things enjoying myself so don’t stop just because of a minor inconvenience just go for it.
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I broke top of humerus right through end of January 2001 when a snowboarder crashed into me. Was told not to ski for a year as it would take that long to heal completely and that I would get 60 - 80 % range of movement back (I was mid 50s then). I was cautiously skiing again 9 weeks later in Scortland and skied the whole 3V after 10 weeks. There was deep powder so I thought it would cushion any falls - but I did go carefully and only sat down once. Went back to consultant for 3 month check. He says arm seems stronger than he expected and better range of movement. I show him the 'exercise' I have been doing. He say 'You've been skiing!! You think you know better than me?' I replied 'Well I got better quicker'. 'Get out, you are discharged. Perhaps I should send all the peopl in the waiting room skiing' was his reply. Not had any problems and have about 98% movement back - can't quite get left arm completely vertical on its own, jus a couple of degrees off but full strength for lifting.
Depends how you ski and how likely you are to fall. Bottom line is that you will not be insured for injuries to that arm unless you have medical consent to ski.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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mogulski, thanks for the advice, you've inspired me to go, just sorted the insurance. Arm seems to be progressing quite well but I'm lacking fitness and will be taking it pretty easy, at least to begin with. When I start skiing it will be just over 3 months since the accident.
Thanks all.
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I've skied with a broken radius still in plaster. Like cynic says, just go for it, but as others have pointed out to me you should probably inform your insurer.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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You won't have a problem if you don't crash. If you crash however you could do severe additional damage to your upper arm. If the bone was clean broken, not healed and then you impact it in the wrong way it could be very nasty. Even if you don't crash I would imagine continued pole action would not be good for an unset/partially set fracture and you could end up creating a series of micro fractures that prolong the healing process. The consultant's physique has nothing to do with your injury or his analysis of it and I doubt your insurer will cover the issue or any subsequent complications as it is a pre-existing injury for which you are ignoring medical advice.
Good luck!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just got back yesterday and skied a mixture of on and off-piste in the first week and in a guided off-piste group for the second. Fell over in the powder couple of times but had no problems whatsoever.
RattytheSnowRat, from the tone of your post I can't help thinking it could have been written by Rayscoops.
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Apologies - first post, so be gentle!
Fractured top of my humerus in February when a numpty snow plough stopped for no reason in front of me. Just signed off this week by my consultant who is a skier, with a warning to wait six months from accident or risk a further fracture.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| David Wright wrote: |
Apologies - first post, so be gentle!
Fractured top of my humerus in February when a numpty snow plough stopped for no reason in front of me. Just signed off this week by my consultant who is a skier, with a warning to wait six months from accident or risk a further fracture. |
Good luck with the recovery, it takes a while for the strength and range of motion to return.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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David Wright, another six months sounds extremely cautious. Mrs NBT broke her arm in late August (the surgical neck of the Humerus) and was signed off from fracture clinic after six weeks. Physio started immediately and the physio staff were a bit miffed that the fracture clicnic staff hadn't sent her down earlier as she'd already begun to suffer from the effects of the arm having been immobile for so long. It's been hard work and she's not fully recovered yet (physio reckons up to two years to regain full range of momvement and strength) but we went skiing twice this season
The physio was reluctant to give her the OK to ski but was overruled by more senior physio staff - the original objection being based on the number of people who come back from ski trips with injuries rather than any specific concerns. It wasn't a concern about rebreaking the arm - if anything, bones are stronger after a break - more of a concern about how her limited mobility may affect her balance and what may happen if she fell or was involved in a collision. We had a fab time on both trips and struck lucky with some of the best conditions we've ever experienced on our first week.
NeddySkiGoon, chase up a referral to physio sooner rather than later
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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nbt, did the consultant give your Mrs any exercises to do, say, in the final couple of weeks before signing off? I was doing gentle arm swinging out of the sling after about 3 - 4 weeks and think this helped a lot. The consultant wasn't going to refer me to the physio and only did so when I queried this during my final appointment. I went to the physio once and was supposed to return but it was awkward getting away from work. I just continued with exercises and recovered without too much bother. Although, mine was a mid-shaft break and maybe easier to recover from. I went skiing after thirteen weeks and only noticed the lack of strength when poling along flat bits. I think the exercise during the ski trip helped the recovery along.
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| Quote: |
The consultant wasn't going to refer me to the physio
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When I saw my GP recently about a different problem (knee) she wanted me to do 6 - 8 weeks physio then go back to her if the problem had not resolved but recommended I go to a private sports physio as it would take too long to get an NHS physio - there are just far too few of them, it seems.
It's so important - the more so for us OAPs - that we should all pay for physio when we need it. If we can afford to ski, we can afford to pay to see a physio to get put on the right track for exercises.
Nobody mentioned physio on the NHS when I broke my pelvis - it just seems to be neglected. I was wonky after immobility and crutches and referred myself to an osteopath locally, who gave me a couple of sessions of cranking around, declared himself happy with the pelvis and general stability but referred me for a one to one Pilates session to get me doing really good core strengthening stuff - it had all gone to pot a bit when I was confined to sitting around. All that advice was really helpful in getting me fully fit again - it's not the bones themselves (as noted above, the two healed fractures in my pelvis are probably stronger than before now) but all the soft tissue surroundings, likely to have been injured in the initial impact and then suffered more problems from immobility.
Physio, then more physio, is the answer!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Yeah, even I could have missed a snow plough,the snow plougher couldn't sue, she skied off without checking I was ok, thanks very much. Still at least I have been on a skiddoo now! I got referred to physio after 3 weeks, and he reckoned over a year for full recovery, seeing him fortnightly, but I've only just started weight bearing exercises. Aiming for Hemel in August/September, ready for family Christmas in Levi.
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| Quote: |
she skied off without checking I was ok, thanks very much
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shouldn't do that - a bit rude. Still, if she was below you on the slope and you were the faster skier, the collision was (according to the rules) your fault.
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pam w, if he clicks the link to the rules he won't have a clue what you are on about!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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There are a few misapprehensions in this thread.
After a bone is fractured it goes through three main stages of healing. In the first stage the blood clot is gradually replaced by fibrous tissue called soft callus. This has pretty low strength, but acts to glue the broken ends together. Woven bone, a weakish type of bone, is then laid down. It's a lot stronger than soft callus, but not nearly as strong as "real" bone. In the final stage, called remodelling, strong bone is laid down. Often this is stronger than the original bone. This last stage is slow.
The length of time this process takes varies a lot from bone to bone, and a bit from person to person. For the humerus to get fully back to its original strength takes typically 6-12 months. Of course, if you have such a fracture and it's well aligned and healing after a few months, you may well be discharged from the fracture clinic- this doesn't mean the bone is back to full strength though, only that no further action is required. Physio can start once the bone is sufficiently strong- usually not in the first few weeks, when you want immobilisation of the break to promote healing.
So when to start skiing again? Personal choice, but if I'd fractured my humerus I'd wait at least 6 months and possibly more. I'm cautious though (and also know about the rare but nasty complications of re-fracture).
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evski, most people seem to be signed off after a matter weeks rather than months. I was signed off following an x-ray in the fifth week when callus formation around the break became visible. The arm was out of the sling at this point but i continued wearing a removable brace for another three weeks.
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FAQ
Not spoken to the consultant about skiing yet, but it should be alright by my first skiing trip at Christmas, fingers crossed. 
Lucky to get away with a broken arm. If it was a snowplougher, lucky he didn't sue you. 
Just have to be disciplined about doing the exercises. Now where's that information sheet. 