response 1 of 35:

Jul 29 19:43 UTC 1999

I fell off my bike yesterday.  It went left, I went right.  The scratches and
bruises are not too bad, but the elbow area is swollen and it hurts more if
I try to flex the elbow (extend or contract or twist it).  A neighbor who did
something similar suggested it may be a hairline crack, Jim says it is a
sprain (tendon injury).  I was supposed to ice it yesterday.  Too late.  How
should I treat this injury, for the first few days, and then while it is
healing.  I know I should exercise it to prevent the arm from freezing in
place, so a sling is not such a good idea.  
        The pain is bearable, I do not take aspirins if not necessary.  The
lack of an arm is more of a nuisance. I can sort of type, but not write with
my right hand, which is a problem when I am asked to take phone messages or
write things for Jim (who can write but not spell).  Or slice vegetables, or
wash dishes, or hang laundry.  How long am I likely to be incapacitated?
I ripped a tendon over the course of a few months once before and it hurt a
lot more and the arm (same arm, shoulder) was not too usable for four months)
and then froze in place.  ONe of the biggest nuisances it that I cannot bike
(assuming Jim can unbend the bike basket off the frame).
        I would appreciate stories from other people who had this problem, and
advice on how to treat it.

response 3 of 35:

Jul 29 22:10 UTC 1999

My insurance company supplies an 800 number for talking to nurses.  She asked
a bunch of questions, including was there any point tenderness (no) and was
it better or worse than yesterday, numbness, tingling, cold, etc.  Could i
move everything (yes).  Said I did not need to see a doctor unless it did not
get any better (or got worse) for three days or there was point tenderness.
She was not allowed to diagnose the cause of the swelling (sprain) just
suggest treatment of the symptoms.
        Ice for 2-3 days, ibuprofen (aspirin is second-best) until the swelling
went down (about 2-4 days), elevate the hand to keep blood from pooling in
it (I just wiggle my fingers once in a while instead).
        I put a bag of frozen mustard greens on the elbow area (it bent nicely
once it partly melted) for the prescribed 15-20 minutes (4 times/day) but
could not get the child-proof aspirin bottle open one-handed.
        How long before I can bike again?  How long before I can bend the elbow
and unbend it fully?  It is a nuisance trying to tie my shoes and eat
left-handed and I cannot get a t-shirt on so slept in my button shirt.
        Injuries were all listed under sports and fitness. Apparently Americans
no longer get injured doing anything productive.

response 5 of 35:

Aug 1 00:04 UTC 1999

I am too afraid to have another accident.  Someone said a sprain is
significantly better after 2 weeks.  It hurts less now but is still swollen.
I did two days of ice and 3 aspirins.  This is much less serious than the time
I pulled a tendon in my shoulder and could not use the arm for four months
and had only one position to sleep in.  The arm felt much better after
spending yesterday in bed than it does after spending today at Kiwanis.  My
left arm is rather tired from lifting twice as much as usual.  Luckily I had
practice eating left-handed for four months, and washing most of my back. 
And Jim hung up the laundry (after fixing the leak in the machine).
I am trying to look at the good side of this - I did not have to help him
clean up the yard yesterday in 95 degrees.  And there are some advantages to
walking home - I spotted lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and corn in people's front
yards, and a red cardinal steadily chirping in a tree.  And a sign that said
please smell the roses, which is difficult to do from a bike, so I stopped
and sniffed them all.
        What experience have other grexers had with sprained elbows?  I can
type if I rest the arm on a pad, for a while anyway.

response 7 of 35:

Aug 2 19:07 UTC 1999

The neighbor who fractured his wrist pointed out that the swollen area is an
interesting shade of dark purple.  It looks as well as feels like a bruise.
He suggested a dishpan.  Sure enough, I could fit my whole lower arm in
diagonally, and a 20 minute hot soak made the wrist more flexible (after 3
hours of typing made it worse).
Has anyone else every sprained an elbow (or anything) and how long before I
can use it again normally?  I was hoping to bike 40 miles and pick
blueberries, which I cannot do without a right arm.
I have learned to slice zucchini (which is soft) left-handed, so we have been
eating zucchini twice a day for a couple days.  Also canteloupe.

response 9 of 35:

Aug 5 23:12 UTC 1999

I always use a helmet.  Did not land on any joints, just my right palm.
The arm is steadily improving, the swelling is down but still tender.  No
visible swelling or discoloration.  I have complete mobility again. 
What is the icing supposed to accomplish?  The hot water helped with mobility,
I was concerned about the arm 'freezing' in position like it did last time
I injured it and wore a sling for two months.   So am stretching it 'gently'.
The soaking is impractical as I am rarely home anyway.

I am attempting not to lift heavy objects when it hurts.

I tried a wet hot towel but it cooled too quickly.  A rectangular dish basin
in the kitchen sink (which does not hold water itself) works.

How long should I wait before biking again?  Walking is taking up an extra
hour a day.  Should I avoid writing if it hurts?

GIven the rapid improvement, is it really necessary to ice rather than heat?

response 11 of 35:

Aug 6 14:34 UTC 1999

Thanks Rane, that must be why the nurse asked questions about popping sounds
and whether the swelling took a while to develop.  
What I have seems, like ricky suggested, to be a small fracture.  In better
light the outer elbow is still dark purple all over with smaller blotches on
the inner elbow (which I can finally rotate enought to see it).  Hematoma.
Anyone know what the ice is supposed to accomplish?  If the swelling is the
hematoma, which is helping the bone to heal, why reduce the swelling?

How long do bones take to heal all the way?  I guess I will not be going
swimming this year, or helping with the larger pieces of drywall, or brushing
my teeth properly (flossing the upper teeth is possible now at least).

My previous injury took four months but it was a ripped tendon, which did not
get blotchy or swollen but hurt a great deal more.

I will ask the neighbor who had the fracture for more info.

response 13 of 35:

Aug 7 22:20 UTC 1999

There no longer seems to be any swelling, just yellow where it was purple,
so not much point in reducing circulation.  People who have had broken bones
tell me that it takes a 'long time' to heal, meaning a month or two.  That
is a great improvement over four months (of shooting pains) from a tendon.
I can now also floss my bottom teeth and cut cucumbers and tomatoes.
Thanks for the explanation.

response 15 of 35:

Aug 20 23:27 UTC 1999

There is still one tender spot  but otherwise it only hurts if I attempt to
bend the elbow all the way.  Presumably the callus interferes.  I can brush
and floss my teeth again but peeling cukes hurts.

response 17 of 35:

Aug 26 04:08 UTC 1999

It also hurts when I move large computers, but I stop doing whatever hurts
and the other volunteers have mostly been trained not to hand them to me.
I guess I will not plant fall greens this year either.

response 19 of 35:

Aug 26 21:57 UTC 1999

Before planting I would have to dig and rake.  I can always buy mustard greens
and Chinese cabbages instead.  I can now lift medium sized computers and most
phonographs without pain, but undoing screws still hurts and the break is
tender.  Interesting experience.  Makes me think more about other people's
problems, those with worse problems than mine.

response 21 of 35:

Sep 1 00:59 UTC 1999

There are other people who can use the screwdriver instead of me, or I can
manage slowly left handed, but thanks for the idea.  Too much bother to have
to drag whatever I am unscrewing somewhere near an outlet and plug it in in
such a way that nobody trips over the cord.
        I weeded what was left of the garden and the arm has been sore for a
couple of days since, not such a good idea for the arm but it was for the
beans.    Why would the inner surface of the elbow still be sore?  The part
of the bone that hurts is on the outer surface just below the elbow joint.
It is a month now, when should I risk biking again?

response 23 of 35:

Sep 3 14:21 UTC 1999

I will then plan on switching from walking to biking mid or late September
and give up on the garden this year.  Chopping green beans to freeze also
hurts but we have two refrigerators full of vegetables to be frozen ASAP so
it has to be done.  Zucchinis and tomatoes will be easier.  We already did
half the bushel of lima beans (unshelled).  Glad I did not wait a month to
fracture the elbow, at least I can use it for most things now.  And I will
pick pears left-handed instead.
        How does overuse delay healing?