My wife just received a total elbow replacement after a fall. Has anyone else had this procedure and how did the rehab go?
Injury - Total Elbow Replacement - Anyone Else?
- Thread starter Godzillaaa
- Start date
Sorry to hear that. I sell those things. Rough surgery. Where you have it done? Rehab is tough, infections pretty common too. Keep everything clean.
My wife had a full elbow replacement after a fall. I'll be happy to share the rehab details with you, but it's probably easier over the phone. Shaolin can put us in touch. We traveled to the best elbow surgeon in America, and had a perfect surgical experience and perfect full recovery.
I would love to hear more from you about it. There is almost nothing on the internet. Dr. Thompson of FSU fame did the surgery.
Experience in performing elbow replacement surgery is absolutely critical, but hard to find because it's such a rarely performed procedure.
The most experienced elbow replacement surgeon we could find in Atlanta had performed less than ten such surgeries, but he told us the best were clearly (i) the Cleveland Clinic, (ii) Mayo in Rochester, (iii) Duke, (iv) Hospital for Special Surgeries in NY, and (v) M. D. Anderson in Houston. We chose Dr. Ruch at Duke, whose surgery and rehab were beyond perfect.
We even stayed in the "Coach K Suite", the best suite in the hospital.
The most experienced elbow replacement surgeon we could find in Atlanta had performed less than ten such surgeries, but he told us the best were clearly (i) the Cleveland Clinic, (ii) Mayo in Rochester, (iii) Duke, (iv) Hospital for Special Surgeries in NY, and (v) M. D. Anderson in Houston. We chose Dr. Ruch at Duke, whose surgery and rehab were beyond perfect.
We even stayed in the "Coach K Suite", the best suite in the hospital.
That sounds great. My wife's was done at TMH by Dr. Thompson of the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic who travels with the FSU football team and operates on their players as well as the basketball team. He has a great reputation.
Did she have any numbness in her hand before or after the surgery
How many lbs can your wife lift and how long did the rehab take?
Does she still have any pain or trouble with it?
Thanks for the info.
Did she have any numbness in her hand before or after the surgery
How many lbs can your wife lift and how long did the rehab take?
Does she still have any pain or trouble with it?
Thanks for the info.
Slight preoperative tingling, none postoperative. She can lift a considerable amount, but elects not to rather than risk her good results. Full rehab took a couple of months. She has experienced zero pain and zero trouble; we both attribute this largely to the expertise of the surgeon.
I fell in 1998 and shattered my elbow. Had a prosthesis implanted. Rehab about 2 months with only a slight loss of range of motion. Then I fell again in 2011 and broke everything that supported the prosthesis and had two more surgeries and rehab again. I can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk without pain. Muscle strength is very weak, but for a 73 year old woman with osteoporosis, I'm doing pretty well. The major thing I am left with is lymphedema in my left arm and wear a compression sleeve 24/7. All my surgeries were done by a local surgeon in rural Fla.
