I Dislocated My Elbow (Weeks 5-10)
When you hurt yourself for the first time it’s scary. I had a plan when I moved back home. I had a new job, an awesome opportunity to develop a partnership with Herman and the ability to be close to family again.
Everything changed in a split second. I read an article on Noelle Floyd the other day from Geoffrey Hesslink. Everything he shared in that article about his injury was exactly how I felt. Going to physical therapy seeing that you weren’t where you needed to be yet. Worried that people would forget you. Knowing that you’re doing everything you can to get better but your body will heal how it will and there’s nothing you can do about it, no matter how long it takes.
Geoffrey did get some great advice from some incredible riders such as Kent Farrington, who said something very powerful to me:
“You can make this a big deal or you cannot make this a big deal. It is what it is and it happened; you can make it dramatic and you can make it affect you, or you can make it not affect you.”
That quote really resonated with me. Since I can’t rewind time and undo what happened, I can control what happens moving forward. I’m very excited to get back in the saddle and continue what I started.
Today I am sharing part two of this series. I wanted to wait until I had my second check up with my physical therapist before I posted this. This post will go into detail about my six week check up visit with the orthopedic doctor, starting physical therapy and how things get better.
1. 6 Week Check Up
Unlike my first appointment, this time I came prepared. I had time to really think about what I wanted to know when I spoke with my orthopedic doctor.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I did switch doctors for my second follow up. The doctor who had just performed my dad’s shoulder surgery had a great reputation and I wanted to see someone that I could trust.
Below are the questions that I asked at my appointment:
- Am I where I’m supposed to be at this point? Should I be farther along?
- Will I need physical therapy?
- What am I able to do now? (This can be fitness related, everyday life related, and of course riding related)
From the questions above, I found out that I my recovery time was going to take a little longer because of the previous doctor’s recommendations. I basically only needed to wear the splint for 3-4 weeks max and I wore it for 6, making the muscles extra tight.
My doctor also recommended I start physical therapy, not only to stretch the muscles back out but to also start building strength. When you’ve had a body part in a locked position for a while, you tend to lose strength because you aren’t using it.
I asked what am I able to do now because 1) I obviously wanted to ride and 2) I didn’t want to do anything that would make me take steps back in my progress. Everyone will be different in this case, but my doctor was able to reassure me that everything had looked good and that I could go about my normal routine and start using it again to get back in the habit!
2. Physical Therapy
I have never had a bad experience with a physical therapist. I’ve gone one other time in my life and the process was super smooth and easy. This time around I can basically say the same thing except one issue that I had that I wanted to prepare anyone else for.
After my initial appointment I realized that I did not get the exercises that I was supposed to do since I chose to do them at home. Unfortunately when I called back my therapist had already left for a trip and no one else was able to look up what they had prescribed for me to do. This was a bit frustrating because I had to wait until the next week to start rehabbing my elbow.
So, make sure you get your exercises!!!
Also, *double check that you have everything you need to do your exercises*. This can include equipment such as weights, resistance bands, machines, etc. I thought my apartment gym had what I needed but in the end it didn’t and I had to get a gym membership. I wasn’t entirely disappointed about that since I wanted to get back into a good fitness routine but I also didn’t want to make that decision so quickly.
3. How Things Get Better
When the healing process takes a while, sometimes it’s easier to remember the frustrating parts over the progress parts. I really tried to make note of things that happened along the way that showed me that I was getting better such as:
- 12/8/2019 – I was able to shave both armpits for the first time! This is huge since you have to have better flexion in your elbow to reach that (nothing I realized I needed until I didn’t have it). At the very beginning my mom actually had to help me wash my arm and armpit because I couldn’t reach up high enough.
- The moment when I started to see my actual elbow again. For a while your elbow doesn’t have a point. It just looks all round and kind of blends in with your arm ha! I remember getting out of the shower and looking in the mirror like OMG! I HAVE A POINTY ELBOW AGAIN!
It’s also sometimes hard to physically see progress that’s being made depending on where on your body the accident happened. For instance, I would put my elbows side by side and see if they were equal when I straightened my arm and when I curled them back and even though I knew my right arm wasn’t fully straight, I couldn’t tell how much.
I had my last physical therapy appointment on 1/31/2020. I originally went in on the 7th with 30 degrees until fully straightened and 15 degrees until full curl. When I went in on the 31st after two weeks of exercises and really working hard, I had only 10 degrees left until fully straightened and 5 until fully curled. I was ECSTATIC!
Healing really does take time, but if you work hard at it knowing that you will get better, you 100% will. I’m so close to having my arm fully straight and back to what it used to be and I can’t wait to enjoy the month of February with some riding once again.
I hope this post was helpful for anyone else who has gone through a horseback riding injury or just any injury in general. I really learned a lot in this experience and I hope no one has to go through any of the tough learning spots that I did!
Photography: Shannon Castaneda Photography