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928628 tn?1268417059

Radial head removal!!

hiya all, im in the uk and i have been getting problems with my arm for some time now. i have to get a radial head removal and nothing is going in its place. what are the long term effects of having the radial head removed?? i have tryed researching but its all medical jargon coming up and i dont understand it. thanks in advance.
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Avatar universal
I'm 48. I was injured in the line of duty 5 years ago and my last Comp doctor did a radial head resection on my right arm. It's now 6 months + since my surgery (I've had 5 surgeries on my arm including one on my right wrist). I'm on 4 different pain meds and now it seems as if my new Comp doctor wants to take me off them completely even though I depend on them to function every day for pain. I don't how I will manage if he does this. I've found out hard-core Comp doctors don't care about their patients, they only care about the next Comp case and saving the Comp company money at the patient's expense, I'm dependent on these meds, not addicted there's a difference. Does anyone know if people with this type of injury stay on pain meds 'for life' and if so which meds usually? I don't know what to do as I believe he is ready to put me at MMI if so I'm screwed...
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Avatar universal
Hello Becca Can I ask you how your arm is now after the radial head removal? I had my right arm done 3 weeks ago and it is very painful, yet I had my left done a year ago and it is ok. I notice your post was dated a year ago, so wondered if it still hurts? I had to have mine done as I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Many thanks, L
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Avatar universal
I had my radial head removed and six months later I am having the worst pain in my life. I can only move my arm certain ways and it pops and clicks and now I have found out that my nerves are damaged from the build up of the scar tissue. I did PT but that just made my pain worse. I have to wear an extenser brace at night time to keep from destroying the nerves in my arm. The dr. made it out that it would be an easy pain free thing and now I wish I never had the surgery.
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Avatar universal
In my case i was back fully back to work in about a week post surgery. I am on a computer all day so typing actually is part of my Pt.  
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Avatar universal
I fractured my radial head a couple weeks ago and had to have surgery.  I was in and out of the hospital in about 6hours. The fracture was too bad to screw back together. My ortho surgeon explained the pros and cons of a prosthetic and just removing the radial head. Prosthetic pros: very quick recovery with full range of motion. Cons: within 10 years irreversable joint damage that will cause arthritis and prosthetic will have to be removed and worse case senario full elbow prosthetic. Or just be with out a radial head. Radial head removal without anyother tissue or bone damage (My case) Pros: couple days in cast to alow internal stiches to  mend tissue then start PT right away! No bone pain.( i know bones dont have nerves but im talking about that deep pain feeling).  if there is long term issues i have option of prosthetic later. Cons PT potetially can be a few months and pain will alway be there. Lack of full stablization. Research shows in my case stabilization problems is minimal.
Considering i am 32 and my occupation at this time does not require extesive use  we opted just the removal. I can bear a little muscle pain than arthrits pain.  I have noticed the more PT i do the pain is going away :) just have to regain my muscle strength.

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Avatar universal
Hello,

I am from the UK and I am too getting my radial head removed in a couple of months. What I have learnt from looking online and talking to my surgeon is that you can get your radial head removed without something going it its place, especially because your ligaments are what hold the bone in, not the joint; as well as this you have a lower risk of getting arthritis then if you were to get your bone shaped for it to fit properly.

But what I would like to know is, that I have been told I will only stay over night, but how long will I have to rest before going back to uni/work?
Helpful - 0
928628 tn?1268417059
they shouldnt really leave you without nothing in place. i found out the hard way and now just over a year after getting it removed, hes saying now i need a replacement. so i am now on the surgery waiting list and should go in within the next 8 weeks for a radial head replacement. Its the NHS and it all comes down to money, thats why they remove without replacing and if people get bother with their arm a year down the line then they replace it, if they dont get bother then nothing is done. Its mad because now i need to have more surgery to put a replacement head in my arm when he could of done that over a year ago when he removed it. It makes me so angry
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Avatar universal
Also from the uk, a family member of mine, has had removal of radial head couple of months ago. He had to patiently wait for hospital appointments, and physio, by then some of the damage on his arm had set itself. Shattered in 5 pieces, the surgeon removed his radial head.
I am very concerned as one doc tells him one thing and the  next doc tells him something completely conflicting with the previous docs. He too is very confused as the doc said he will not be replacing the bone at all and are going to leave his arm as it is with no radial head.  His movement is restricted and now has no strength in his arm. Surely this is going to affect long term. He has been looking for advice as the docs are not explaining it when he asks. Can they just leave you with no replacement radial head?  ......
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928628 tn?1268417059
hiya thank you for the reply i have posted on orthos aswell, i am not getting a  prosthesis put into place, the hospital does not do it here so they are just taking it out and putting nothing in place.i injured my radial head when i was about 8  years old and got pins in to hold it together, it has only worked for so long and its not fixable now so they are just taking it out completely. i will be getting long term pt im just not too sure of the long term effects of getting this done. my GP said it is not a good idea to get this done at my age (22) i also have atheritis in the area of my elbow due to the injury. i have one person saying it might work there is a 1 in 10 chance my arm will be pain free but also might not work and it can make things worse but my GP is suggesting i dont get it done at all so im in 2 minds weather to get it done or not. i am getting pt at the moment untill surgery, my GP said that also is a bad idea as because it will make my arm more painfull due to atheritis, but my consultant said it will help, so i dont know, thanks for the replys
sam x
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547368 tn?1440541785
Please also post with Dr Vinod at our Orthopedics Community. That Forum may be more related to your problem and you should be able to obtain a physician's suggestion.

By all means you are always welcome here. Indeed please let us know how you are doing.

Peace,
Tuck
Helpful - 0
547368 tn?1440541785
Hi Sammy,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am glad that you found us and posted. Our forum deals primarily with pain and it's management. You may also want to post this in another forum. I'll see if I can look through them and make some suggestions.

I am not very familiar with your injury/surgery. It seems obvious that you may lose some function in the arm, especially with extension. It may mean that you will also experience some long term pain. Are they using a prosthesis (artificial radial head) to prevent deformity and increase stability?  I would imagine that it will also mean a long course in PT.

There are many medications available today that should address you pain. Don't be afraid to request one. Make sure the Physical Therapist that you see is more than good.

Do you have specific questions? Did you goggle something that you need explained? I will watch for your updates. I'll also try to search our forums listing and see if there isn't one that may be more helpful for you.

Did you injure the radial head? Is the surgery due to that injury or degeneration? I am sorry that you are facing such a serious surgery.  I wish you the very best.

Take Care,
Tuck
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