Your doctor may recommend that you don't lift anything heavier than a cup of coffee for the first four to six weeks. Background- This study is to report our experience in the management of terrible triad injury of the elbow and to validate the therapeutic choices of our treatment. Another doctor told me that they needed to be prepared for all eventualities, so this would give them a clearer picture of what they were dealing with. Recovery from surgery for an unhappy triad can be a long and intensive process due to the severity of the injury and the surgery. Dr. Robinson explained to me that I’d be feeling some nerve damage because he had to move them out of the way to operate on me, but I should get feeling back soon. Promise?’ He said, in a mock stern voice. I stayed pretty still after that. ‘OUCH!’. - Single-staged Treatment Using a Standardized Protocol Results in Functional Motion in the Majority of Patients With a Terrible Triad Elbow Injury Small fractures involving 10% Then there is severe, which without treatment, a piece of meniscus may come loose and drift into the joint space. Meanwhile, I tried to stand. ‘I really think you should book a holiday, or have some time to rest.’. Dr. Ebraheim’s educational animated video describes fracture dislocation of the elbow also know as the "terrible triad". I’ve also since built my business, a digital marketing agency called Regent Branding and we’re now a team of 32 people worldwide, which I’m super proud of. This leads to new injuries. I couldn’t move it at all. So now although I’m generally a bit quieter, I know the people I would give the time of day to. It was a pretty standard procedure, as the operation had the tiniest chance of killing me, which I guess most operations do when you’re unconscious. They have put me in a custom full arm brace with a hinge to help me recover range of motion. These results worked really well for me and I want to share them, but everyone’s case is unique. God, because He decided to give me a second chance. I glanced at the contract and signed at the bottom, barely legible as I’m naturally left handed. In order for it to ... Generally these should commence around day 7-10 for a terrible triad or elbow dislocation unless otherwise specified in the operating report. Here’s my physio routine, which I did twice an hour, unless I felt too tired: helped when massaging it right after physio: I also sat in my car when I could and just put the handbrake up and down, which startled the neighbours, but did wonders for the stiffness in my bicep. I was a bit pissed off, but could see the funny side. He said that they’d put me to sleep for 30 minutes whilst they snapped my elbow back into its socket, but that the pain was going to be severe. Sleep well, but make sure you don’t roll over in the night onto your arm. I went home and informed work that I’d fallen off a small cliff. I’d just like to say for the record, this guy is an absolute legend and an asset to the medical profession. - Single-staged Treatment Using a Standardized Protocol Results in Functional Motion in the Majority of Patients With a Terrible Triad Elbow Injury - References: She was an amazing physiotherapist, as she had this blend of being between empathetic and reassuring, but could also be very frank and no-nonsense. I nodded and felt a bit nervous. The two nurses who plastered my cast both times, and the nurse who chased me down at full speed before I left the hospital because I had forgotten to get the cast properly secured. Sling use will vary depending upon the situation, but your doctor may request that you wear the sling every night for at least the first month. The doctor shook his head. They wanted to let the broken bones heal, but they also didn’t want something called ‘muscular atrophy’ to set in, which means your muscles start deteriorating because you haven’t used them in so long. Those 2 weeks were the slowest 2 weeks of my life. He stood in front of me and waved cars to go around. Just personal preference. A distinguished looking doctor came over and looked at me disapprovingly. Considering I was hyper-flexible anyway, this means pretty much a straight arm entirely. The doctor assured me that once I started the physio, it would ‘remind’ my wrist how it’s meant to move, and the movement would slowly return. On the 5th day after having my cast removed, I felt like my arm was being pressed by an invisible hot poker. Epidemiology. So that’s about 4/5ft. So I made this blog because when I broke my elbow in a very nasty accident, all the stuff online about terrible triad injuries was either focused for medical professionals, or very pessimistic and ‘doom and gloom’. Background- This study is to report our experience in the management of terrible triad injury of the elbow and to validate the therapeutic choices of our treatment. Concurrent ipsilateral injuries to the wrist, interosseous membrane of the forearm, and shoulder have been described. The journey back wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined. Any other angle and you’d be paralysed or dead, so please don’t do anything stupid from now on.’. In terms of strength, it is 100% back to where it was. She sounded concerned, but I told her it was just a scrape, and that I would be home soon. Click here to Login. Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo. Sixteen studies, involving 312 patients, were included in the systematic review. He had opened my elbow up, and thankfully reconstructed the radial head with a few pins, so it would heal properly. He nodded. After a while, I left the flat and found a pharmacy using google maps, where I got some cream for my lip. I used this hot pack, and warmed it up every night to keep the blood circulating through my arm, as the nights were really cold. After a while I grabbed something to eat, trying prematurely to lift my arm to the counter, which proved impossible. Operative treatment is often complex and should follow a thorough preoperative clinical and … I looked up at Angelo and asked ‘it’s not too bad, right?’ and he just smiled kindly with a worried look on his face. I was given some pretty strong painkillers, which helped quite a lot with the general day-to-day pain. He looked at me, and looked to the heavens, his eyes wide with disbelief. I remember mum and dad floating into view at some point, both of them discussing something that sounded like listening to someone talk underwater. Damn. To evaluate the results from surgical treatment of the terrible triad of the elbow, with a minimum of six months of follow-up, taking elbow function into consideration. Some time has past, so some of these numbers might be off a little bit. He’d also pieced together my ulna to ensure it healed properly. Mum came over to see me off, and she started crying, which made me a bit nervous. Angelo looked at my elbow and his eyes widened in shock, and I’m pretty sure he said the word ‘shit’ in Italian. 1–6 Difficulty in treating patients with this injury is compounded by the lack of information available regarding techniques, results, and complications. It was sore as hell and kind of tender, but I could rotate my arm a few more degrees than I could before. What you’ve sustained is called the terrible triad injury, because you’ve broken your ulnar, radial head and also dislocated your entire elbow.’ A picture of this is below, and while I kinda just shrug my shoulders at it, anyone in the medical field just looks a bit uncomfortable and says ‘ouch’ when they see it, so I guess the gap in the bone is where I broke it. and an asset to the medical profession. My businesses are more successful than ever, by the Grace of God, and my company now employs 25 people worldwide. Eleven patients were available for followup of at least 12 months after the injury (mean, 36 months; range, 12-90 months). I was wheeled into a room and spent the next few hours drifting in and out of consciousness. Related Content AUTOPLAY ON. Active pronation and supination movements were allowed with the elbow placed in 90° of flexion. 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