Many elbow fractures, especially minor breaks where bones don’t shift out of place, heal with conservative therapies, such as splinting.

Casting or splinting
Wearing a cast, splint, or sling keeps you from moving the fractured bones while they heal. We consider your injury and overall health before determining which type of support is right for you. A hard cast made of fiberglass or plaster works well for many elbow breaks in children. Softer splints may help adults avoid unnecessary elbow stiffness with less severe elbow fractures.

Your doctor may recommend that you wear one of these supports for a few weeks up to two months, depending on the fracture severity.

Medication
Your doctor may recommend that you take over-the-counter medication, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) to relieve minor discomfort after an elbow injury. If these pain relievers aren’t working or you sustain a more severe injury, we may prescribe a stronger pain medication.

Physical therapy                                                                                         
Not moving your elbow for weeks can lead to stiffness that makes your everyday routine more difficult. For this reason, your doctor may recommend that you regularly stretch or exercise the injured area, possibly starting soon after your injury. 

Our physical therapists are trained to know which exercises will help you and how hard to push you without risking further injury. We teach you how to exercise your elbow so you can continue to strengthen the injured muscles at home. Regular physical activity may make it easier to move your elbow after a fracture.

Our orthopaedic surgeons have years of experience performing intricate procedures to realign and stabilize bones in more complex elbow fractures. These procedures are known as fracture fixation, also called open or closed reduction.

Closed reduction
During a closed reduction, doctors gently move any shifted bones back into place without surgery.

Open reduction
In an open reduction procedure, an orthopaedic surgeon makes one or more incisions to access and carefully realign bones. Depending on the injury, we may also remove bone fragments or use metal rods or plates to fully repair or stabilize the affected area. We use the latest implant technologies, which help fractures heal better.

Stanford orthopaedics ranks among the top programs in the country, which shows our level of skill in highly technical surgeries. We can often use minimally invasive techniques that lower your risk of complications and may help you experience less pain after surgery.