Nerve damage after hand surgery

So, I took a nasty fall and ended up with a spiral fracture in my left humerus. Before the surgery, everything felt fine—my hand was totally normal and I could move my fingers without any issues. I hit up the ER at Mayo Clinic, and the docs decided I needed hardware—plates and screws, basically. Well, fast forward past the surgery, and now my upper arm and the tip of my thumb are completely numb. On top of that, I can't even extend my fingers upward anymore, and I can't even lift my hand—it just hangs there like a wet noodle. I can still make a fist and spread my fingers out okay, but they just won't go up.
About four days after the procedure, this sharp, stinging pain started hitting the top of my arm. It’s insanely sensitive to the touch, and honestly, it’s still going strong (I'm 11 days post-op now), though my finger movement hasn't changed.

The surgeon who did the job swears he didn't go anywhere near the nerve—says they take extra precautions with that stuff. Then a second doctor tells me the incision was huge, so maybe they had to stretch the nerve a bit. A third one suggests it might be compressed somewhere. Everyone keeps saying it "usually" fixes itself, but that it takes a long, long time.

Now I'm just stuck wondering who to actually believe. Did someone screw up and now they're trying to cover their tracks? Is this just one of those things that happens in X% of surgeries? And most importantly—is this permanent or what?

If anyone here has dealt with something similar, has some experience, or even just an idea of what's going on, please let me know. I'm starting to get pretty worked up about this.

The symptoms you're describing sound like classic signs of a radial nerve injury or some kind of nerve compression. It’s usually nothing permanent, though—it often pops up when someone deals with a humerus fracture.

Thanks, feeling a bit better now. I guess... is there even a real timeline for getting this fixed, or are nerves just totally unpredictable?

It really just depends on the individual. People are pretty unpredictable.

Jose Wright7 said:So, I took a nasty fall and ended up with a spiral fracture in my left humerus. Before the surgery, everything felt fine—my hand was totally normal and I could move my fingers without any issues. I hit up the ER at Mayo Clinic, and the docs decided I needed hardware—plates and screws, basically. Well, fast forward past the surgery, and now my upper arm and the tip of my thumb are completely numb. On top of that, I can't even extend my fingers upward anymore, and I can't even lift my hand—it just hangs there like a wet noodle. I can still make a fist and spread my fingers out okay, but they just won't go up.
About four days after the procedure, this sharp, stinging pain started hitting the top of my arm. It’s insanely sensitive to the touch, and honestly, it’s still going strong (I'm 11 days post-op now), though my finger movement hasn't changed.

The surgeon who did the job swears he didn't go anywhere near the nerve—says they take extra precautions with that stuff. Then a second doctor tells me the incision was huge, so maybe they had to stretch the nerve a bit. A third one suggests it might be compressed somewhere. Everyone keeps saying it "usually" fixes itself, but that it takes a long, long time.

Now I'm just stuck wondering who to actually believe. Did someone screw up and now they're trying to cover their tracks? Is this just one of those things that happens in X% of surgeries? And most importantly—is this permanent or what?

If anyone here has dealt with something similar, has some experience, or even just an idea of what's going on, please let me know. I'm starting to get pretty worked up about this.

Don't let it get to you too much; if it isn't anything catastrophic, you'll eventually regain that finger movement. Operating on a hand is an incredibly delicate business, especially around the palm where all those tiny little vessels and nerves live, so it takes a lot longer for things to settle down... besides, you didn't mention if you've lost any dexterity? To give you some perspective, I had a fall when I was a kid and went to the doctor, only for them to tell me I had a tumor (which they blamed on the fall). I couldn't have surgery until I was ten, and when I finally did, the surgeon basically ruined my entire hand—specifically the palm. Even after ten different operations, I still have this fatty tissue buildup on my palm that keeps coming back.😲 All my fingers eventually regained function after a long stint of physical therapy, but I have zero sensation in my pinky; the nerves are just gone. Basically, that doctor destroyed all my nerves and tendons... luckily, other surgeons managed to salvage what they could during subsequent procedures. But honestly, despite having specialists, I'm still dealing with the fallout from that one incompetent doctor. That's the short version of it. Having gone through ten surgeries myself, I truly understand what you're going through, especially with a large incision and work being done near the nerves. I don't know what else to tell you, but if you have questions, just ask. I've been through just about everything when it comes to hand issues... I'll probably be a doctor myself by the time I'm done with all this.😁

My arm was seriously swollen—like, from my shoulder all the way down to my hand—but the swelling finally went down. I’m guessing the surgery was a pretty big deal since they had me under the knife for almost three hours.
So, I went in for a follow-up yesterday, and the doctor noticed that when I try to move my thumb in certain directions, I can feel this little twitch/twinge right along the nerve path. He says that's actually a good sign that the nerve is starting to wake up.
Anyway, nothing else to do now but grab some patience, load up on B vitamins, and just wait. Thanks for the reply and for sharing your story.

Hey, I’m going through the exact same thing—fractured humerus. Had my surgery five days ago. Just wondering, has your nerve function actually come back yet?

So, I ended up with a severed nerve in my left index finger... it’s been two months since the surgery to stitch everything back together, but I still can't even make a full fist without this intense pain shooting through it. It makes zero sense to me that it hurts this much when the nerve is actually cut, especially since there's absolutely no sensation on the inner side of my finger at all...
I'm honestly just wondering if I'm stuck with this forever or if my finger just needs way more time to actually heal properly?