Broken humerus

So, I wrecked my arm in a car accident a few days ago. Broke my forearm—right in the middle between the elbow and the wrist. Both bones are snapped, so they had to use a metal plate to hold everything together.
I’m wondering, what are the odds of the bone shifting away from that plate? This cast they put on me is honestly terrible; my arm feels like it's sliding around inside it.

While you're busy typing this out, you could have already been at the clinic getting checked out, lying down for an X-ray, or starting whatever next steps the doctor recommends...

Do you honestly think someone on the internet is going to work some kind of magic and fix everything for you?

😎

So, I went and snapped both bones in my forearm. It’s all held together with plates and screws now, but I'm looking for advice on what to take to speed up the healing process. Calcium, right? Maybe something like those prenatal multivitamins? If anyone knows of a specific supplement that actually works, let me know. I don't want to waste money on junk. Basically, what's going to help these bones knit back together faster?

Mixing calcium and magnesium together is 👍
I used to take half a dose of effervescent Ca and half of Mg every morning and night.

Supposedly petting a purring cat helps because of the vibrations. I haven't really bothered to test it myself, so I can't say for sure. 😁

I mean, why not just run it by your primary care physician or maybe the orthopedic surgeon who actually performed the procedure? Why wasn't this brought up during your follow-ups? It’s possible you aren't even noticing a significant shift, or perhaps they simply aren't aware that it makes any difference at all.

Edward Green said:Supposedly, petting a purring cat helps because of the vibrations. I haven't actually tried it myself, so I can't say for sure! 😁

That kind of thing really helps with rheumatism, arthritis, and those types of aches
and dogs too!
In England (I'm positive about this, though it probably happens elsewhere), they actually bring dogs into hospitals for exactly that purpose.

OT—question for the experts here: wouldn't glucosamine sulfate be helpful for this too?
At least, that's what I've heard from others.
Even though it says it's meant for joints and cartilage...

I know a few basketball players who take glucosamine sulfate on the regular just to stay ahead of the game when it comes to
bone and joint health. I mean, I assume it helps speed up recovery too, right?
Look, don't quote me on that though—I'm hardly an expert...

It’s common knowledge these days that doctors strongly advise against smoking, especially if you've had bone surgery. It's been proven that bones just don't heal nearly as well if you're a smoker.

As for everything else, there's plenty of advice out there depending on what you believe in. Personally, I'm a big believer in sticking to whole foods—plenty of fruits and veggies providing all those necessary vitamins—unless, of course, your body isn't processing things quite right.

Lots of people take Calcium; for instance, women might need about 1200mg following a hysterectomy.
Alternatively, you have magnesium, or the much-hyped glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. Though, some doctors argue they aren't quite the miracle cure the commercials claim they are. Then there's Omega-3, and honestly, people spend money on just about everything under the sun.

If you're convinced something works, you'll likely feel better regardless—even if you end up doing nothing at all.

😎

The splint is more about protection than actual immobilization here—once that bone is secured with a plate and screws using the AO method, you’ve got perfect alignment and zero movement between the fragments, which is exactly what you need for primary bone healing to kick in.
The whole point of the splint is just to act as a buffer so you don't accidentally make any sudden movements or end up sleeping with your arm pinned under your body; we want to make sure your muscles don't tug on those bone fragments and pull them away from the plate. It doesn't need to be rock-solid or suctioned tight against your skin. Think of it as a shield rather than a straightjacket, especially since with this kind of surgical fix, we actually want to get that limb moving again as soon as possible.

So, about a month ago, I ended up with a broken humerus. I went to my doctor and asked for some actual advice—you know, what supplements I should take to make sure the bone heals properly? He just shrugs and goes, "Oh, just take some calcium or something." After an answer like that, how was I supposed to trust him? I felt exactly the same way I did before I even walked into the office.
I swung by the pharmacy to see if they had anything to help with healing. Ended up grabbing some Calcium with Magnesium—specifically the TwinLab Calcium Citrate Caps, 75 count bottle.
In two capsules:
Thinking about adding 300 mg of calcium to the daily routine? It’s worth a look. Is that enough to hit your goals, or just a small boost?
Magnesium 150mg.
I’m a little worried about this: "TWINLAB CALCIUM CITRATE CAPS PLUS MAGNESIUM go to work quickly in the stom-"
Then again, calcium and magnesium tablets? They definitely need binders just to stay together.
If you mix them all together, you might run into a problem. These binders can be pretty stubborn when it comes to dissolving, so you have to be careful.
Is it possible for a calcium and magnesium supplement to just slide right through your system without being absorbed? Honestly, it happens more often than you'd think. If you're taking them together, you might actually be working against yourself. Did you know that calcium and magnesium can compete for the same absorption pathways? If you take a massive dose of one, it might effectively block the other. It’s like trying to squeeze two people through a single narrow doorway at the exact same time—one is bound to get stuck. It could also come down to how much you're taking at once or what else is in your stomach. Are you taking it on an empty stomach or with a heavy meal? That makes a huge difference. Have you noticed any digestive issues, or are you just wondering if you're getting your money's worth?
How do you stay on track without getting totally sucked in?
Twinlab Calcium Citrate Caps Plus Magnesium are actually much easier to swallow and absorb. Why struggle with those massive pills when you don't have to?
I'm late.
No tablet binders, coatings, or artificial colors here. Also, it’s gluten-free.
Gluten-free. You know, things like corn, soy, yeast, wheat, barley, and lactose.
Milk and egg products. No added flavorings, sugars, salt, or artificial sweeteners.
Gluten-free.

So, from what I gather, there’s a chance the tablet doesn't even dissolve properly in your system. Plus, those two pills only give you 300mg of calcium, whereas the effervescent ones seem to have about 400mg per dose. Isn't that a significant difference?

I’m honestly stumped on what to take now. I remember a few years back, right around the time I broke my hand, I was on some vitamins that made my nails grow like crazy. I’m guessing they helped with bone healing and growth too, but I can't for the life of me remember which ones they were. Any ideas?

So, how many milligrams should I actually be taking daily? Between calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D, and everything else, what's the move? Does anyone have a recommendation?

You’ve actually only got one bone in your upper arm, so you’re probably talking about your forearm.
I mean, there's really no point in buying all those extra supplements just to make sure things "heal properly"... honestly, don't let Big Pharma get a kick out of people falling for that stuff.
If you just stick to solid immobilization, eat a bit more protein, and take some Advil if the pain gets annoying, everything should knit back together just fine.
Otherwise, you're basically just throwing money down the drain.

Forearm, yeah... my bad.

Look, you could chug an entire bottle of calcium, magnesium, and whatever else is on the label... but at the end of the day, your body only has a certain capacity for how much it can actually absorb and transport those electrolytes and minerals from your gut 😬
And honestly? A huge chunk of that just ends up being wasted when you hit the restroom 😬

Generally speaking, if you're young and don't have some underlying chronic health issue dragging you down, bone healing should be pretty much textbook perfect—provided the bones are set right and kept still—without needing any fancy dietary supplements

That said, for older folks or people dealing with osteoporosis, taking a calcium and Vitamin D supplement is usually the standard recommendation

Arslan and Rijecanka, this is seriously your final warning before I pull the yellow card!!!!

Arslan, honestly... making a post like that on a topic like this is basically ban-worthy on its own—but I'm feeling generous today, so consider this my most serious warning yet.

Rijecanka2, look, I get it—I really do. I respect that you feel the need to jump in and respond to every single little thing he says just to call him out, but if you're gonna play that game, you’ve gotta be ready to accept a multi-day ban from me too, alright?