Elbow Surgery Physical Therapy: 7 Must-Do Exercises to Regain Strength and Mobility
- Published on May 10, 2025
Recovering from elbow fracture surgery isn’t just about healing the bone—it’s about restoring your strength, mobility, and full arm function. Whether you’ve recently had surgery or are preparing for post-surgery rehab, physical therapy plays a key role in your recovery. You may be asking, “When can I fully straighten my arm after elbow fracture surgery?” or “How do I regain arm movement after surgery?” The answer often lies in a structured set of therapeutic exercises, combined with expert care and guidance.
In this guide, we’ll introduce 7 essential physical therapy exercises that will accelerate your recovery and help you regain control over your arm. And with the convenience of a nhome visit doctor in Dubai through services like Easy Healthcare, you can perform these exercises in the comfort of your home. Ready to restore your arm’s strength and function? Let’s dive into these must-do exercises to ensure a successful recovery journey!
After elbow fracture surgery, pain, stiffness, and muscle weakness are all too common, making it hard to fully straighten or bend your arm. Many patients face challenges in regaining full range of motion, particularly when it comes to straightening or fully bending the arm. Without a structured rehabilitation plan, these limitations can persist and affect long-term functionality.
This is where physical therapy play a vital role in the recovery process. With expert guidance, you can safely stretch, strengthen, and mobilize your elbow, regaining full movement and strength. Services like home visit doctors in Dubai offer personalized care right at your doorstep, ensuring a smooth recovery process. Get back to full function faster with the right support and see the difference expert care can make!
Before starting any exercise, consult your physiotherapist or a home visit doctor to ensure it’s safe for your specific condition.
This exercise helps maintain mobility in the forearm and wrist, particularly after being in a cast for an extended period
- Start by resting your forearm on a flat surface, such as a table, with your hand hanging off the edge.
- Slowly and gently bend your wrist upward (flexion) and downward (extension), aiming for controlled, smooth movements.
- Make sure to keep your arm relaxed while you focus on the movement of the wrist.
- Perform this exercise 10–15 times for each hand, and repeat as needed to enhance flexibility and reduce stiffness.
By regularly practicing wrist flexion and extension, you'll help restore movement and reduce any lingering tightness in the wrist and forearm. This simple yet effective exercise is a great way to improve circulation and encourage healing after elbow fracture surgery.
This exercise is essential for improving your elbow’s range of motion, directly targeting both flexibility and strength in the joint.
- Sit upright with your arm resting by your side, ensuring a relaxed position.
- Slowly and gently bend your elbow, bringing your hand towards your shoulder, then straighten your arm out as far as you comfortably can.
- Hold the bent position for a second, then straighten your arm fully and hold again at the extended position.
- Perform 10–12 repetitions, ensuring each movement is slow, controlled, and focused on regaining both flexibility and strength in your elbow.
If you’re wondering, “How do you straighten your arm after elbow fracture surgery?”—this exercise is key. By consistently performing these elbow bends, you’ll rebuild the mobility you need to achieve a full range of motion. Over time, this exercise will help alleviate stiffness and restore your elbow's functionality, making it easier to return to daily activities.
This exercise is crucial for restoring the rotational movement of your forearm, which is essential for everyday tasks like turning a doorknob or holding a cup.
- Start by positioning your elbow at a 90-degree angle, tucked comfortably by your side.
- Slowly rotate your palm upward (supination), then downward (pronation), focusing on a smooth and controlled motion.
- Keep your movements deliberate, ensuring you fully rotate your hand in both directions to target the full range of forearm motion.
- Perform 10–15 repetitions, paying attention to any tightness or discomfort and adjusting your pace as needed.
Forearm rotations are key to regaining the full functionality of your wrist and hand after elbow fracture surgery. This exercise strengthens the muscles responsible for rotation and helps improve your ability to perform everyday actions. By regularly practicing this motion, you’ll enhance your hand control and prevent stiffness from limiting your daily tasks.
This stretch helps increase the range of motion in your elbow and promotes the full extension of your arm, which is especially important during post-surgery recovery.
- Take a towel and hold it with one hand above your head and the other hand behind your back, ensuring the towel is securely gripped.
- SGently pull the towel with your upper hand, allowing the motion to stretch and extend your elbow. Focus on a slow, controlled movement as you deepen the stretch.
- Hold the stretch for 15–30 seconds, allowing the muscles to relax and lengthen.
- Repeat the stretch 3–5 times, making sure to maintain steady breathing and a relaxed posture.
This overhead arm stretch is perfect for those wondering, “How long after elbow surgery can I fully straighten my arm?” By practicing this stretch consistently, you’ll gradually improve your ability to extend your elbow and achieve full arm straightening. It’s a highly effective way to combat stiffness and increase flexibility, ultimately speeding up your recovery. Incorporating this into your routine will help you get back to using your arm without limitations!
This exercise is designed to help restore full extension (straightening) of your arm, which is crucial for regaining full mobility and functionality after elbow fracture surgery.
- Place your arm flat on a surface, such as a table, with your palm facing upward.
- Use your opposite hand to gently press down on your elbow, encouraging it to straighten fully. Be sure to apply a controlled, steady pressure—never force it.
- Hold the stretch for 10–20 seconds, allowing the muscles around your elbow to release and elongate.
- Repeat this exercise 5–10 times daily to help restore your elbow’s ability to fully extend, promoting both flexibility and strength.
The passive elbow extension exercise is particularly effective if you're struggling with elbow stiffness or limited movement after surgery. By gently stretching and applying pressure, you can gradually increase your elbow's range of motion and get closer to regaining complete straightness. Incorporate this into your daily routine, and you’ll notice significant improvements in both flexibility and function.
Once flexibility improves, this exercise helps build muscle strength in your arm, particularly targeting the biceps, which is essential for overall arm function after elbow fracture surgery.
- Secure a resistance band to a stable object, ensuring it’s firmly in place.
- Grasp the band with both hands, keeping your elbow close to your body.
- Slowly curl your forearm towards your shoulder, focusing on controlled movement and squeezing the biceps at the top of the curl.
- Gradually lower your arm back to the starting position, maintaining slow, deliberate motion to maximize muscle engagement.
- Begin with 2 sets of 10 repetitions, adjusting the resistance as needed to match your strength and comfort level.
Resistance band curls are a great way to build muscle strength in your arm once your flexibility improves. This exercise helps you regain strength in your elbow and forearm, crucial for everyday tasks like lifting and carrying. By incorporating these curls into your rehab routine, you'll help rebuild the muscle tone necessary for a full recovery, making it easier to perform more advanced movements and actions in the future.
This exercise is essential for maintaining hand strength and improving circulation, both of which are vital for regaining full functionality in your arm after elbow fracture surgery.
- Take a soft ball or stress ball and hold it firmly in your hand.
- Squeeze the ball with a controlled motion, holding the squeeze for 5 seconds before slowly releasing.
- Focus on a smooth, consistent grip, and ensure you feel the muscles in your hand and forearm engaging.
- Perform 10–15 squeezes, 2–3 times a day, gradually increasing the intensity as your strength improves.
Ball squeezes are a simple yet effective way to rebuild grip strength, which is crucial for performing tasks like holding objects, opening jars, or even writing. This exercise also promotes better blood flow to the hand and forearm, aiding in the overall recovery process. By incorporating ball squeezes into your routine, you'll improve both your hand strength and dexterity, bringing you closer to full arm function.
If you're experiencing any of these issues after elbow fracture surgery, it's time to get some specialized help to avoid complications and speed up your recovery:
- Struggling to straighten your arm weeks after surgery
- Pain is getting worse instead of better
- Swelling or redness around the surgery site is increasing
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand
- Numbness,Unsure if you're doing your exercises right
In these cases, it’s best to consult an expert. With Easy Healthcare, you can easily arrange a home visit doctor in Dubai to get the care you need right at home. A doctor can check your progress, adjust your treatment plan, and ensure you're on the right track to a strong, pain-free arm. Don’t wait for setbacks—get the help you need to recover faster and safer!
Recovery after elbow fracture surgery doesn’t happen overnight—but with the right exercises, proper nursing care, and timely support from a home visit doctor, you can regain your arm’s strength and flexibility faster than expected. Knowing how long after elbow surgery you can straighten your arm or how to safely stretch it is key, but so is recognizing when expert help is needed.
When it comes to recovery, having expert care at your fingertips can make all the difference. Easy Healthcare, provides you personalized medical attention right from the comfort of your home. Whether it's follow-up therapy, post-op support, or regular check-ups, having reliable doctors nearby helps speed up your recovery and ensures you feel confident and cared for every step of the way.
