First of all, it is not recommended that you intentionally break your elbow. It would be excruciatingly painful, could take months to heal and could leave you with problems for the rest of your life. The elbow is a very complex joint. Sometimes it is not very "forgiving" after it is injured. That is, the joint may develop certain problems. The way your elbow heals after it is broken depends on your age and medical condition at the time of your injury as well as the type of injury you have.
Children tend to heal better than adults but there are some common problems with broken elbows.
One issue can be infection; open injuries - when one of the elbow bones comes through the skin - have a higher infection risk. Bacteria can then enter the bone or joint and cause an infection. Doctors try to prevent infection by using sterile techniques in the operating room.
There may be stiffness even after the break has healed. The injured elbow may not flex, extend, or turn as much as it once did. This usually is a problem for adults rather than for children. Nonunion is a problem that occurs when a broken bone does not grow back together. This can happen with certain types of elbow fractures. Nonunion of a broken elbow can be treated by replacing the elbow with an artificial joint or by bone grafting. Bone grafting involves placing additional bone around the area of the nonunion.
Malunion occurs when healing bones grow back together in an abnormal way. The bone may be bent or twisted. An operation may be required to fix this problem. Abnormal bone growth: A broken bone repairs itself by forming new bone. As a broken elbow heals, this new bone may form in areas where bone does not usually grow. Other problems can include arthritis, nerve damage, and blood vessel damage.
If you are considering breaking your elbow in order to avoid something, perhaps consider faking a sprained wrist. Your arm would have to be in a sling for a few weeks and possibly bandaged and if you don’t go to hospital you could easily fake it and bandage it yourself.
Children tend to heal better than adults but there are some common problems with broken elbows.
One issue can be infection; open injuries - when one of the elbow bones comes through the skin - have a higher infection risk. Bacteria can then enter the bone or joint and cause an infection. Doctors try to prevent infection by using sterile techniques in the operating room.
There may be stiffness even after the break has healed. The injured elbow may not flex, extend, or turn as much as it once did. This usually is a problem for adults rather than for children. Nonunion is a problem that occurs when a broken bone does not grow back together. This can happen with certain types of elbow fractures. Nonunion of a broken elbow can be treated by replacing the elbow with an artificial joint or by bone grafting. Bone grafting involves placing additional bone around the area of the nonunion.
Malunion occurs when healing bones grow back together in an abnormal way. The bone may be bent or twisted. An operation may be required to fix this problem. Abnormal bone growth: A broken bone repairs itself by forming new bone. As a broken elbow heals, this new bone may form in areas where bone does not usually grow. Other problems can include arthritis, nerve damage, and blood vessel damage.
If you are considering breaking your elbow in order to avoid something, perhaps consider faking a sprained wrist. Your arm would have to be in a sling for a few weeks and possibly bandaged and if you don’t go to hospital you could easily fake it and bandage it yourself.