Broken Elbow Treatment

Self-Care at Home

Seek medical attention if you think you have broken your elbow. There is no home care. While seeking medical attention, however, here are some first aid tips that are important to remember:

• Call for emergency help or get someone to call for emergency help immediately.
  
  
• If emergency help is not available immediately, or if you are transporting a person with a suspected broken elbow, immobilize the fracture as much as possible. Even a cardboard box, cut to the right size and shape, can be used as a splint.
  
  
• If you have an open wound, cover it with a clean bandage. If you are bleeding, apply firm pressure and raise your arm.
  
  
• Apply an ice pack or cool compress to the swollen area.
  
  
• Do not attempt to straighten a broken bone. Allow a doctor or trained person to do that.
  
  
• Do not attempt to push a broken bone back into place if it is sticking out of the skin. Adjusting an arm that appears deformed may worsen the damage to bones or other structures within the elbow.

Medical Treatment

Treatment of a broken elbow depends on the type of injury that you have suffered. Your treatment may be as simple as elevating your splinted arm, applying ice to any swollen areas, and taking pain relievers. Treatment can also include operations to repair bones, nerves, and blood vessels. Children and adults usually have different types of elbow injuries. They also heal in very different ways. For these reasons, different treatments are often used for adults and children with broken elbows.