Written by the Phoenix Rehab physiotherapy team.Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist and Director, AHPC A1300363H, and Nigel Chua, Founder and Clinical Director, Registered Occupational Therapist, AHPC A1300362Z (elbow section).Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
A humerus fracture is a break in the upper arm bone, and where it broke decides how it is treated and how the recovery goes. Near the shoulder, it is usually an older adult after a fall. Near the elbow, most often a child. The bone usually heals in 6 to 12 weeks. The stiffness that follows is the part few people are warned about. If the hand goes cold, pale or blue, or new numbness appears, go to the emergency department now.
Where did your humerus break?
Doctors sort humerus fractures into three areas: the top near the shoulder (proximal), the middle (the shaft), and the bottom near the elbow (distal, including supracondylar fractures in children). Your discharge letter will say which you have.
| Location | Typical treatment | Typical protection | What rehab focuses on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top, near the shoulder | Sling for most; surgery when the pieces have moved a lot | Sling usually 2 to 6 weeks | Shoulder range, then rotator cuff strength |
| Middle (shaft) | Splint, then a functional brace; surgery for some | Brace usually 8 to 12 weeks | Elbow and shoulder moving while braced, then strength |
| Bottom, near the elbow | Children: cast, or pins if shifted. Adults: usually plates | Cast or splint usually 3 to 6 weeks | Elbow bend and straighten, forearm turning, grip |
The top of the humerus, near the shoulder
A proximal humerus fracture is a break just below the shoulder joint. Most happen in people over 60 after a fall, and most are treated in a sling without surgery. The surgical neck is the narrow part just below the ball. The greater tuberosity is the bump where the rotator cuff attaches, so even a small shift there matters. Bruising down to the elbow in the first two weeks is common. The full program is on our proximal humerus fracture page.
The humerus shaft, in the middle of the upper arm
A shaft fracture is usually treated in a functional brace: a plastic shell tightened as the swelling goes down, with gravity helping the bone line up. Surgery is used when the bone will not stay lined up, the skin is broken, or it is not healing.
The radial nerve runs along the back of the shaft and is injured in roughly one in ten shaft fractures. If you cannot lift your wrist or straighten your fingers, or the back of the hand by the thumb is numb, the doctor needs to know the same day, even if the fracture team has already seen you.
The bottom of the humerus, near the elbow
A supracondylar fracture is a break just above the elbow, the most common elbow fracture in children, typically after a fall from a playground frame. In adults, distal humerus fractures usually need plates, and elbow stiffness is the main battle afterwards. See our fractured elbow guide.
Broken arm cast, brace or sling?
Most upper arm fractures are not put in a full cast. Casts are mainly for elbow fractures in children. Shaft fractures go into a brace, shoulder-end fractures into a sling.
How long does a broken arm take to heal?
The bone usually heals in 6 to 12 weeks. Children heal faster; older adults and smokers slower. But a healed bone and a working arm are two different finish lines. Stiffness starts while the arm is protected, and reach and strength typically take months more.
When can I drive, work and lift?
| Activity | Typical point |
|---|---|
| Desk work | Often 1 to 3 weeks, one-handed at first |
| Driving | Usually once out of the sling or brace with full control of the wheel; check with your surgeon |
| Light lifting (a kettle) | Usually from 6 to 8 weeks |
| Heavy or overhead lifting, contact sport | Usually 3 months or later |
Typical points, not targets. Your surgeon’s protocol takes precedence.
Humerus fracture rehab, stage by stage
- Stage 1, Calm & Protect: sling or brace as prescribed, fingers and wrist moving daily, elbow and shoulder only as your surgeon allows.
- Stage 2, Move & Mobilize: shoulder and elbow range, assisted then on your own, once early healing is confirmed.
- Stage 3, Rebuild & Strengthen: rotator cuff, shoulder blade, arm and grip, with load added as the bone allows.
- Stage 4, Return & Perform: the top shelf, carrying, lifting from the floor, your work or sport, tested side to side.
When to see a doctor first
Go to the emergency department now if the arm or hand is cold, pale or blue, if new numbness appears, or if swelling inside a cast is getting rapidly worse with severe pain. Call 995 if bone has come through the skin. See a doctor the same day, or the emergency department if you cannot reach your fracture clinic, for wrist drop after a shaft fracture, and for a child who will not use the arm after a fall. See a doctor soon if pain is getting worse after the first two weeks.
Where are you with this right now?
1. It is settling on its own
If you are out of the sling or brace and each week you reach a little higher, you are on the right road. Keep using the arm and add load slowly. You do not need us for this, and we would rather say so.
2. It has stopped improving
Four months after the fall, the cups have moved down a shelf because that arm will not reach. You comb your hair with the other hand. The X-ray may show a healed bone. The shoulder and elbow are still short of the other side, and that gap can be measured. Every first visit is one 45-minute Assessment & Treatment, $230, nett, no GST. If it has been months, the Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same therapist, $690.
3. You have had surgery, or you have a date
After a plate, a nail or a shoulder replacement, the weeks come from your surgeon’s protocol, and we work to it. See physiotherapy after surgery. All of it runs on the four stages of the Phoenix Recovery Protocol.
Related reading
Sources: Sarmiento A, Zagorski JB, Zych GA, Latta LL, Capps CA. Functional bracing for the treatment of fractures of the humeral diaphysis. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American). 2000;82(4):478-486. Shao YC, Harwood P, Grotz MR, Limb D, Giannoudis PV. Radial nerve palsy associated with fractures of the shaft of the humerus: a systematic review. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (British). 2005;87(12):1647-1652.
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