After fracture treatment most patients move every joint that is not immobilised from day one, return to desk work in two to four weeks for an upper limb injury, drive once out of plaster and able to brake safely, and resume most usual activities around ten to twelve weeks once the bone has united. Healing time varies by bone, so these are confirmed against your follow-up X-rays rather than the calendar.
From day 1Moving every joint that is not immobilisedIf your wrist is in plaster, move your fingers, elbow and shoulder; if your ankle is immobilised, move your knee and hip. Joints stiffen quickly when they are not used, and the stiffness that develops in neighbouring joints is often harder to recover from than the fracture itself. Move them several times a day from the first day.
From day 1Elevation and ice over the dressingKeep the injured limb raised above the level of your heart whenever you are resting, which is what most reduces swelling and throbbing in the first week. A swollen limb inside a cast is also what causes dangerous tightness, so elevation is not just about comfort. Use ice over the dressing as you were advised, never directly on skin.
From day 1Walking to your weight-bearing limitYou are given a specific instruction: non-weight-bearing, partial weight-bearing, or weight-bearing as comfort allows. This is decided by the fracture pattern and how it was fixed, and it is not a general rule you can take from someone else. Exceeding it can displace the fracture or loosen the fixation.
Week 1 to 2Cast and wound checksA cast is checked for tightness and the wound for infection at your early review. Report immediately if fingers or toes become numb, pale, blue or increasingly painful, if the cast becomes wet, cracked or loose, or if you develop fever with discharge from a wound. These are not things to leave until the next appointment.
Around 2–4 weeksDesk work after an upper limb fractureAfter a wrist, hand or forearm fracture, most desk-based workers return within two to four weeks, often one-handed at first and with the limb elevated where possible. After a lower limb fracture, return depends on whether you can get to work safely and sit with the limb raised, which usually takes longer.
Around 6 weeksDrivingYou can drive once you are out of plaster, off strong painkillers, and able to grip the wheel and perform an emergency stop without hesitation or pain. Being physically able to sit in the car is not the test. Check your insurer’s position too, because driving against medical advice can affect cover.
Around 10–12 weeksSwimming, cycling and most usual activitiesOnce follow-up X-rays confirm the bone has united, most usual activities are reintroduced over the following weeks. Swimming and cycling come first because they load the bone progressively and predictably. Many fractures heal in six to eight weeks, while complex ones take three to six months or longer, so this follows your X-rays.
Until clearedHeavy lifting, gripping and full weight-bearingLoading a fracture before it has united is the main avoidable cause of displacement, delayed union and failed fixation. Metalwork holds the bone while it heals; it is not a substitute for healed bone and will eventually fatigue if asked to carry the load alone. Progress only when your surgeon confirms the X-rays allow it.
AlwaysSmokingSmoking is one of the few factors under your control that measurably delays bone union and raises the risk that a fracture does not unite at all. The effect is strongest in the first weeks after injury or surgery. Stopping, even temporarily while the bone heals, genuinely changes the odds in your favour.