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Why does my arm not heal after I broke it and had surgery to repair it?

Hello I am a 40 yr old man and I have been having trouble with injuries I sustained one and two years ago. Two years ago I was in a bicycle accident causing me to break my arm and dislocate my wrist. I think it was a spiral distal radius fracture the bone was completly broken in 2 pieces. I had surgery about a month later, the bone was secured with a plate and my wrist was set. Everything seemed normal after a few weeks the fixation hardware and cast was removed after which I started and completed physical therapy. Everything seemed ok fast forward almost exactly a year later and I had another accident but not nearly as extreme as the previous on. Although the fall wasn't too bad I broke my same arm in the same spot. The plate bent but held the broken bones together so my wrist was fine. I returned to the same surgeon and had nearly the same procedure except he used a stronger plate and more screws. I didn't get a hard cast and was not recommended to therapy.

It has been a little more than a year since my second procedure and my arm doesn't feel quite right. If I lift heavy things or my arm is jarred I feel a pain in the location of break, sometimes I lose some feeling in the hand or I don't seem to have the same grip strength. My arm just doesn't seem completely healed making my scared of breaking it again.

Hopefully somebody can give me some advise by answering these questions. Is this something I will have to deal with forever? Should it have healed better after the first surgery, everyone I talk to has said it is uncommon to break in the exact same place. Should I go back to the same doctor with my concerns or seek help from another doctor.
Thank you in advance!
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Avatar universal
Go back to the same doctor first, as he knows your situation.  If you don't think you're getting proper attention, which is unfortunately common with surgeons, then see someone else for a second opinion.  But of course you broke your arm twice in the same place, and surgeons aren't miracle workers.  The body is what it is, and while our medical system is predicated on improving what nature gave us, that doesn't necessarily happen in real life.  If you're losing feeling in the hand something is pinching on a nerve, most likely.  Whether it's completely healed or not nobody here can say because we're not experts and don't have any diagnostic images to consult, so that's why I suggest you first go back to the surgeon who knows your arm.  Only if you're not satisfied with that should you consult someone else.  Hopefully, you just need more time, or some adjustments.  Hope it all works out for you.
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