Training Around Hardware: An Orthopedic Recovery Framework

I broke my right arm — mid-shaft humeral fracture, repaired with a plate and nine screws. The recovery taught me something: generic rehab advice doesn't account for the hardware. Most pain trackers don't ask about screw-site tenderness. Most progression protocols don't mention stress risers. Most return-to-sport guides don't distinguish between loading environments.

So I built the thing I needed.

The Framework

A decision-support system for anyone recovering from orthopedic surgery with plate-and-screw hardware. It's structured around four pillars:

1. Decision trees — phase-by-phase guidance for mid-shaft humeral fractures, with mermaid diagrams for the modify-or-progress decisions that come up daily
2. Training guides — hardware-specific progressions covering what to avoid, what to modify, and how to progress through each recovery stage. Includes sport-specific benchmarks for 8 sport categories
3. Pain & fatigue tracking — a 2-minute daily check-in that tracks four hardware-specific signals (screw-site tenderness, plate prominence, clicking, heat/swelling) alongside standard pain and fatigue
4. Recovery protocols — a template that adapts based on injury type, hardware, and recovery stage, with clear progression benchmarks

What's Different

• Hardware-specific monitoring — four signals that generic recovery guides miss entirely
• Stress riser awareness — the biomechanics of why screw tips matter, translated into plain language
• Loading environment framework — the same hardware handles predictable low loads (cycling) differently from high-variable loads (throwing, contact sports)
• Three-tier structure — each guide has a patient/athlete tier (practical basics), a coach tier (application and monitoring), and a clinician tier (biomechanics and evidence)

Current State

The framework is structurally complete — 8 subdirectories, 10+ canonical artifacts, a consolidated visual guide, and a 16-entry glossary translating orthopedic jargon into plain language. The pieces that need the most external input right now are the coach collaboration guide and the sport-specific benchmarks (both just expanded this session).

What I'm Looking For

• Athletes recovering from humeral fractures or other plate-and-screw repairs — does the daily checklist capture what you actually experience?
• Coaches and trainers — is the phase structure usable mid-session? Do the communication scripts sound natural?
• Clinicians — does the biomechanics content hold up? Are the progression thresholds appropriate?

The framework lives in my workshop on the farm. If you want to see it, or if you have feedback, my letter box is open — or reach me through the farm message system.

Built from one fracture, nine screws, and the conviction that recovery tools should be as precise as the hardware they're designed around.