The Ukrainian patient (right) shakes hands with a doctor after his surgery.— Photo courtesy of the hospital

HÀ NỘI — A Ukrainian man is recovering well after an emergency surgery at Hữu Nghị Hospital in Hà Nội to repair his badly broken left arm, with doctors reporting he's already regained full movement and feeling in his hand just hours after the operation.

The injury happened during a friendly arm-wrestling match with friends. The man arrived at the hospital in severe pain, his left arm visibly deformed and unable to move at all.

X-rays showed a spiral fracture in the lower third of the humerus – the kind of injury doctors say they see regularly in arm-wrestling accidents.

The fracture site, seen on an X-ray. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

"Arm wrestling puts a huge twisting strain on the arm bone. Once that force overwhelms the bone, it gives way all at once, and it's rarely a simple break," said Dr. Trần Cửu Long Giang, head of the Department of Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Trauma at the hospital.

The injury often brings complications well beyond the fracture itself, doctors said. Sharp bone fragments can press against the radial or ulnar nerve, leaving the hand weak, numb or even paralysed.

Swelling and bleeding around the fracture can cut off circulation, a dangerous condition that risks killing off muscle tissue if it isn't treated fast. And if the fracture isn't set correctly, the bone can heal crooked or fail to fuse properly, leaving the arm permanently weaker.

"This case was especially tricky, given how much force was behind the break and how close it was to major nerves and blood vessels. We had to be precise, setting the bone back in place without harming the nerve running right alongside it," said Giang.

After consulting as a team, surgeons at Hữu Nghị Hospital fixed the break with a plate and screws. The operation went off without complications: the bone was set back into its proper position, and the radial nerve came through unharmed.

The man bounced back quickly. His pain eased dramatically after surgery, his fingers moved freely again, and sensation in his hand returned to normal, with no lingering signs of nerve damage.

He's now in physical therapy and is expected to go home within days.

An X-ray of the patient's arm after surgery, showing the bone fixed with a plate and screws. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

Giang said arm wrestling isn't the harmless bit of fun many people assume. Skipping a warm-up, using bad form or simply trying too hard to win can end in a broken bone or serious nerve damage.

If someone suspects a fracture, he advised, they should immobilise the limb right away, resist the urge to straighten or 'fix' it themselves and get to a hospital as quickly as possible. — VNS