Radial palsy (wrist drop) possibly due to broken humerus

Dear Ask The Doctor: What are early signs of radial palsy recovery? (broken humerus,wrist drop)

Dear Ricky: The majority of injuries associated with fractures are neuropraxias which will spontaneously recover. The radial nerve injuries associated with humeral fractures, mostly tend to recover in 3-4 months,     11% of closed fractures have associated Radial nerve palsy, and approximately 18% of the open humerus fractures. Initially is recommended wearing a cock-up wrist splint, given thumb abduction and finger/wrist extension exercises to avoid contracture. The follow up to assess the recovery is done by clinical examination , meaning recovering of sensation and wrist/fingers movement and EMG (electromyography), if there is no sign of recovery clinically or on EMG at 4-6 months consider operative exploration.