fractured humerus

[Ruffian829]

Hi,
about 6 weeks ago I fractued my humerus in a horseback riding accident. Its just below my shoulder joint. I was first told 6-8 weeks by an orthopedic specialist as a healing range. I got xrays 3 weeks later and he said another 2 months before I can ride again. I got x-rays another 3 weeks later (which was today) and they look exactly the same as the previous xrays. Now he is saying that September is a more logical time-frame to be riding again.
I'm frustrated that the xrays keep being a big dissapointment. Why wouldn't the arm be healing faster than it is? I read that normal "union" of a bone is 6-8 weeks.
I wasn't given anything I could do to help it along. When I asked about PT he said August at the earliest (last visit it was July)
It feels good, i can reach behind my back, over my head. I can get my hair up. I can lift some lighter things, if I do it correctly. It'll have a bad day ever once in awhile and ache and I wont be able to hold anything.

I feel like this is taking an abnormally long time. My career depends on riding so right now I am out of work (and got hurt off the job, so I have no income).
I need to be riding as soon as possible, I haven't heard of a fracture taking this long to heal. Not starting physical therapy until August seems to be an extensive amount of time, with nothing given to me to do before then.
is there anything I can do to move this process along? Why would it be taking this long for my arm to heal?? To not see any clear new bone growth on xrays after 6 weeks seems abnormal. I was told that there shouldn't really be any reason to expect it to take longer than 6-8 weeks.

I'm 21 years old, just graduated college. I'm not over-weight. I dont have any bone disorders.

Does anyone have any idea why this is taken this long? is it terribly abnormal? is there
ANYTHING i can be doing? at-home exercises?

thanks

[angieliu]

I think it is worth investigating and finding out why it is taking so long and that you should get a second opinion. It can't harm. I went and got a second opinion on my shoulder and that really helped my physio work on different parts of my shoulder. It is rather worrying though that your ortho told you, you wouldn't be able to start physio till August. He didn't suggest any simple exercises to keep movement in your shoulder. My friend broke her shoulder and also tore pec muscles and because she had to wait for the muscles to heal she was borderline with a frozen shoulder.

Just bear in mind shoulders do take awhile to properly heal too.