Immobillization

The humerus often heals on its own. If the bone heals you should be able to do most things with your arm. You will wear a sling, a brace, or a cast for about a month. You can take it off to shower and wash your arm. Once the fracture is healed, you do exercises to stretch out the stiffness in your elbow.

Advantages
You avoid the risks, discomforts, and inconveniences of surgery.

Disadvantage
It’s quite limiting to be immobilized. Humerus fractures don’t always heal without surgery. If there is trouble healing or problems with motion, you might change to surgery. The more a fracture is out of place when it heals, the less motion that returns and the greater tendency for arthritis over many years.

Figure: different types of slings.