What's the long term like for a collarbone fracture?

[strawjack]

just found out yesterday or confirmed that i had broken it in '91. I hammered it again yesterday. The doc came in and said whats chances u broke this yrs ago? umm...good?

i've had no issues until yesterday. i might go for the surgery after a consult now.



edit- The consult went well and he said I could leave it alone or surgically repair it. After discussing my activity level he suggested that it might be in my best interest to have it surgically repaired as the two ends will not meet back up without some help.

[strawjack]

had sugery yesterday and i dont think it could have gone any better. coming out i had virtually no pain and am only on ibu's to kill any swelling.

they put in a bunch of screws and a plate. they told me how many but i was a little high at the time and forgot exactly Shoulder feels great already. Stoked to be on the mend!

my take home notes were classic...something like this

ibu's...10am-not until 4:00
tylenol...10:30-not until 4:30
oxy...take whenever the hell you want!

wtf...the system is just so f'd up. dont u dare smoke da weed , but here is 60! oxys even though you dont need any...maybe one or two, but i didnt need any. big pharma!

Edit -

two weeks out and my shoulder feels good...possibly too good as it will become more and more challenging to stay within the Dr's orders. I ran two miles yesterday holding the bottom of my shirt as not to move my shoulder. It felt fine. My knees...well thats a different story
So far I am really happy that I chose the surgery. It has really gone more smoothly than expected and I can tell that I will be back to 'my' normal shortly. I do plan (at this point) to have it removed in about a year. I just don't want to risk another break closer to a joint as it will most like not break where the plate and screws are placed.

[Ed el Loco]

Did it last night riding my bike home from work. The Ortho looked at it today and said it was up to me, have the surgery or wait and see if it works it self out. Tempted to go ahead and get a plate and get it fixed now. It will add a week to my recovery, but it will add 6 if it heals wrong and I do the surgery then. Has any one skied and toured with a big plate in? Did any not get the plate removed ever? I'm thinking I wont have time to have the plate out till ski season over.

[mobygrape]

I broke mine in june, surgery to have the plate 2 weeks later. 3 months later feel fully recovered. Took time off the bike to let it heal, vs pushing it by riding w/ a bone still healing.

Normally you leave the plate in there, unless it causes extreme discomfort. It only adds around 2mm thickness to the bone, no prodruding screws to catch on a backpack.

If you want it taken out, I'd imagine you can live with it until spring, then get it done. But from what I heard, it does not bother most people.

[strawjack]

I'll be 9 weeks on Thursday. It feels good, but I wouldn't say 100%. I been doing basic self PT via this -
http://www.massgeneral.org/ortho/ser...n_surgical.pdf

I had a pretty heavy backpack on this past weekend and could feel it, but it was certainly tolerable. Although at this point I'm still leaning toward having it taken out next yr around this time.

I am interested on how cold weather will effect it and if it does that will obviously be the deal sealer.

[Ed el Loco]

My plate and 7 screws. 2 more weeks in the sling. Dr says no biking or skiing till mid December, thinking about getting a second opinion. Or just saying fuck it and going any way.

[Ed el Loco]

Had an x-ray on Monday and every thing is looking good. Dr. said by Thanksgiving I should be fine to ski, bike, etc.. So i went out touring yesterday, its sore today but feels ok. The hardest part was putting on skins.

[strawjack]

That is pretty quick, nice. The angle of my break did not help my cause, hence two screws bone to bone.

I went a full 11 weeks before getting on the bike again. The Dr waited until the fracture was no longer visible on the xray. I'm old, so I listen to Drs now. Been riding a ton and there are days when I can feel it, but I assume i'll always feel it with a plate in there.

If we had snow previously I'm sure I would have skied...no fall zone everywhere! I think mtn biking is way harder on it.

[mobygrape]

dammit, I am back in this boat again.
women driver cut me off, over the hood and hit the deck.
broke the other collarbone this time. WAY more painful than last year, but if I double down on the pain meds, it takes the edge off.

[panchosdad]

Broke my left 5 years ago, had a plate put in. Crashed hard 3 weeks ago and broke it again, at the last screw (closest to the shoulder). Wonder what would have happened if the plate wasn't in there? In fairness, I crashed really hard this time, broke 2 ribs, 2 pelvic fractures and cracked the sacrum. Ouch.

Got a used titanium plate and screws if anyone needs one.

[iscariot]

I'm 5 weeks post op, 6 weeks post breakage. Just like the original post, multiple breaks with lots of space between the bones.

Surgeon says physio after 8 weeks.He want to leave the plate and screws in if tolerable. I'm gonna see how it does this winter, and then make the decision.

[huckbucket]

Broke my left 5 years ago, had a plate put in. Crashed hard 3 weeks ago and broke it again, at the last screw (closest to the shoulder). Wonder what would have happened if the plate wasn't in there? In fairness, I crashed really hard this time, broke 2 ribs, 2 pelvic fractures and cracked the sacrum. Ouch.

Got a used titanium plate and screws if anyone needs one.

I've busted my pelvis at one point as well. Vibes. Stay on top of the pain meds.

[iscariot]

Broke my left 5 years ago, had a plate put in. Crashed hard 3 weeks ago and broke it again, at the last screw (closest to the shoulder). Wonder what would have happened if the plate wasn't in there? In fairness, I crashed really hard this time, broke 2 ribs, 2 pelvic fractures and cracked the sacrum. Ouch.

Got a used titanium plate and screws if anyone needs one.

So here's the take I'm getting on plate vs. removal and the crash again scenario:

When you brake the collar bone by falling on the shoulder (not a direct impact to the collar bone that causes the break) the shoulder wants to pivot inward to the body to in front of the pectoral. The collar bone prevents this movement normally, but luckily it is pretty thin and weak, so it breaks, allowing the much more complicated shoulder joint to avoid the brunt of the impact.

If you have a solid titanium plate for a collar bone, it won't really break. So if you fall on the shoulder again, the shoulder can't pivot in, there is no sacrificial collar bone, so the shoulder or the sternum blow out. That's a painful and complicated situation. I think your fortunate that it broke at the screw.

I'd rather take the plate out and rebreak the relatively easy to heal collar bone (derailleur hanger) than break the more complex and pain in the ass to fix shoulder (derailleur).

[strawjack]

So here's the take I'm getting on plate vs. removal and the crash again scenario:

I'd rather take the plate out and rebreak the relatively easy to heal collar bone (derailleur hanger) than break the more complex and pain in the ass to fix shoulder (derailleur).

I agree 100% with this one. If it isn't natural, then well...it isn't natural!...brilliant Humans are damn good design. Couple flaws here and there

So as much as I don't want to I'll be scheduling the removal of mine. I think I am going to do it in Nov. Not sure what the recovery time frame is for the holes to heal up. Not concerned about crashing skiing during the heal process, but biking is a different story for me.

[iscariot]

I agree 100% with this one. If it isn't natural, then well...it isn't natural!...brilliant Humans are damn good design. Couple flaws here and there

So as much as I don't want to I'll be scheduling the removal of mine. I think I am going to do it in Nov. Not sure what the recovery time frame is for the holes to heal up. Not concerned about crashing skiing during the heal process, but biking is a different story for me.

Recovery is about 3 months after getting the gear removed.

The plate bears much of the load, so the collar bone decalcifies and becomes weaker. After removing the gear, the collar bone is full bearing again, and will build bone and densify to handle it.This takes about 3 months.

Apparently lots of peeps ignore the need to take it easy to rebuild, and rebreak soon after removal.

[strawjack]

Bumping this one because I wanted to see where I was at post OP. Nine weeks I was hiking with a backpack and at eleven weeks I was back mtn biking.

I started my own PT as soon as it felt like I could. Within a couple days. My Dr didn't send me to a professional PT, I just followed the Mass General .pdf religiously...and I'm not religious