Broken Collar Bone Newbie. Let it Heal or Surgery?

Discussion in 'Rider Down' started by Roman, Jul 30, 2013.

  1. auger

    auger Member

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    Any surgery has risk and I would avoid if you can, see what the doc recommends. Having said that I had surgery and a plate back in 05 because it would not heal, 2.5CM. As others have already said it will heal quicker with surgery. Sometimes I think about having my plate removed but do not want another surgery so I will keep it as long as dose not bother me.
     
  2. allenpg

    allenpg Member

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    Dude, that is huge displacement! Bones need to be close enough together for the osteoclasts/blasts (aka, bone cells) to see each other and start growing together.

    When the ER doc looked at my X-rays (he was a cyclist), he didn't know if it would heal on it's own. Then I saw my sports medicine doc and he wasn't for sure. I finally got into to see the hand/arm guy a few weeks later (a Cat 3 cyclist) and he recommended surgery. I guess it was bad enough, when he cleared his schedule to work on me 2 days later. Here's my x-rays...http://www.extrememomentum.com/?p=310. Good luck and I hope you get back to biking soon!

    -Pete

    P.S. More photos and an example of what happens when you take a 90+ degree turn at 26 MPH on TT bike after a T-storm...BTW, 2 doctors were racing, saw me crash, and immediately diagnosed broken clavicle (they had broken their's before too):
    http://www.extrememomentum.com/?p=301
     
  3. jeff^d

    jeff^d Active Member

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    Ditto!

    [​IMG]

    Of course... highly recommend consulting with your ortho before making a decision.
     
  4. Mikie Watson

    Mikie Watson Member

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    Broken both of my collarbones.
    My left snaped in half in 1997 and I used the figure 8 brace thingy, but my right was a work of art. Broke it into 4 pieces plus the doc said I powdered some of it and he had to grind up some bone to make bone-putty. So it got the plate and screws number below. Did this just over a year ago. I still feel the plate and it's still tender...Left side I would never knew I broke it other than it's shorter.

    Plate-and-Screws.jpg
     
  5. mfoga

    mfoga Intense Whore

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    3 breaks with no surgey. Two time I only wore a figure 8 brace(one time only for two week, which leads to interesting conversations with doctor after 2months and why it's still completely broken) third time required slig due to the other fractures in shoulder area. The figure 8 is nice is nice because you can use your arm still.
     
  6. biknpam

    biknpam Member

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    My story: broke my collarbone in 2005. Did the standard "let it heal" and was back to cycling in about 6 weeks (the process of healing however was extremely painful). Fast forward to 2006... I started feeling a slight "hitch" in the same area. Turns out the bone had not healed properly and it eventually cracked back through. I required surgical repair. I was so glad - it took little to no time to be up and running around again. And no residue pain. I didn't need any painkillers.

    But - it's up to the physician whether or not to do surgery and... this is a big "and"... you might (as I do ) have a problem later with the plate and screws. I feel them rubbing inside all the time and it can get quite irritating and uncomfortable. Appears I will now need surgery again, to open it the site and remove the plate plus screws.
     
  7. jcw

    jcw New Member

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    The narrower you get, the easier it becomes to slice through tree-lined singletrack!
     
  8. jimbowho

    jimbowho Member

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    A funny collar bone story. So I go down hard (offroad desert race). I'm at the Doc's, she's a 4'ft 3" Chinese lady. She pulls up my x-ray and there is a lump next to the fresh break. In ebonics she says ohhh you break before! I said no mam I have never broken my collar bone before and ask her if she was sure if that was my x-ray. With her pointer she pointed to my name and says see James Ditson, Then pointed to the old break and says see you break before motorcycle man! I start cracking up because she was being firm but joking with me, but now it hurts to laugh. THEN she's lifting my arm and I'm like a sissy in pain. She says oohhhh you tuff guy. I will never forget it, she made the process more enjoyable. Guess I didn't think it was broken it the past??
     
  9. bing!

    bing! Active Member

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    So true. Mine wasnt a collar bone, but I was walking around with a broken finger for two weeks before I found out. No pain. I could straighten it without much discomfort. But then it started curling and looked messed up. Went to the doc and he said I pulled a ligament off the bone which took a plate of bone with it.
     

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