broken clavicle...surgery or not?

[dpc61820]

Well, I am now at 1 month post op. Everything has been great for the last 2 weeks especially. As I stated in my previous post, surgery was good, somewhat painful in the short term, but has since been fine.

....l.

I have a fairly similar break, but very different story. I broke my right collar bone in Nov 2005 and went with the non-surgical option. After a while I was fine for doing most things, including biking, but the damned bones never did come together and I had strength limitations and had particular issues (e.g., using my right arm for overhead stuff like painting ceilings; driving long periods, say 2-3 hours or more, I think because my right arm was left to hang without the necessary support).

I just had surgery a week ago. A few points for others:

1. You've heard this before, but it bears repeating--if you aren't happy with your doctor, there are more out there! (And hopefully you have a medical plan that will allow you to see someone else.) The doctor who had put me in a sling, then many weeks later a figure-8 brace back near the time of the original injury told me some 20 months later when I clearly still had no union that if I did get surgery it would involve a hip bone graft and that's no good, so come back in 6 weeks... I found another doctor. This guy said we'll do the internal brace (my post-op x-ray looks like santanaf's), no grafting, no messing with the hip bone...

2. It is true what someone said way back in this tread about the treatment being tailored to the patient. However, it's also very true that the treatment is highly doctor dependent. As illustrated above, two doctors can have a very different approach. Unfortunately (a little for me, a lot for him and his loved-ones) my second doctor had a mild stroke before he could do the surgery mentioned above. I wasn't going to go back to number one, so it was on to yet another. This guy was also up for the no-graft, plate and screws option, but his post-op approach was very different (question about that below). The stroke doctor had said I'd have my arm fully immobilized for a month (not because the bone needed it but rather because all the soft tissues would need time to recover) but the doctor I ended up using just put me in a sling and said even that was more as a reminder to not do extreme movements or lift anything heavy, and I can and should go ahead and use my right hand for little things like typing, brushing my teeth, eating...



3. Concerning the question that names this thread, consider factors like age and displacement. I see lots of information posted by people about themselves or their children concerning breaks suffered by teenagers. Useful information, certainly, but if you're like me (40), maybe not applicable. If you're older, think about the fact that that makes union without surgery less likely. Also, displacement...I was told by the ER doctor and all the others I've seen since as well as a zillion web pages that "surgery is rarely necessary..." Well, that may be true if the bones are close together, but if you have significant displacement (mine was over 3 cm) and other complications surgery may be more likely what you're going to need. It's worth talking about this with your doctor, and it's really worth getting a second opinion.


My questions...for those who have had surgery, what has been your post-op experience? How long have you needed the sling? When did you start strength training? Were you told to be careful about anything that could impinge bone formation or cause the screws to come out or whatever?

I'm asking because I haven't gotten much good information from my doctor on this stuff, and what he has told me is so different than the information I had gotten from the doctor who was to have done the operation.

My operation was July 2, 2007, it's now July 11. I'm still in the sling some of the day, but find it such a bother and don't really feel like I need it. But I don't want to over-do things.

I wish that damned pedestrian had taken a glance before stepping into the bike lane I was racing down...

 

[santanaf]

Well dpc61820, I figure I would give an update and my experience so far.

My healing seems to be going well. The slowness and taking 4 weeks between doctor's appts is killing me. Also, the welth of information on the internet is making me paranoid.

I'm male, 29, very active and in good shape, so I should heal fine, but I've read so many nonunion stories and indicents where people have the internal plate fixation and just don't heal, or they "heal" and get the plate removed and their bone breaks at the hospital or at night while sleeping.

It probably won't but it this happens I have a backup plan. There is a Dr. in the Cleveland Clinic that does stem cell bone regernation in clavicle injuries by harvesting stem cells from your own marrow. Its a pretty cool idea, hopefully I will never know first hand.

Anyhow, I digress. My recovery is going well. After my 4 week followup my Dr. told me I could stop using the sling, but to still take it very easy. The x-ray does not look much different from the one I posted from my first followup, but there is some fuzziness. I am allowed to continue ROM excercises and can even start light strength trainign with the rubber bands and starting with 1 lb weights at PT. The PT is really great and I love going.

As of two days from now I am 7 weeks post op. My ROM mobility is up to 100%, which has surprised a lot of people. My PT after week 4 started with pulley excercises, the hand bike with light resistence and only 25% effort on the injured arm, and 1 lb weight and easiest rubberband work. Now a few weeks later I am doing more agressive rubberband and hand bike work, and a whopping 2 lb of lateral raises and similar excercises. Its strange doing the 1-2lbs, since about 6 weeks ago I was doing the same thing with 30lb DBs.

The biggest change after my 4 week was that I was given the ok to start running again "As long as I don't fall." I love running and was missing it. Since my surgery my left arm and shoulder had felt kind of lethargic and sometimes tingly. It wasn't bad or painful, I just knew it didn't feel normal. My first run was only about 0.5 miles, and my left pec/shoulder felt very tight. It felt a lot like 2 days after lifing really heavy on your chest when you haven't lifted for a while. The next day I felt fine and started at my PT routine. Later that night I was watching Transformers sitting still for 2 hours, when I went to move my arm it felt like it weighed 400 lbs. I moved it around and it felt good again, but my shoulder had gotten very stiff just sitting there. The next day I felt fine. A few days later I went out for a run at work with some friends arount the DC monuments. The run was about 3 miles and I experienced that initial stiffness for about the first 1/2 mile, but then my shoulder felt great. Since then I have gone on several runs of 2-5 miles and I feel perfect, even on the run where one of the Cherry Blossoms branches around the Tidal Basin attacked my injured shoulder, I swear it attacked me, I totally didn't blindly run into it...

So I have my next followup on 7/24, and I am really hoping for some good bone healing to have taken place. I am really nervous, and like I said, paranoid about proper healing, but I'm also really anxious to get the ok to return to normal weight lifting. I just hate being afraid of hurting myself and undoing the healing that has been done.

As far as your questions, I "used" my sling for 4 weeks, but had it off often. I didn't wear it when I slept, when I worked at the computer, and anytime I was sitting and not moving much. Also, there were several instances where I didn't wear it while walking around. I always wore it when I was out in public areas to remind other people not to bump into me.

I started passive ROM PT at 2 1/2 weeks and light strength training at 4 weeks. They main thing I have been warned about was lifting your arm above your head, basically DONT, not until you are cleared to do so. They seems to be the major limiting factor for each person. The doctor makes a judgement call for when you are ready to have your hand above your head. For me, after my 4 week, he said that the bone had begun to heal and as a result it wasn't all on the plate, so I could start doing things. Eventually the plate won't even matter, but until then, I still need to keep it light.

The primary point I have had made to me over and over is that "Pain is supposed to be your limiting factor, if it hurts, don't do it, if it starts to feel like it might start to hurt, don't do it, if after you do something, it starts to hurt later, don't do it again." For me this didn't work, I haven't had pain, so I had to stay in my sling, I think if I had pain earlier, I wouldn't have needed to stay slinged, go figure, I would have known my limitations. The problem is, like a lot of people who are on this forum, I like to push it a little too far.

Anyhow, I still feel good about surgery, just wish rehab and healing was a little quicker. And look at it this way, maybe this surgery now will just save your life later... if you get a weirdo boyfriend who is a terrible shot.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3275815

 

[tkhbroken]

I broke my left clavicle May 16, 2007. The first Surgeon I went to suggested surgery but it was one week after my accident and I was reluctant to take the plung. But it turns out, two months later, I have a non-union and have yet to take my arm out of the sling and use it for more than 15-20 mins. I felt confident about the no-op route because i got several other doctors opinion's and they all agreed that surgery was a last resort. But here I am, needing surgery and trying very hard to get all my insurance stuff together to get in and see a surgeon. I am 22, a female, never broken a bone before and I'm wondering what to expect from recovery. I am not a cyclist ( besides ridding my bike to class and what not). I got bucked off a two year old horse and landed right on my shoulder. Anyway, if anyone has any uplifting comments about recovery and the op itself i would love to hear them.

 

[tkhbroken]

I am two months in without operation. My initial surgeon reccomended surgery, but, I was scared and I thought i would let nature take it's course. Now, I know i made a mistake and i'm trying to get into surgery asap. With that being said, I know there many schools of thought about clavicles and i'm sure you can find a surgeon that agrees with surgery!

 

[gplama]

My questions...for those who have had surgery, what has been your post-op experience? How long have you needed the sling? When did you start strength training? Were you told to be careful about anything that could impinge bone formation or cause the screws to come out or whatever?

Hi dpc61820,

Page 20 of this thread has my x-rays and story.

Post surgery I was told to take it easy for the first three weeks, no lifting and the like. From week 3-6 I could start building up using the arm/shoulder again, and from week 6 onwards I was ok for full steam ahead.

As I've said in other posts, I was back on the bike in 4 days, and competed in a time trial 5 days post Op (the static TT position was key). I used the sling for two days post op 24/7, then for the next week when in public (so I wasn't bumped into!). Weeks 1-3 the shoulder was stiff so pulling things out of my jursey was difficult and sprinting was ruled out. From week 3 onwards I built up strength by doing a few 'light' sprints, and loosening up the shoulder by playing my Nintendo Wii. Who'd have thought a gaming console would aid in my recovery!?

I'm now 8 weeks down the track. My 6 week x-ray and checkup was all good news, and... (insert pause here) I can do 10 push ups with only a little discomfort.

 

[santanaf]

GPLama, by the way, thanks for all of the information shortly after you broke yours. Your accident, surgery, and report occured about two weeks prior to mine and was a major factor in my decision to get the surgery. I am not a cyclist or racer, but given my typical activity level a speedy recovery was crucial to my mental well being. Thanks in part to your posts and my eventual surgery, I can say that I am probably only half as depressed as I would be sitting around in a sling watching TV waiting for the bone to heal or nonunion. Thanks a bunch.

 

[gplama]

santanaf - thanks for your kind words. It makes posting information like that online all worth while.

 

[pukka]

Pinned today - very straight forward procedure. Regained a great deal of movement already!

Your surgery was necessary, as the amount of displacement was severe. Others that have breaks that are in alignment, do not need to have surgery.

There are many surgeons in Melbourne that repair clavicles, it's not that hard, but more often than not, you'll get referred to a private surgeon who specialises in shoulders.

Taking a look at those xrays, the alignment, post-op isn't that great, the bone is not straight.
If you come off again in the next 6 months or so, and land on that clavicle, you'll find that it'll snap badly, as the screws will pull out and make further surgical repair nigh on impossible.

Not to be a party ****, but this info needs to be out there too.

 

[santanaf]

My Doc was pretty strict about me not doing things, knowing that I am a person who will push it, and am no experiencing pain, so he cleared almost nothing for me until after the 4 weeks.

In reference to your comment about the bone alighment, keep in mind that the clavicle is a very very tricky bone on an xray. Its serpetine shape, the angle of the camera, and the 2 dimensional nature make it appear to be more mishapen than it actually is. If you get a chance, take a look at the plate typically used for internal fixation, it is contoured just for the clavicle.

The risk for a repeat fracture before complete healing from blunt force with a pin is much higher than with a plate, since the pin is load assistive and the plate is load bearing, but both can break. But with a pin, at least you get it easily removed, I will be keeping my plate for a very long time. I just don't want to get cut open again and it bothers me little, even though I am very skinny and you can see the plate protruding under my skin.

At any rate, each person has a different approach and a different Doc. If racing is your life, and you are willing to accept the risk if riding injuired, it is something that just has to happen. I, on the other hand, am a computer programmer, there is no reason I really need to take risks like that, so I will wait to heal

 

[dpc61820]

Thanks, all, for the replies. It's VERY helpful to hear about post-op experiences as I go through this. I'm doing pretty well here at day 10. Typing is no problem, and the sling is only on from time to time. I'll certainly avoid lifting for till after my next doctor apt., and limit my range of motion. I did walk 2+ miles to work today, and that went well. I can't wait to get back on my bike...but I will.

 

[dpc61820]

Another post-op detail...my doctor has me using an ultrasound bone stimulator. It's pretty simple to use, and, although I can't really see why weak ultrasound would make bones grow better, the research seems to show it's effective. Of course, that's research done by or sponsored by the company with a profit motive. The lit says use it once a day for 20 minutes, but the rep who came to my house to show me how to use it said to use it twice a day. I figure I'll use it twice, putting it on a different place in the morning and the evening. I think this is different than eletronic bone stimulators that are worn all the time.

More info (at least concerning the specific brand I'm using), for anyone interested, from the US FDA here:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/pdf/p900009s006.html

from the company here:
http://ortho.smith-nephew.com/us/node.asp?NodeId=2865

I won't know for some time what the outcome is, and will of course never really know how much this silly device has to do with whatever my outcome is, but if anyone has any questions about this thing let me know.

One more thing--this isn't only for post-op bone healing. The indications are actually to stimulate bone healing for any break, and according to the company's literature, it helps with non-union problems some time out.

 

[jezzdog]

I got bucked off a two year old horse and landed right on my shoulder. Anyway, if anyone has any uplifting comments about recovery and the op itself i would love to hear them.[/QUOTE] Well, I'm a female about twice your age. I got hit by a car while riding my bike on June 10th. I opted for the surgery and had it done on June 19th. ( plate and 8 screws) I gotta tell you that it hasn't been bad at all. I think the anaesthesia was worse than the actual procedure. Expect to have a couple of uncomfortable days after surgery (not bad pain, just achy, throbby stuff that the vicodin will take care of) I was off of pain killers by day 4 or 5 and just using tylenol after that. ( and it was a severe break, too....they had name for it...which i can't remember and the doctor said he doesn't see many of them) Anyway, it'll be 4 weeks tomorrow and I have close to 90% range of motion with my arm (and I'm and old fart...you're young and will probably be miles ahead of me) I'm a triathlete and I'm hoping to get the go-ahead to lightly run and bike by next week...that's how good I feel...I don't know if the doctor will agree to it or not. I guess the main point of my reply is to relieve your jangled nerves...don't worry, you will be fine. A couple of years ago I broke a bone in my foot. I opted against an operation and hoped for a non-operative union. A month later the bones were even farther apart and I ended up having to get the surgery anyway....that was also a piece of cake. Had I gone with the surgery first I wouldn't have wasted a precious month of summer on crutches. Let me know how you make out!

 

[wolfman113]

WELL HELLO AGAIN EVERYONE ITS ME THE WOLMAN HOPE EVERYONES DOIN FINE BECAUSE IM NOT..... JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY,AFTER 2 SURGERYS,BAM I GET HURT AGAIN. THIS TIME IT WAS PRETTY INNOCENT OR SO I THOUGHT. WAS ON MY COMPUTER AND WENT TO GET UP AND FELL OVER MY DOG AND COMPLETLY DISLOCATED MY RIGHT SHOULDER. IT WAS IN MY ARMPIT LITERALLY. DR. SAID I FRACTURED IT PRETTY BAD. HE PUT IT BACK IN THE SOCKET BUT WHILE IT WAS OUT I DAMAGED SOME NERVES BAD. I AM SCHEDULED FOR ANOTHER SURGERY MON. MORNING,HE CALLED IT AN OPEN REDUCTION MAYBE MORE SCREWS, HES NOT SURE UNTIL HE OPENS ME UP MON. NERVE DAMAGE IS CERTAIN, BUT HOW BAD I WONT KNOW TIL AFTER THIS SURGERY...AM REALLY IN BAD SHAPE NOW MY WHOLE RIGHT SIDE IS A MESS.HOPE YOU ALL ARE DOIN BETTER THAN ME, WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW I MAKE OUT NEXT WEEK,WHAT ELSE CAN HAPPEN. BUT I TRUST IN GOD THAT IT WILL COME OUT O.K. TAKE CARE EVERYONE, BECAUSE GOD KNOWS I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL ARE GOING THROUGH..SEE YA WOLFMAN

 

[jetnjeff]

I was pretty bummed 9 weeks out. On a bone stimulator for half of of it. Wasn't united yet, but this last Wednesday was week 12 and I got the go ahead to ride. Even though I was riding as of about week 4. Couldn't stand the trainer in June. Was just easy rides to work and stuff. I did not take pain medication in order to get proper bio feedback and not hurt my self.

So at 6 weeks when the DR said I could stop wearing the Fig 8 brace but not ride yet (did not tell him I was) I split the difference and road with the brace.

I have been adding in a bit of Yoga as I became more able.

Three days of riding with out the brace was tough and my atrophied upper back muscles cramped a gave me a huge tension head ache tha oddly enough riding with the brace aleaviated (it gave me a head ache in the first week).

A few more weeks and I will add in Light MTBing and see how it goes. Follow up with DR in 6 weeks.

 

[ocean123]

Hi Everyone. I have a question, and welcome your advice. But first of all, thank you for this excellent forum. Reading what you have all shared over the past months, has helped me to know how to choose the best team of doctors, talk more intelligently with my own orthopedist, and make decisions about scheduling my own clavicle surgery.

Briefly, I can tell you that I was a passenger in an extremely serious automobile accident about a year ago. My clavicle was crunched into a bunch of jagged pieces (broken ribs, lucky to be alive, etc.) and we first tried the Wait-and-See protocol. Some pieces did indeed fuse, but two sections remained an inch apart. I finally had the ORIF (2 permanent plates and 16 screws) on 7/12/07 with my own hip graft (i.e. not from a bone bank.) I am a 52-year old active female, and my bone density is excellent. The surgery was pretty much a piece of cake, I'm surprised to report. Within days, I was walking pretty well, and was essentially off the Percocet, hardly sore at all.

There is a significant complication, though. The nerves got pretty stretched out during surgery traction, and I have temporarily lost the use of my arm. It would simply hang off me like a dead sack of potatoes, if it weren't in a sling. At its best, it feels prickly and painfully tingly and numb (doesn't sense pressure or temperature differences), like the feeling when your foot falls asleep if you've been sitting on it wrong. At its worst, I feel like my arm is on fire, and the pain is inconsolable, and the nerve meds don't seem to help. Apparently this pain is a good sign, that nerves are regenerating. The surgical team feels sure that nothing went wrong during surgery (the nerves are intact and were not knicked-- only stretched in traction, and also traumatized now, since all the muscles and nerves had contracted around my deformed skeleton during that long Wait-and-See period, and now it's all been surgically stretched to put everything back where it belongs.) They predict that this will reverse and my arm will be fine, but cannot predict the timetable: anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months! Yikes!! Meanwhile, I'd love to not get fired from my job... We've already started the PT so that my joints don't freeze. Does anyone have any experience with this complication, or recommendations? Needless to say, I'd love to hear a success story. Thanks, and best of everything to all of you, too.

 

[jetnjeff]

That is a drag! I am not a Dr but it sounds like a pinched nerve to me,never heard of a stretced nerve. I developed a impingred nerve, a couple decades after I broke my first collar bone (left). The doctors said that it "No" when I asked if it could be related to to the break. My nerve was trapped in a knot. But except for the sack of potato thing, I had the wake you out of a deep sleep screaming pain and the arm on fire pain. The PT did specific things to break up the knot, that alleviated a large amount of the pain with in a few weeks. Electro stim, stretching, Deep mesage to break up the knot and finally the PT convinced the DR to give me a Cortisone shot to break up the scar tissue that was trapping the nerve. That was a few months in. I still stretch it from time to time.

They said it was from stuf like holdin the phone between the shoulder and head, all stuff I did not do except for sleeping on it some times. I think it was from scar tissue from the break, exacerbeted by a highly stresfull time in my work life.

Hi Everyone. I have a question, and welcome your advice. But first of all, thank you for this excellent forum. Reading what you have all shared over the past months, has helped me to know how to choose the best team of doctors, talk more intelligently with my own orthopedist, and make decisions about scheduling my own clavicle surgery.

Briefly, I can tell you that I was a passenger in an extremely serious automobile accident about a year ago. My clavicle was crunched into a bunch of jagged pieces (broken ribs, lucky to be alive, etc.) and we first tried the Wait-and-See protocol. Some pieces did indeed fuse, but two sections remained an inch apart. I finally had the ORIF (2 permanent plates and 16 screws) on 7/12/07 with my own hip graft (i.e. not from a bone bank.) I am a 52-year old active female, and my bone density is excellent. The surgery was pretty much a piece of cake, I'm surprised to report. Within days, I was walking pretty well, and was essentially off the Percocet, hardly sore at all.

There is a significant complication, though. The nerves got pretty stretched out during surgery traction, and I have temporarily lost the use of my arm. It would simply hang off me like a dead sack of potatoes, if it weren't in a sling. At its best, it feels prickly and painfully tingly and numb (doesn't sense pressure or temperature differences), like the feeling when your foot falls asleep if you've been sitting on it wrong. At its worst, I feel like my arm is on fire, and the pain is inconsolable, and the nerve meds don't seem to help. Apparently this pain is a good sign, that nerves are regenerating. The surgical team feels sure that nothing went wrong during surgery (the nerves are intact and were not knicked-- only stretched in traction, and also traumatized now, since all the muscles and nerves had contracted around my deformed skeleton during that long Wait-and-See period, and now it's all been surgically stretched to put everything back where it belongs.) They predict that this will reverse and my arm will be fine, but cannot predict the timetable: anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months! Yikes!! Meanwhile, I'd love to not get fired from my job... We've already started the PT so that my joints don't freeze. Does anyone have any experience with this complication, or recommendations? Needless to say, I'd love to hear a success story. Thanks, and best of everything to all of you, too.

 

[santanaf]

Well, I am just over 10 weeks post op and wanted to give a brief update. The last followup appt at 8 weeks I was told the bone had developed significant fuzziness at the site of the break and that I could begin lifting more weight. I'm not 100% clear to do whatever, but I can start doing curls and such back at low weight 10-20 lbs. I should still stay away from full pushups, bench, or military press, but I can at least get back into shape. I've also started stationary cycling again, able to put full weight on the bars in a sprint. The main thing I am doing now is running, 4-5 miles 4-5 times per week.

I am finished with PT at 10 weeks, given excercises to do from here on our. I have full ROM with 0 pain. I actually just went tubing on the Potomac yesterday with some friends. I did a lot of paddling and had no immediate or residual pain in my shoulder, only some slight muscle soreness today. I am also back to doing full home improvement projects, drilling above my head, installing drywall, etc. It is nice to be back.

I have some slight sensitivity only right on the spot where the break occured, mainly if I press a little hard on it. The site of the scar is still a little number on my shoulder, and the scar is healing very well, flat, and pink.

I am still very impressed with my doctor, as well as with my PT people. Overall, as unplesant as this experience has been, it could have been so much worse.

 

[joewaroo]

Hi guys and Gals,

My names Joe and i am in need of some really good advice about an operation i am supposed to be having on my left clavicle.

Basicly about 3 years ago i realised my left clavice wasnt the same as my right and my left shoulder just didnt have the same amount of easy movement as my right and also has a clicking noise / restriction when the abduction movement is performed. After going to the doctors and a shoulder speciasist and having x-rays and MIR scans etc. The conclusion was made that i had a twisted clavicle.

So the end of my left clavice is rotated round about 90 degrees compared to my right clavice. This is limits my shoulder movement, not totally, but the pain sometimes is unbearable.

The specialist i saw recomended surgery simmillar to the surgery that you would get after breaking your clavicle, except mine has never been broken. (the doctors think that i have done this when i was a youngster and my bones were still soft and not fully developed) This surgery would involve what you guys talk of, having my clavicle broken and the a plate put in to set it in the right position.

I am 21, very active, and enjoy my sports. Especially wakeboarding and kitesurfing, unfortunatley these both take a toll on my shoulder.

I am really unsure of the surgery, a big part of me wants to get it done and on the days i have pain its all i want to have done. But another part of me dosent think its worth the risk and am i right in thinking i may never be able to use my shoulder to its full strength if something goes wrong.

So.... i really could do with some advice from people who have had this surgery, and weather or not it sworth going through with etc...

I have read alot of this thread and it has already give me some reasurance that getting the surgery would be ok and my shoulder would improve alot from having it. But theres this voice in my head thats a little unsure, also my mother and other family members dont think i should have it done.

Lately though and as im sat here typing its really hurting and i would love to get it sorted out.

I would really appreciate poeple thoughts on the whole situation as i am strugling to find other people wiht simmillar problems.

What i would really like to know is how strong my shoulder is going to be after having surgery and its healed???

Also i have meet two guys who have had this surgery after breaking there clavicle and both of them, the pins holding the plate on had slipped out of place. I dont know but would guess that they never really gave it time to heal properly and went back to normal life after having it done.

Thanks for reading, if you got this far, and i hope someone can help,

Joe

 

[wolfman113]

[JOE I WOULD SAY TO THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISIONS ABOUT SURGERY... YOU DONT WANT TO GO THRU WHAT I DID, A LIVING HELL QUOTE=joewaroo]Hi guys and Gals,

My names Joe and i am in need of some really good advice about an operation i am supposed to be having on my left clavicle.

Basicly about 3 years ago i realised my left clavice wasnt the same as my right and my left shoulder just didnt have the same amount of easy movement as my right and also has a clicking noise / restriction when the abduction movement is performed. After going to the doctors and a shoulder speciasist and having x-rays and MIR scans etc. The conclusion was made that i had a twisted clavicle.

So the end of my left clavice is rotated round about 90 degrees compared to my right clavice. This is limits my shoulder movement, not totally, but the pain sometimes is unbearable.

The specialist i saw recomended surgery simmillar to the surgery that you would get after breaking your clavicle, except mine has never been broken. (the doctors think that i have done this when i was a youngster and my bones were still soft and not fully developed) This surgery would involve what you guys talk of, having my clavicle broken and the a plate put in to set it in the right position.

I am 21, very active, and enjoy my sports. Especially wakeboarding and kitesurfing, unfortunatley these both take a toll on my shoulder.

I am really unsure of the surgery, a big part of me wants to get it done and on the days i have pain its all i want to have done. But another part of me dosent think its worth the risk and am i right in thinking i may never be able to use my shoulder to its full strength if something goes wrong.

So.... i really could do with some advice from people who have had this surgery, and weather or not it sworth going through with etc...

I have read alot of this thread and it has already give me some reasurance that getting the surgery would be ok and my shoulder would improve alot from having it. But theres this voice in my head thats a little unsure, also my mother and other family members dont think i should have it done.

Lately though and as im sat here typing its really hurting and i would love to get it sorted out.

I would really appreciate poeple thoughts on the whole situation as i am strugling to find other people wiht simmillar problems.

What i would really like to know is how strong my shoulder is going to be after having surgery and its healed???

Also i have meet two guys who have had this surgery after breaking there clavicle and both of them, the pins holding the plate on had slipped out of place. I dont know but would guess that they never really gave it time to heal properly and went back to normal life after having it done.

Thanks for reading, if you got this far, and i hope someone can help,

Joe[/QUOTE]

 

[saff]

Hi all,

I broke my left clavicle (and six ribs) in a t-bone mva 7 weeks ago while on hols in South Africa. The Orthopaed who treated me there would have operated when the friction burn from the seatbelt healed. I was very keen to have the surgery due to the reduced healing time - I find it unbearably frustrating sitting around waiting to heal and having to depend on my partner to complete the smallest of tasks for me. Unfortunately, by the time the burn healed, the Orth was on holiday and my partner was keen to return to the UK so he could get back to earning - in hindsight a mistake as I would be justabout good as new by now had I stayed for the op...

As suspected, treatment on the NHS is a very drawn out process and my first two appointments were with a doc who apparently was not authorised to make the decision about surgery, due to his locum status! I was v angry when I learned this as I felt 3 weeks had been wasted - I am however comforted somewhat after reading all your posts, and realising that this does drag on and I'm not necessarily being jerked around by the NHS.

I finally saw a consultant last week who is keen to operate as the displaced bone fragment is lying adjacent to the clav resulting in about a 2.5cm drop in the left shoulder and while the break is not causing any pain now (I've been off all meds for 3 weeks) and movement in my arm is improving, I do suffer an intense, burning muscle pain in my shoulder at times when I don't wear the sling, from what I can only presume to be the lack of support from the clavicle itself. It feels like there is a huge weight pulling down on my arm/shoulder. Will this improve or will I continue to suffer pain? I have already suffered from back pain for 17 of my 31 yrs and dont want to make it any worse.

The happy, but v unfortunately timed news is that I am 8 weeks pregnant!! I am already extremely concerned about all the xrays and meds administered while in hospital and up until the time I discovered the pregnancy and due to a backlog at my GP, I have been informed not to expect a call from the midwife or refferal to an Obs Gyn until at least 14-16 weeks (another 6 weeks until those concerns are addressed!) I have been assured that the risk of miscarriage / deformity from general anaesthetic during surgery are 'minimal' during the first trimester, and even less thereafter. There is, nevertheless, still a risk.

I have been left to make the decision and I really don't know what to do. If I decide not to have the surgery, I am most concerned about resultant (im)mobility of the shoulder and possible continuing muscle pain. There is a slight cosmetic concern as I am quite bony and the difference in shoulder height and shape is obvious, some clothes now even sag slightly on that shoulder. The bump where it heals on its own will also be obvious and I've been told it will take another 5 weeks until its healed (argh!). If I do have the surgery however, much quicker healing time (yay) but there is of course the cosmetic concern of scarring - so either way, I'll just have to grin and bear whichever I am left with. The pregnancy issue just complicates the situation, especially considering I don't know if any damage has already been done. Lastly my sick pay at work runs out shortly, and with a baby on the way, I'm keen to maintain an income and get back to a 'normal' life, before its all turned on its head in 7 months time. (Am I being selfish in the way I'm looking at this?) We have not yet told anyone about the pregnancy, hence my unburdening this rather lengthy explanation on you all - I really need to hear your thoughts, comments, experiences please... thanks