Hi brad, i am sorry to hear this...post a pic when u can to see how the shoulder looks after some time of PT..of course it will take some time but at least the clavicle is ok! It's nice to see you being so positive about it even though it's let's say a small setback....i was really affraid of surgery and the complications it may come with so....at least there are some healthy thinking people out there like u who aren't affraid of any little complication! Keep it up!bsbs1876 said:
The controversy behind hardware removal is pretty high these days. I know people who have had plates in their body for going on 20 years with no complaints. Some doctors truly believe that it does not cause any problems while others think it should come out at some point. I guess a big factor is which bone the plate is installed on.
Hi Clara,
I'm doing pretty good, moving like nothing happened. I can't even feel the titanium plate anymore, it like be came part of me now. haha
I am really very sorry for your situation and I believe you must find a good surgeon and goo ahead with the operation. It is unbelieveable how some doctors recommend to let it heal naturally, if you go back to them and tell them: "OK I let it heal naturally but it did not heal at all and now I have bigger problems", what they will say? will they accept their mistake? Steve, I am telling you again, don't waste your time, find a good surgeon and go for the surgery asap.Steve Whykes said:I must awesome thread and glad so many people are sharing their experiences. I to suffered a broken collarbone just on 2 years ago after being hit on by a car on my road bike riding home from work, both of us traveling at 30km at point of impact. My break was full separation see picture attached. All the surgeons I went to se stated to let it heal naturally so I did and now it has joined with an overlap and about an inch shorter. I have lost range of motion and still cannot lift heavy items without pain, and upto recently would get pins and needles and loss of feeling in my ring finger and pinkie. This has now become permanent in the last 4 days after going for a big ride. So I guess nerve damage can occur after even without surgery, has anyone else suffered this side effect permanently?
I had internal stitches like the ones plastic/cosmetic surgeon do, so no need to remove later, and the scar is also like the ones done in cosmetic surgery so no much visible but 17 days is normal to remove them, i know from other little injuries I had.bsbs1876 said:
good, I plan to have the plate removed and this is I believe is the right way to go, the plate as a metal does not let the surrounding muscles bond fully with the surface of the bone and this is something I can feel and that's the reason I want it out when the time comes,ezcompany said:
Thanks for the response. I had the internal sutures done the first time around but since I had a second operation to clean my wound the surgeon decided to use regular stitches this time around. It actually feels way better than the internal ones did. I can see that it is pulled in tighter and the scar should just be a thin line that follows the clavicle which I am cool with. As I've stated before, a scar is the least of my worries. Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever!
Thanks Will, I have just seen my surgeon again today and he is surprised that I still have pain around the break 2 years on. He has ordered an MRI to check for damaged not detected earlier and then we will discuss the surgery option again. Which has stated would be a bone graft from my hip and plate. Here is a pic of the last xray showing the join. Next appointment is 4 weeks.
2 weeks for me - it was this one long stitch that covered the ~4" incision... I took a video of the Physician's Assistant just pulling it out like a little thread. I had internal stitches too, though, and the majority of the external stuff was held together with about 12 steri-strips.
bahaha! "chicks dig scars"
that's interesting... my surgeon basically said that some people can tolerate the hardware longterm, but it depends on the person. I've got a small frame, and have been told it's not a matter of IF I'll eventually get osteoporosis, but WHEN... the way my surgeon described it is in smaller framed people, the plate tends to get more painful over time. she said that in others, it could just be an annoyance for people like fire fighters who have to carry heavy backpacks. I know that personally, I've had to ditch my backpack and actually feel a lot of pain when I wear "X-back" sports bras and swim suits because the strap sits RIGHT on top of the distal end of the plate. also, she did say that as the patient ages, they see a lot of osteoporosis of the bone under the plate because osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity slows down when there's no weight bearing on the bone... makes sense to me, but that sounds like a long term complication and obviously wouldn't include everyone. as someone with a history of stress fractures, however, it worries me a bit.
could you remind us when did you have your Collar bone broken and when did you have the surgery? In the first weeks after my surgery the incision was felt puffy but this feeling went away with time, now 8-9 months post op it does not feel puffy at all. I still have a numb feeling at the impact point and along the cb which, the second, might be because the plate does not let the surrounding muscles bond fully with the collar bone and as I have said this is my No.1 reason I want the plate out when my surgeon gives the green light. You look quite accident prone. Well, I can't complain myself, I had an arthroscopic surgery for a full scale rotator cuff repair some years ago.NoodleArms said:
sure - I broke mine on November 2, 2012 and got the surgery on November 13, 2012, so it's been 4 months now post op. still a non-union under the plate, still a little painful and almost completely numb along the entire incision and about an inch surrounding it, if that makes sense? interesting about the muscles in that area - hadn't thought of that before. my surgeon says it's because there's a bundle of subclavian nerves they have to sort of "stretch" out of the way to gain access to that area, but the muscle thing makes a lot of sense too.
My advice to you is to take the surgery if it is an option for you. Especially if you are right handed. That's pretty much what I looked like for 3 years and it was no fun. The shoulder just never felt good being that much shorter. You lose so much strength and coordination when it is pushed in closer to your torso like that. I wish you the best of luck.Originally Posted by sinkthiscity .
Clara, I struggle to see which side was broken! I've attached a pic of me 3 weeks after my break. My range of motion seems quite good already but I'm trying not to move too much even tho I feel I want to.
Steve, I feel my break is similar to your initial X-ray. Interesting to here your still struggling. I have an appointment in a week where I am going to put forward my concerns at letting this completely heal naturally.
