broken clavicle...surgery or not?
- Thread starter James Thomas
- Start date
Hey All,
Just checking in on everyone. I am now finally without any sutures or bandages and have started doing physio ROM exercises and using the treadmill to get my blood flowing again.
I still have a lot of sensitivity around the area and wearing a shirt is annoying most of the time. It's been just a bit under 4 weeks since I had the second surgery so I guess I should give it another month before things will calm down as far as that feeling goes. I've been rubbing some Bio-Oil on my scar twice a day to moisturize it and it makes it feel a lot better. Will probably continue this for a few months just to kick things off in the right direction.
My goal is to get back to playing golf this summer. Hopefully in July or August. I will update with my progress on that and let everyone know if I am successful.
B
Just checking in on everyone. I am now finally without any sutures or bandages and have started doing physio ROM exercises and using the treadmill to get my blood flowing again.
I still have a lot of sensitivity around the area and wearing a shirt is annoying most of the time. It's been just a bit under 4 weeks since I had the second surgery so I guess I should give it another month before things will calm down as far as that feeling goes. I've been rubbing some Bio-Oil on my scar twice a day to moisturize it and it makes it feel a lot better. Will probably continue this for a few months just to kick things off in the right direction.
My goal is to get back to playing golf this summer. Hopefully in July or August. I will update with my progress on that and let everyone know if I am successful.
B
ROM exercise are not necessary, you don't have a problem with tendons or rotator cuff, I believe know you can lift your arm straight up without problem, just use it and the muscles will reactivate. I still feel the numbness but now I realize that I must have the plate removed when the time comes anyway because the bone can't bond together with the surrounding muscles and this is the cause of that unpleasant feeling what month do you want to play golf?bsbs1876 said:
I have started using the arm a lot for everyday thins and I can kinda feel the muscles coming back but it's still pretty weak. The numbness doesn't really bother me at all and it gets better with time. Not sure if its the plate causing problems yet either. I have a feeling it's nerves of incision related that is causing the discomfort I have with clothing especially heavier winter coats and whatnot. I am aiming to golf by July or August. Most likely August.
Weirdest thing for me right now is how bony and hard the shoulder feels. Is that tightness or just because all the muscle is gone? Haha it's so odd! I feel like it is kind of getting better each day though.
I am starting to embrace my new scar too. My girlfriend thinks its sexy
I am starting to embrace my new scar too. My girlfriend thinks its sexy
can you realize that you had an operation and your muscles were cut wide open? and this has disrupted the normal blood flow through out them? and that it is blood that feeds the muscles? and that it takes some time probably months until the normal flow returns? your muscles will return to normal size, I can feel mine getting stronger every week I believe you will be able to play golf in August but I doubt you will be back to your best performance yet, you need more time but it works differently to each of us
It was not my intention to hurt you and you remember my support before your surgery, just wanted to defuse your frustration but ok your case is different than mine, since your accident there has been over three years passed. your muscles have recovered from the crash something that it is not true for me, I still feel them numb probably you have a faster recovery curve,
Hahaha, I am just kidding. Where's the SARCASM button on this keyboard?
I'm not sure that my recovery is that much faster than anyone else's because my body got so used to having the muscles and bone in a different spot for 3 years and now that they are back in the normal spot it is confused or something. My physiotherapist says things are moving very fast though. I have a full 180 degrees but with some slight discomfort. I went for my first 3k run outside yesterday (in 30 degrees F weather - thanks Canada) and it felt great. No weights yet of course and I will be waiting at least another month before I begin light resistance.
Just saw my doctor for my 7 week follow up. He says the plate might come out in 6 months if the bone is healed. Either "6 or 8 or 9" it all depends. Seems kinda early to me though. Gotta trust the doc I guess.
On another note, he says he sees very little bone growth on the x ray so far so he is telling me to take it easy and not run outdoors. I can't stand sitting still like this. 7 weeks since plate installed I would think I can stay fit and go for jogs. I'm not the surgeon though I guess! I'll take it easy for another few weeks I suppose.
On another note, he says he sees very little bone growth on the x ray so far so he is telling me to take it easy and not run outdoors. I can't stand sitting still like this. 7 weeks since plate installed I would think I can stay fit and go for jogs. I'm not the surgeon though I guess! I'll take it easy for another few weeks I suppose.
I went to see my doctor today and it is the 6 week mark. X-rays looked good, he said its healed. I forgot to take a picture of the x-ray. I was thinking I'd be golfing in a couple months and when I asked how long until I can golf he said if it's nice out tomorrow you can golf lol I think I'm still gonna wait a few weeks though at least.
That's crazy! I haven't been given that clearance to golf until the 3 month or more mark. I guess every doctor works differently though. I have full 180 degrees ROM but with some stiffness still. Overall the shoulder feels alright but I don't think I would chance it by going out and swinging a golf club this soon. That plate could break in half or the screws could start coming out. I would recommend that you wait it out a bit longer and not golf just yet, rookie1286.
The Story..
4 weeks ago was in a high speed auto crash. Concussion, broken sternum, 12 broken ribs, fractured knee caps, fractured and swollen vertebrae, neck trauma, and yes the inevitable clavicle break. I was considered a trauma II, had a hard time breathing, and at one point they were going to put a tube in my chest. Fortunatley, I got through the ER period but the next two weeks where pretty rough fighting off pnuemonia and totally immobilized on my back.
I didn't really care to much about the collarbone break because it was a nice clean break and barely displaced. However, around week 3 it started to hurt somewhat when all the other injuries started to lighten up, and I realized that my shoulders had always been crucial in my life. I had been a landscape contractor and competitive swimmer and had been training for the Master Nationals in L.A. this summer before the accident. Therefore, I got another x-ray and sure enough the clavicle bone had shifted to around a 100% displacement. Dang!
I was game for having a plate and screw job but the Doc seemed really pushy, short on time, and he scheduled me for the operation only two days after my appointment. But, that weekend I was just feeling to sick with all the other injuries, had not had time to research the collar bone or the Ortho Doc and had no idea how much the liability limits were for the woman who hit me. O and the Doc could not pin down a price for the operation..he said somewhere between $20k-$40K. Ouch!
Since, then I learned I will be getting a six figure settlement, but, since the two day stay in the hospital was $40K and the operation was an unknown I have gravitated towards the camp of lets wait and see. I have now just about got all ROM but it still pinches somewhat. This weekend I am going up to a brand new hot springs and try a little swimming. We used to have a little saying back in me ole competitive swimming days. "No matter what is wrong with you just get back into the pool and swim through it." I wonder if that truism will work on this injury.
Lastly, if it does not make a union I will most likely go down to California and have the Sonoma Crx methode done. It seems to be less intrusive, smaller scar, easier to take out, and you do not have to carry a hardware store around with you everyday on the top of your collar bone..
Sideways..
4 weeks ago was in a high speed auto crash. Concussion, broken sternum, 12 broken ribs, fractured knee caps, fractured and swollen vertebrae, neck trauma, and yes the inevitable clavicle break. I was considered a trauma II, had a hard time breathing, and at one point they were going to put a tube in my chest. Fortunatley, I got through the ER period but the next two weeks where pretty rough fighting off pnuemonia and totally immobilized on my back.
I didn't really care to much about the collarbone break because it was a nice clean break and barely displaced. However, around week 3 it started to hurt somewhat when all the other injuries started to lighten up, and I realized that my shoulders had always been crucial in my life. I had been a landscape contractor and competitive swimmer and had been training for the Master Nationals in L.A. this summer before the accident. Therefore, I got another x-ray and sure enough the clavicle bone had shifted to around a 100% displacement. Dang!
I was game for having a plate and screw job but the Doc seemed really pushy, short on time, and he scheduled me for the operation only two days after my appointment. But, that weekend I was just feeling to sick with all the other injuries, had not had time to research the collar bone or the Ortho Doc and had no idea how much the liability limits were for the woman who hit me. O and the Doc could not pin down a price for the operation..he said somewhere between $20k-$40K. Ouch!
Since, then I learned I will be getting a six figure settlement, but, since the two day stay in the hospital was $40K and the operation was an unknown I have gravitated towards the camp of lets wait and see. I have now just about got all ROM but it still pinches somewhat. This weekend I am going up to a brand new hot springs and try a little swimming. We used to have a little saying back in me ole competitive swimming days. "No matter what is wrong with you just get back into the pool and swim through it." I wonder if that truism will work on this injury.
Lastly, if it does not make a union I will most likely go down to California and have the Sonoma Crx methode done. It seems to be less intrusive, smaller scar, easier to take out, and you do not have to carry a hardware store around with you everyday on the top of your collar bone..
Sideways..
Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about all of the injuries you sustained. There are many people in this thread who can relate to the shoulder experience you are going through.
I had a plate and 10 screws installed 7 weeks ago and I feel a bit better each day. I mentioned the PIN method (Sonoma is one) to my surgeon but he says it's a bad idea. He said it does not control the rotation of the shoulder well at all and is prone to many different complications of the bone healing. My scar is pretty long across my shoulder but I think form and proper skeletal alignment is a lot more important than that. I had a pretty crooked and short collar bone before surgery and that's uglier than a scar which should fade with time.
pnkcoral, sorry to hear about your multiple injuries, Don't worry about your CB, it can be fixed perfectly with a routine surgery. It will not heel correctly without a surgery and of course your swimming abilities will not be the same, but as I said 3 with surgery you will be the same as before. What about all other fractures? Your sternum? your ribs? your knee caps? your vertebrae? your neck? How serious are they? and what about your shoulders? you must be quite lucky you did not have any shoulder dislocation.
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