broken clavicle...surgery or not?

[Dustin07]

wow. from everything I've read in the last month (wow, it was one month tomorrow that I broke it..July 5th) you have like a perfect text book break. LOL. nice job. it's cool to see that because it helps me to understand why mine is so crappy. i broke mine way closer to the shoulder and it's broke at an angle

Hope things go well for you. that fig 8 sucks for showering. that's the part that always scared me the most, having the hold your shoulders back like that.

 

[stacenut]

Hi Guys,

I fractured my right clavicle on March 16th,2006. From day one, the bone was sticking up to the point that I could put my finger underneath it. My surgeon was extremely conservative in treating it, keeping me in a sling for 5 weeks which then resulted in forming adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). He then recommended therapy, where I became too acquainted with my new torture buddy Butch. Butch and his team of 3 worked diligently on regaining my range of motion for 3 months, however my progress came to a standstill. I still could not put my arm behind my back or straighten my arm out. My doc sent me for an MRI, which showed I had a 2cm gap and many broken bone fragments floating around which were bumping into nerves and causing pain. He strongly suggested surgery, which I had on July 25th.

Although the pain during the day is much better, the pain at night is totally unbearable. I forced myself off the narcotics as they made me very sick, however the 800mg ibuprofen doesn't do it at night. I am now sipping a ballys, hoping to be lulled to sleep. I can not get comfortable to sleep, regardless of how many pillows I prop up around me. I hate sleeping on my back, however it's become a necessity again.

I have a lot of numbness around the incision and into my shoulder. He also manipulated the shoulder while in there so I reckon that's why I'm experiencing that new pain. I start PT on Monday again, I shudder just thinking about the impending pain.

I'm not sold on the surgery yet, I kind of regret it as I'm still feeling pretty bad and am back to square one. I hope to update you guys in a few months and give you a better idea of whether or not it actually was worth having.
The plate and screws are a foreign object in my body and I'm reminded every night while I try to fall asleep just how much my body is fighting it. I hope to make peace with this and finally feel like myself once again.

Thanks for all your stories though...reading them helped me to make my decision. I also wore a bone stimulator for 6 weeks and got a 2nd opinion from another surgeon, who agreed that I was a good candidate for surgery.
Good luck to you all!!

Stacey

 

[friedmikey]

Hang in there Stacey. You will get through it. I can relate on most counts - the misery of sleeping on my back, constant shuffling of pillows, the horrible narcotics and subsequent withdrawals, sensitive scar, the loss of sensation around the incision, the fragmented bone, the joys of PT, and of course, the pain. Push through it and work hard on the physical therapy to regain your range of motion.

It's been eleven months since my surgery as of this post, and for 99% of my daily activities, I've completely forgotten about the injury. I'm riding six days a week, playing tennis, softball, running, whatever... The scar is still sensitive to touch, but that's no big deal. Most of the numbness has gone away, though there's still a tiny area where I have limited sensation. In a year you'll be back to normal with a great story to tell!

 

[stacenut]

Thank you for your words of encouragement....I needed to hear a positive spin on this about right now. I will keep you posted!

Hang in there Stacey. You will get through it. I can relate on most counts - the misery of sleeping on my back, constant shuffling of pillows, the horrible narcotics and subsequent withdrawals, sensitive scar, the loss of sensation around the incision, the fragmented bone, the joys of PT, and of course, the pain. Push through it and work hard on the physical therapy to regain your range of motion.

It's been eleven months since my surgery as of this post, and for 99% of my daily activities, I've completely forgotten about the injury. I'm riding six days a week, playing tennis, softball, running, whatever... The scar is still sensitive to touch, but that's no big deal. Most of the numbness has gone away, though there's still a tiny area where I have limited sensation. In a year you'll be back to normal with a great story to tell!

 

[Dustin07]

Yeah stick with it the surgery is good choice I think. At the very least, it's an insurance policy that says you WILL heal and you WILL heal straight, although you have a different form of recovery now. But I think in some cases (as yours sounds) it's THE decision to make rather than an option.

I'm now going on 6 weeks since my crash. 3 days ago I had x-rays (4 weeks out of surgery) I'm still broken, but the plate is holding tight and the dr. was very happy about how straight everything is. I have 80-90% of my shoulder mobility back. Dr. says I can do any movement at all with no weight in it, and he's even ok with me doing arm exercises like bicep curls and triceps. just not working shoulders or chest yet.

There's almost nothing can't do with my right arm now, whereas only 3 weeks ago I couldn't even lift it 12 inches above my waste!!

it takes time and I still have a lot of numbness too... but we'll all get there eventually then we'll be healthy enough to do those things that caused us to break in the first place!! LOL

 

[Cyborg_Chippy]

I'm almost 4 weeks post sugery too and have been advised I nolonger have to wear the sling, shame really as I was getting quite use too everyone giving sympathy.

I would say I've currently got 60-65% of total movement back and it increasing every day and the muscle pain I was getting has totally disappear.. The only ****le I've got is it feels a little itchy but I've manged to resist scratching it so far..

The major thing I'm stuggling with is not going out for a ride which is killing me as I've just finshed putting my bikes back together.. With any luck next visit to the doc and he will give me the all clear for a bit of gentle road riding..

 

[Dustin07]

The major thing I'm stuggling with is not going out for a ride which is killing me as I've just finshed putting my bikes back together.. With any luck next visit to the doc and he will give me the all clear for a bit of gentle road riding..

at 4 weeks post-op the doc gave me the ok for light riding, but no hardcore bmx. even said I could start lifting weights a little (biceps and triceps).. just got back from the gym. felt great, but my endurance is WAY down and it was soooo hard to stop at just bis and tris...

 

[stacenut]

Tuesday will be 4 weeks post surgery. I must admit, I'm further along this time than 4 weeks after the initial break so I guess the surgery has been a good thing. My biggest complaint is that the plate is probably over the thinnest part of my body, my upper body is petite, so I really feel the hardware inside me. The burning has disappeared and I'm definitely moving it better. I too lost the sling while at home, however I'm supposed to wear it in public to prevent carelessness of others bumping into me.

I leave tomorrow night for Las Vegas and I'm definitely up for this trip!! Infact, I told the doc to try to straighten my arm out to make me a better craps shooter...I'll let you guys know if I was able to shoot at all with this arm yet.

Incidentally, I broke my clavicle while playing wallyball (volleyball played in a racquetball court). I play with all men and have been quite successful at it for 5 years, until my BIG BUDDY slammed me into a wall while I was making the play. I don't think I'll be returning to the sport as my hubby has been through a lot taking care of me and I've gone through most of my vacation and sick leave. I may buy a bike next year though so I can officially be part of this site!

I hope we're all on our way to a much better recovery!!

 

[BillBB]

Tuesday will be 4 weeks post surgery. I must admit, I'm further along this time than 4 weeks after the initial break so I guess the surgery has been a good thing. My biggest complaint is that the plate is probably over the thinnest part of my body, my upper body is petite, so I really feel the hardware inside me. The burning has disappeared and I'm definitely moving it better. I too lost the sling while at home, however I'm supposed to wear it in public to prevent carelessness of others bumping into me.

I leave tomorrow night for Las Vegas and I'm definitely up for this trip!! Infact, I told the doc to try to straighten my arm out to make me a better craps shooter...I'll let you guys know if I was able to shoot at all with this arm yet.

Incidentally, I broke my clavicle while playing wallyball (volleyball played in a racquetball court). I play with all men and have been quite successful at it for 5 years, until my BIG BUDDY slammed me into a wall while I was making the play. I don't think I'll be returning to the sport as my hubby has been through a lot taking care of me and I've gone through most of my vacation and sick leave. I may buy a bike next year though so I can officially be part of this site!

I hope we're all on our way to a much better recovery!!

So you're quitting walleyball because you broke your clavicle and you're going to start cycling,...(?!). This thread ("broken clavicle...surgery or not?") has 148 posts,... Hello !!

 

[meb]

So you're quitting walleyball because you broke your clavicle and you're going to start cycling,...(?!). This thread ("broken clavicle...surgery or not?") has 148 posts,... Hello !!

At least she's not throwing caution to wind with horseback riding or motocross.

 

[Dustin07]

At least she's not throwing caution to wind with horseback riding or motocross.

that's funny, as I have been sitting around waiting for my collarbone to heal for the last 6 or 7 weeks I've been shopping motorcycles considering moving up from bmx... LOL

 

[stacenut]

Hey, I missed the headliner "Lay down and die" I guess it is pretty comical but a girl has to do what's necessary to continue being active. My husband hasn't, and will not see this site!Best to you all!!

At least she's not throwing caution to wind with horseback riding or motocross.

 

[Dustin07]

Hey, I missed the headliner "Lay down and die" I guess it is pretty comical but a girl has to do what's necessary to continue being active. My husband hasn't, and will not see this site!Best to you all!!

LOL, I'm sure you'll be back to walleyball in a matter of weeks

 

[katiej]

Hi.I’ve been following this thread for a couple of weeks, wish I’d found it earlier. I fell off a horse last September but fortunately it was only soft tissue damage and no broken bones. Having just fully recovered I came off my motorbike and broke my collarbone.



I broke my collarbone 10 weeks ago. I was given a sling and told to come back in 6 weeks. In the UK they don’t use figure-8 apparently and they like to treat conservatively. The pain was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I also live on my own so every little task was a nightmare. It’s amazing how creative you get.

For the first 3-4 weeks it was really painful .The bone started to mend but what I didn’t know until 7 weeks after the break, was that the lump which appeared is not the join calcifying, but the end of the broken bone. The shoulder end has attached to the side of the chest part. My shoulder has dropped as a result. My collarbone is also thicker and higher too.

I’m extremely conscious of it (that’s an understatement) and sods law it’s where my bra strap goes so that’s aggravated it. This is one time when being ‘well blessed’ is a distinct disadvantage. A nice guy told me last night he couldn’t stop looking at it (the lump), and thought it was going to pop out or something (great, thanks mate).



I’ve been having physio for 3 weeks which is basically acupuncture and ultrasound to get the inflammation down. It was very tender and aching around the place where the bone sticks up and has joined (probably as all the muscles & ligaments have been pulled all over the place. At this stage I’m struggling to do anything which requires me to cross my arm in front of me. Like scratch the back of my left arm (right collarbone broke).

Last week I had a needle move which sent shooting pains up my chest and neck that evening, and I went out on the town the same evening. The next day I was in agony, like someone was sticking a hot poker in me. Physio say’s I did too much (dancing). I did have quite good range of motion but the muscle seems to cramp up now every time I raise my arm. Even the action of eating recruits the neck muscles which then spasm. A week later and at times I can’t even wear a seatbelt as the pain is so sharp. Getting tops off is like a comedy sketch as I fight to get things up and over my head, and I can only carry one bag of shopping as long as I don’t try and lift it in to the boot. Initially I thought I’d be fully fit within 12 weeks but I can see it’s going to be a long road.



This is a really good forum as I was seriously thinking of the surgery option to get it all back in the right place and working properly. I don’t know how misaligned it is but the xrays looked horrific. The docs want to treat conservatively and I don’t want a scar. But I want to get back to all the activities I was doing before and more. I wanted to take up scuba diving this year but I’m worried about the weight of the pack, and I was a big gym person (bodybuiding/weigh training). I was going to replace my stolen mtb. too.With everyones experiences at least I’m armed with a lot more info. thanks all.

 

[Dustin07]

I feel for you. I wanted to take up scuba this year too. and paragliding... not going to happen for a few more months probably.

Your range of motion will return eventually, and once it starts it will happen quickly. the cramps and spasms sound pretty normal. after weeks of zero use, you would expect even the slightest exercise to be painful.

If it really looks bad you might consider the surgery. within 3.5 weeks of surgery I no longer had any slings or braces of any kind and the pain is extremly mild. I stopped taking pain killers two days after surgery. I think a lot of it is because I no longer have bone pointing at wierd points in my body.

You do end up with a scar. I'll try to post a picture of mine later. it's about 5 inches long. Being a woman that may bother you more and perhaps doing it the harder way is the way to go for you... but for me, scars are like battle trophies, so I'm more likely to show it off then hide it

 

[katiej]

Thanks, I'm glad it sounds like pretty normal pains. A pic would be good if you can. I was a bit optimistic with speed of recovery.
My boss was even more optimistic when he called the day after the accident to say he was sending a lap top round, so I could do emails . 6 weeks later i still hadn't picked up any emails, couldn't get it to work from home .

 

[Dustin07]

Sorry I forgot to get that pic for you

but you could basically take a red pen and run it across your collarbone about 4-5 inches depending on how big a person you are (frame).

I'm still trying to get one though, I want one anyways

 

[mkong1]

So after some more time, I'm doing much better. One day short of exactly four weeks since the break, my ortho told me I could remove the figure 8 brace the day of my birthday, and it no longer hurts. I'm also down to taking 2 800mg ibuprofins a day. The bone still moves around a tiny bit, but it seems to be less and less everyday.

I start PT next week, and hopefully I should be back to my regular antics in 2 or 3 weeks. I'm planning on getting back to the gym hardcore, golfing, and probably skydiving. As long as it's not in Tahoe, where I hurt my knee (bursitis) 5 months before the collarbone, I think I'll be safe.

 

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