Clavicle Fracture - Plate Removal

I had my plate put in 12 years ago 18 months after the fracture due to a non-union. I was in my late forties at the time and it was the second fracture I had sustained on my right clavicle (!) The first had healed naturally.

I still get occasional pain at the site but not constant-usually after events such as using a heavy hammer. I had a long conversation with the surgeon who put the plate in regarding its removal. To cut it short, he said that for me the benefits of removal were not significant enough to warrant the risk of removal. The risks involve possible nerve damage, infection and as the holes from the screws in my case would have  had to be filled with bone fragments from a donor site to hopefully strengthen the clavicle eg,  from the hip this risk  is doubled. It may be in the past decade things have moved on.

As a well known specialist who operates on a lot of  professional sports people he said that if I were younger and/or at major risk of having a further bad fall ( the plate can make the clavicle rigid enough to cause problems at the inner ends which is potentially much more serious) he would probably recommend removal.
If it were me I would leave it a while and see, but perhaps you could ask the orthopaedic team?

From what I know this is not a clear cut decision as jimw says.  Its all about balance of risks, amount of pain / discomfort from the plate and the precise nature of the injury. I would leave it a few more months personally then ask for the orthopedic review

I never got the plate due to being 2x for the op but no bed each day so no plate and still have a gap and a wee lump  slightly pushing up . I was offered 4 months down the line to get it plated but the risk they said with major artery nearby not worth it as I can do physically all I could do before. Consultant had me back in to show the young doctors you can live with a broken clavicle. It was also said to me about going over the bars again with a plate is often not good , 12 years on no pain whatsoever but nowhere near as fit

Thanks both; I've spoken to the fracture clinic team and their advice was pretty much the same. Wait and see with the pain versus the risk of another operation that should be avoided where possible. plus extra recovery time.

I suppose my main concern is being left with long term pain/complications. I'm not of the mind of it stopping me at the moment.

Timely as mine has just started giving me jip after 2 years.
It's still pretty numb in the general area but the inside is giving stabbing pains.
I'll live with it for now, the thought of trying to see a doctor these days is more than my patience can bear.

13yrs since I had mine plated and I get a few twinges from it but not alot of pain. It depends what I'm doing but mostly I can do most things still. I've thought about having it removed but it just doesn't give me too much pain to bother.

My plate was in an odd position which meant it both protruded at the shoulder and twanged my neck muscle, so I was keen to have it removed.  I waited a year and it was ok, but the surgeon made a point of shaving the bone and filling all 11 screw holes for added strength, although it would not completely fill it'd provide additional structure.  12 years on and it's completely fine.  However, I had a plate in my wrist last week and the advice is to keep it in.  I would probably bear it as long as possible and if it bothers you seek removal.

I broke mine in late 2019 in Mallorca and had the plate put in there to hold the bits together. I flew home a few days later and the next day went to the fracture clinic at King's College Hospital in London to get checked out (and for all the after-care stitch removal etc.).

The surgeon I saw there was pretty critical of the job the "butcher" in Mallorca had done - the plate was on the forward-upward facing edge of the bone and a couple of the screws had been left sticking out slightly so he told me to expect some uncomfortable scarring but to give his office a call if it was still problematic nine months on.

As mobility improved and swelling subsided I found that the prominent screws were a bit of a problem - it would be sore if I was wearing a seatbelt, or especially a rucksack.

So I gave them a call and had a follow-up appointment and re-X-ray and (after several Covid tests - this was early 2021) had surgery to take out the plate and remove some lumpy scar tissue.

It felt better almost straight away. I was warned that the bone would still be fragile for a few months as the screw holes would take a while to fill in, but it felt "free-er" probably because the scar tissue was removed as well. It took only a couple of weeks for the swelling and redness to die down and I think I was comfortably wearing rucksacks a month later. I was very grateful for an NHS that made this possible!

It's not necessarily the plate or the screws that are causing the pain. I'd be making sure I've given strengthening exercises a really effective try first, as having a 2nd op is a bit of a roll of the dice- it may make things better, but it also may makes things worse

For sure - strength exercises as per hospital and physio done to death. Got my self in to better condition/fitness that before the accident. As Pierre has mention the scar tissue could be a problem and as it sounds a similar position of plate for me. The pain is very much at the screw positions.

I've got more physio and deep tissue massage coming up so hoping to release some tension in the neck/shoulder etc.

I had mine done in 2008. It took ~3 years to get full feeling back in the surgery area presumably due to cutting of nerves. I also had the bonus post op DVT so as there's no issue with pokey out bits, there's no reason to go back and start excavating again. I still can't sleep on my front but otherwise don't know it's in there.

You should have a very compelling reason to consider having it removed.

Oh, and I had the chat about bone filler. Mine went:

Me: 'you're not excavating my hip'

Butcher: 'we'll do your rib then'

Me: 'you're not doing my rib'

Butcher: 'ahh, OK. We'll use donated bone then (AKA dead man's bones)'

Me: 'chop chop what are you waiting for etc...'

I had mine removed after about 18 months because it was very near the surface where my rucksac straps always are, and the docs were worried it could cause skin problems. Taken out, no trouble, well worth it for me.

Had mine plated in 2006. The skin around the surgery area is still numb from nerve damage. I still get the odd twinge from the plate, especially if I try to lift something really heavy. Like, for example, attempting to bicep-curl a person off the floor*.

I think it was a bit more twingey for a few years after the surgery. Things sort of settled down after that. I guess everyone is different, but from my experience you could be looking at 3-4 years before things truly settle down and you know what you are living with long term.

* Drunk in a pub, seemed like a good idea.

Thought I was going to have mine out because it hurt lots, couldn’t carry heavy rucksacks etc 1-2 years after plating. But then one day I realised it was no longer too bad and after a few years I could no longer feel it all.

My clavicle wasn't plated but healed with a bump on the bone which was painful for a year or so and affected carrying a rucksac for 5-10 years. I haven't noticed it since. I have a plate on my tibia which rubbed on my boot for a year or so but I can't even tell where it is now, I suspect the bone has grown round it.

I'm three years in from a plate.
Still hurts but is very slowly getting better.
I now have all of the feeling back in the area that was numb due to nerve damage.
Even though it still hurts I'd not go through another op to have it removed. Just doesn't seem worth it to me.

I still can't touch the plate with my fingers fully as it freaks me a little when I can feel the screw heads under my skin.

I've had mine in for a decade, and all good. Can carry heavy backpacks and have crashed again on that side plenty of times. Tiny bit of numbness at the site but no discomfort at all. Will probably leave it in there for the rest of my days.