[Closed] Collarbone Advice

If I do mine for a third time I'll be going to Norwich for electromagnets and witchcraft. Would have last time had I known about it.

Can't link from phone, but sure someone else will clarify what I'm on about

Edit: I lied.. http://www.physioclinic.net/
Sounds like bollox, works like a charm - apparently

It's Ipswich rather than Norwich 🙂

But go anyway

I did, would do again

Give them a call, they'll ask to see that xray... send it over and see what they say.

Both shitholes

Not that I've been to either...

I'm in the north-west and unable to drive! So Ipswich is a bit impractical... What does this place do?

G

I broke mine 19th Aug last year. Was advised not to get anything done to it. Still can't sleep on the broken side. No climbing, or biking, can't carry a rucksack, or shopping bags and still have numbness in my little and ring finger (as well as tricep!).

I hope you have better luck!

My xray for fun... http://imgur.com/MjS9LEj

Did mine 10 years ago. I was quite surprised how quickly the pain went from absolute agony to not too bad, really. The worst moment was having a [url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk ]falling dream[/url] the day after my accident - a full body twitch when one collarbone is in multiple pieces isn't nice!

My only real advice would be to see a physio fairly soon. The fracture clinic I went to didn't think this was necessary, so I didn't. In the years following the injured shoulder's muscles are prone to aches, probably because the reshaped collarbone means they're not in the positions they expect to be anymore.

my only advice is to keep on top of pestering for physio once it has started knitting. My physio started too late and I ended up with a frozen shoulder, it was several months before I could move my shoulder enough to ride again, and I still don't have full movement in the shoulder.

oh and do you have a decent sling? All I got from the NHS was a bit of collar and cuff and a safety pin. Had a better one knitted for me though.

Did mine a couple of years ago and at first I was told it would be operated on, then the senior consultant said to leave it to heal naturally (cost savings no doubt).

To be honest it wasn't as painful as people warned me about and hasn't given me huge grief since. I have the expected parrot perch and occasionally it can be uncomfortable wearing a heavy rucksack but it's not affected my cycling or any other activities. Give it another 10 years and it might 🙁

Worth bearing in mind I did not ride a bike (other than a turbo trainer...once) for 3 months. I let it heal and did my physio.

NHS will never advocate plating; their approach has always been let's wait and see if it works without and then do surgery later if it doesn't. There might not be anything inherently wrong with that, other than potentially doubling your recovery period.

Avoiding surgery you don't need is the advice I've always had. But when I broke both my collar bones, they were severly displaced. That is when it makes more sense to plate as you restore the bone to its original length. Overlaps are where the problems arise. As it was explained to me by a shoulder specialist, it can impact your posture and your back because the shortening of the bone pulls your arm forward.

Your break doesn't look displaced much at all. But it will still hurt for about a week to ten days. Keep taking your pain mediaction. That is what it is there for. I was given co-codomol in full horse size doses and it worked a treat (but it does make you consitpated).

After about 10 days it stops hurting and you can go about your day without too much discomfort. Just keep it well protected.

I've got the full poly-sling with velcro straps over-the-shoulder and round-the-back. seems to hold it quite well...

I've had 3 ortho consultants advise against pinning, and whilst the first one seemed a bit dithery, the second and third opinions have settled my mind a bit.

Like I said, the worst bit is lowering myself onto my back to sleep, and then getting up in the morning without the aid of painkillers!

A lot of that pain seems to be coming from badly bruised ribs so I'm hoping that will ease soon.

It was a 40mph crash - badly repaired road bucked me off - so every joint is bruised, twisted or whiplashed!

[edit] Thanks Geetee, I'm "codiene intollerant" so cocopops are off the menu. I've been prescribed Tramodol for emergencies but I'm trying to cope with ibu/para...

They filled me with Morphine in the ambulance which was OK... I was violently sick but I'm not sure if it was shock, pain, the concussion, the morph or all-of-the-above that caused that!!

Sleep in an armchair for a couple of weeks. Preferably longer, to mitigate the chances of rolling and snapping again before it's properly strong enough.

I didn't try it myself, but I hear a figure of 8 brace is good for getting it to heal it the correct place.

Did mine a little over 3 weeks ago. Similar break to yours but also had a 1.5cm piece snapped off the one piece so was free floating. For some reason it has never been painful, (pushed my bike down off the hill and rode one handed for 3 miles after breaking it). Was able to ride quad after less than a week and have been happily driving the tractor for past 2 weeks. Have done several sessions on the turbo and had first gentle bike ride yesterday. Going out again now too. I was keen to get it plated but like you was talked out of it. I can still feel the injury, it is a constant dull feeling there, but I have pretty mush a full range of movement now, except in extremis. Sleeping on that side still not really and option. There are a few good youtube videos to help you with recovery and a good NHS brochure as pdf that gives some advice. If any one thing has been evident for me with this injury it is the complete lack of information and advice offered at any stage by the medical professionals out there. It really is a case of if you don't ask, you will be told nothing. A bit sad really.

If I remember righty ... I'm sure I heard from the guys in ipswich there is another place in manchester offering this treatment...

But...

On the basis that none of the Manc lads have ever mentioned it... I'm not so sure ... sorry I cant remember... maybe give ipswich a call and ask them.

It's lasers and magnets to get the bone healing itself quicker... but more than that it's their excellent excellent knowledge (they have seen every type of break before) as well and the advice they give you.... (ditch the antinflammatories get it out of the sling and use it... etc etc)

Hey... Polish pro motornbike racer get over to ipswich for 24hour, have a couple of treatments and are back racing the next weekend

Good Luck

Cheers farmer, I'll look up those vids and leaflets you mentioned. Thanks, hope I recover as quickly!

How old are you by the way? I'm 41..

Enjoy the nice bump! Did mine in Jan along with a broken elbow that got plated. Just keep it still. A sling is comfy but I didn't have one for a few weeks as my arm was in a straight cast grrr.

gastsby,

where abouts in the NW are you ?

my break looked very similar to yours & I too was successfully advised against pinning. It was the correct solution for me I believe.

Anyway back to location.
Whatever else you do get yourself to a private physio now.
he will give you exercises to do immediately

I went to a sports physio in Bury - Bartek 07922863860
Can't reccoemend him enough.

I'm in the Preston area, the crash was on the decent off Boundary a Fell in the a Trough of Bowland.

Funnily enough, some people from Bury lent me a blanket, put me in their van and drove me to the mountain rescue centre as we were struggling to make contact with the emergency services. They even took my bike to a local cafe so it could be collected later by a club mate. Can't thank them enough!!

good luck

To repeat - do get a physio asap.
You need to start the micro movement exercises as soon as possible,
& build up from there.

If any one thing has been evident for me with this injury it is the complete lack of information and advice offered at any stage by the medical professionals out there.

My experience too. I broke mine in France and the doctor there told me that surgery was required, and it needed doing quickly. I headed back to the UK rather than be operated on in France, but on contacting a GP got no examination or guidance whatsoever, and about 2 weeks until a fracture clinic visit. As I'd been effectively told to worry by the French doctor, but my GP hadn't done anything, I ended up in A&E thinking I was in some sort of race against time...

It was the nurse in A&E who set my mind at ease, simply by showing me some other XRays of collarbones that had been left untreated, and telling me a bit about the process. However, if the initial contact with the NHS had explained their treatment policy, and why an operation wasn't required, I'd have accepted it and saved time and money.

In the end I was very glad not to have surgery, as it healed OK albeit over a period of about 5 months. Was just frustrating not to have basic explanations. No physio offered (or recommended) either.

I reckon this prob needs pinning! If it can be strapped properly, as in brought in line and held there then ought to be ok. The Europeans have a different approach to collar bone breaks, wanting to get them aligned and held and if this can't be done with straps or a shoulder butterfly bandage ie. Figure of 8, then they pin.
Over here they are not keen and just leave them!!
I've broken three and really encourage you to pester them into pinning. Mine overlap and give no end of grief, shoulders aren't aligned so arms don't move properly or through equal movements and the shoulders are significantly different widths and levels.
Good luck with and I hope it get sorted appropriately.

Here's mine - bust Feb 2014

[img] [/img]

An utterly pathetic crash involving plenty of enthusiasm, running out of skill, and clipping a fence on the 4 mile commute home from work.

NHS were (for balance) really helpful. A&E staff really good fun. In a sling for 8 weeks, then slowly slowly use it and gain the mobility back. No pinning and a nice clean heal - looking at some of the other posts perhaps I was fortunate.

Yes, taking things on and off was horrible for a number of weeks. Soft tissues take a long while to recover and to be honest if I spend hours on the really lumpy off road (e.g. smashing over many rocks) then the shoulder aches quite a lot!

still - got a new singlespeed and love riding that - if I had issues then I would feel differently I am sure 🙂 I have a full range of movement too. The shoulder joint is amazingly tolerant, even with a massive bone overlap!

I guess every case is different. talk to your GP as time goes on. enjoy the sympathy. Hope you heal quickly and well.

TM

Gatsby, I am 48, so there is hope for a young un like you to recover quicker! Did 7 miles tonight, all offroad with some single track and a few rocky bits. Maybe a bit daft less than 4 weeks after the break but it feels good and stable and I didn't take any risks, i.e. I got off and walked over the roughest bits where normally I would have had a go.

Just as an example of NHS treatment here. I went to A&E in a nice soft sling knowing it was broken (I am advanced first aider and carry a trianglar bandage in my pack). Xray was used to confirm it was broken (Cominuted) and my sling was replaced with a cheap linen sling that was nothing like as comfy as my one. No advice given as to how long to wear sling, whether to sleep with it on or not, etc, and an appointment with fracture clinic for 4 days time. At fracture clinic consultant tells me it is broken and sends me to have a nice comfy padded sling fitted. Now why could I have not had that sling in A&E, which was about 50 metres away from outpatients, on the day of the breakage???

And that was the total amount of information and post accidnet care and advice I have had to date.

Mind you, I did get 60 co-codamol tablets and have only used 5 in total 🙂

I think I had a better nhs experience than most! The paramedics were fantastic, they even came back to see me at the end if their shift... Felt like I was in an episode of Casualty!!

I got a referral for the frac clinic for the following day, in and out - including X-rays - in an hour.

The only blip was a very young and inexperienced nurse fitted the sling without dressing a particularly deep wound on my elbow so my girlfriend had to remove the sling (big ouch), clean it out and dress it before refitting.

They took me to Lancaster infirmary - my only other hospital experiences have been at Preston - and I have to say, if you're gonna get off a bike at 40mph, do it near Lancaster!!!

Mrs MR was twice recommended to 'leave' a clavicle fracture (5 parts) until past a month in agony when we demanded a second opinion (both NHS). Eventually they took a third X ray, this time from a useful angle. Ended up plated but with ongoing serious shoulder problems and resultant arthritis. It was a particularly bad break (poking out nearly breaking the skin) and she has early osteoporosis/migratory osteolysis - so guessing not a similar situation to OP. Second opinions can't hurt tho...good luck.

Broke my left collar three weeks ago.
Fracture clinc two weeks ago
Plate and four pins one week ago
Back on bike if heals in 2016

Felt miserable until I saw what others were in hospital for and then had a reality check

I did mine 3 years ago and was given the option of getting It plated or healing naturally . I got it plated after a week and was back on my bike after 5 weeks. The only advice I would give is DO the exercises as I didn't and my muscles on the broken side were way weaker and meant I crashed a couple of times as my left hand side was pretty weak.
The only real grief I get is in the winter when the plate can get a bit niggly with the cold weather like arthritis I spose. For the record I did my ligaments in my shoulder and the pain was excruciating compared to a collarbone break.

Did mine a couple of years ago, very similar x-ray to the OP. Consultant didn't want to plate it. First few days were agony but eased off fairly quickly. Was on the turbo within 9 days and back on the road bike after 4 weeks, but very cautious. Racing after 6 weeks but confidence was severly knocked.

I broke mine in mid-August last year and my experience is slightly different to most above - I had mine plated and would do so again in a heartbeat. Ok, it was a bit worse than yours judging by the x-ray but three days after the op (itself four days after the crash) I had full movement, painful granted, and a couple of days after that was riding on the turbo. I was back racing after two months with no ill-effects whatsoever other than a slight modification to my bike carrying technique for CX.
It's not for everyone and obviously carries some risks. My NHS experience up to and including the op was faultless, immediately post op terrible (no info, sent home with insufficient painkillers over a BH weekend, and so on), then phsyio/follow-ups faultless again.

Edit - Also knackered a ligament in the crash and had an artificial one fitted, it was that which determined that I had to be more careful than I would've been if it was just the break/plate to worry about.

Natural healer here.
Bust after a simple over the bars.
If you are not happy/ want a 2nd opinion then go and get it.
Mine seemed to bond back together. Back on my bike in a month.
Big lump now, but no problems and I use my shoulders a lot..

Gatsby,

Bust mine in de 2013, same day as Schumi has his crash. The bone was in three pieces and I also had a punctured/collapsed lung and a 10cms tear in my liver.

Saw a great guy called Jepson in Northampton - he's a specialist in upper limb injuries. I had to wait 6 weeks before the op (for the lung to heal enough to tolerate air being forced in whilst under a general).

I got back on the bike in the middle of May but this was mostly due to the healing time for my liver tear (they were worried about the tear opening and extending, if I came off again.

The main advantages to the pinning are that the shoulder retained its original shape and I was able to move easily straight after the surgery. This means no frozen shoulder, which speeds recovery a lot. If a broke my clavical again I wouldn't hesitate to have it plated- you're not on this planet for long and it gets you back on the bike much quicker (as well as giving you a definite time scale).

Just one thing, do your absolute best not to take the tramadol - it's an evil drug, with horrible side effects. Just goggle ' weaning off tramadol' if you need convincing !

Good luck 🙂

NHS will never advocate plating; their approach has always been let's wait and see if it works without and then do surgery later if it doesn't.

Edit: I lied.. http://www.physioclinic.net/
Sounds like bollox, works like a charm - apparently

+1 for these guys, thankfully never had to use their services but my mate has been down there a few times after 150+ mph dismounts and they keep putting him back together pretty well.

He's from the North west so goes down for a couple of days of treatment at a time.

Latest fun and games is that his back ache turned out to be a couple of cracked vertebrae.

Mine broke near the shoulder, and had a free-floating shard of bone, plus it had detached from the sternum. I was surprised when the A&E Doc told me they weren't likely to plate it. However, half an hour later I was visited by an orthopaedic consultant who told me he would plate it if I wanted him to. Advantages were a greatly reduced recovery time, disadvantages were of course the risks associated with a general anaesthetic, and the fact that the plating op would immediately sever a nerve which leaves the area numb. He also told me the free-floating shard was likely to be a nuisance if it wasn't plated. The duty surgeon the next morning was an upper limb expert, so he reckoned I was in good hands. I opted for plating.

Seven weeks later and it's much better. I still get a bit of pain, but I take 60mg codeine and 1000mg paracetamol three or four times a day for my hip anyway, so I don't know how painful it would be without the codeine. The skin is completely without sensation all around the AC joint, as promised.

A 14 day X-ray showed no signs of bone repair, but I go again in a couple of weeks' time, so fingers crossed.

I have broken mine several times as a kid and young adult and I second the advice about sleeping in comfy chair or propped up with pillows around you. Waking due to searing pain as you have moved in your sleep is not nice.
I have managed to get away without surgery but was told last time that if I break it again it will require it. The only real issues are that my trap over that shoulder is a bit smaller. Other people probably dont notice but I do. I am led to believe that the figure of 8 straps are excellent but medical advice has probably moved on quite a bit.

I have an op in July, after 12 months it hadn't healed properly. Just get it sorted quickly, if the ends of the bone are left too long it will never heal. I am having a bone graft to try and fix mine.

Mrs FD took a look at OP's X-ray and said within a second or two she wouldn't operate. In less technical language than was explained to me, unless the fracture is more than 2cm overlapped or separated, or closer to the shoulder, they won't operate.

Bugger all to do with saving money, just about the best, safest outcome for the patient!

BA Nana - BRI or Airedale?

Natural healer here,mine was in 3 bits but reasonably well aligned,so I was happy to wait wand see,healed rapidly,refered to physio and started after 3 weeks,healed well,only thing I did different was eat a can of sardines a day for calcium,and took cod liver oil capsules and zinc and magnesium supplements,probably made no difference,but made me feel better 😆

I broke mine a couple of years ago. Carried on riding for another 25 miles, got showered and changed then took myself off to A&E.
The most painful part of that was trying to take my base layer off and put a T-shirt on. The second most painful was the jolty bouncy bus ride to hospital!

They left it to heal naturally although it still gives me occasional aches and I'm prone to seized back muscles every once in a while. Fortunately I also know an excellent physio and I'm flexible enough that any damage is minimal.

A&E and the ongoing care from fracture clinic were both excellent. I was back on a bike within 10 days although it took another couple of weeks to get back to full fitness.

They treat on a case-by-case basis. I was discussing it with the head physio at Team GB, he said all their cyclists get broken collar bones pinned/plated as standard. Guess it makes sense for a pro athlete.

Crazy legs that surprises me about team GB. Surgery has risks, why would you operate on a simple fracture. If you put a plate in and then fall again you are at risk of causing more problems as the metal work is significantly stronger than bone and could make a right mess.

I've broken my left twice and my right once. The left one was left to repair naturally and seemed to do so ok. About a year later, I had a very minor dismount and it broke in the same places again. I had it plated and was road riding within a week.

I'd opt (insist) on plating as the result is much more certain though there are risks (I had a post op DVT) and beware of the procedure. They harvest bone from your hip/rib if you let em. I opted for 'donated bone' to avoid the additional excavations...

Beware Cocodamol (constipation) and Tramadol (terrible cold turkey). I've recently come off max doses of Tramadol for a back injury and the cold turkey was horrible.

If you're insured, get a referral and get it plated. If not insured, create merry hell until the NHS do it.

Good luck.

<edit> This is who I saw after contacting British Cycling: [url= http://www.fortiusclinic.com/specialists/professor-cathy-speed ] Cathy Speed [/url] I was under the knife within 48hrs of her consultation.

I Broke mine last march into 3 pieces cracked 2 ribs in my chest and 3 on my side. The a&e department were pretty poor for me quick x-ray to confirm break and then they sent me away with no pain killers or decent sling.
On the way out I begged the receptionist to book me an appointment with the fracture clinic which she could only get 6 days later.
After 2 days I had lost the use of my fingers in my right hand and had shooting pains in my arm.
By the time I met the specialist I could hardly move my arm. I had some more X-rays carried out on the Thursday morning and he confirmed the break needed plating asap due to nerve damage caused by the location of the bone fragments. The next morning I was in for surgery 7 screws and a nice plate to hold everything back together.
He confirmed I should of had the operation on the day of the accident.

Seems NHS treatment depends on where you are. Wife had a broken and displaced collarbone from an incident on a drop.
Was pinned and plated 4 days later.
Physio and treatment and she was back riding after 6 weeks

BA Nana - BRI or Airedale?

broke mine on the 23rd april near the sternoclavicular joint, also dislocating it. wasn't a bad break, still in line so no plating. The left the dislocation. I did ribs on the left side as well and thats what has been the most painful. I had probably had 90% movement in my arm afterwards (no weight bearing though) and I've got 100% now and more weight bearing but not back to full strength mainly because of not using the arm much. most of the pain is most likely down to soft tissue damage.

I got a decent sling and 30/500 co-codamol to take. gave up on the pain killers after a couple of weeks. most painfull part was sleeping as I could only be on my back. Was pretty stiff and painful in the morning but i'm much better now. still waiting to see physio.

I broke mine into 3 pieces in April, had surgery in may and am 3 rides back into mtb, a month back on the road. It looks like that will heal nicely as it isn't that displaced. The first couple of weeks are the worst as bo matter what you tell yourself you haven't accepted your fate; your off the bike for a few weeks. It does get better, I waited two weeks for the op and did a couple of sessions on the turbo. After the op I did nothing for a fortnight but either way it will start to get better and better.

Have a break, focus on something else and make your main objective a full recovery. It does get easier in time as you will resign yourself to getting better before getting fit.

It's easier said than done but try not to to ask online / read every thread on collarbone recovery under the sun; only you know how you feel, if you felt you could ride you'd already be out on your bike, not asking online. I spent countless hours reading advice and thinking about when I could ride, no good will come of it.

Hope your recovery is quick and uncomplicated. Genuine rest will make this more likely.

Did mine two weeks ago. Fast fall over the top just managed to get my arm in as I have two plates in that from footy accident 18 yrs ago but just hit the deck so hard with shoulder and neck that collar bone smashed into a few bits. A&E we ok at worcester that night but fracture clinic on the Monday were very reassuring that it was well enough aligned to heal without op. Pushed quite hard with the consultant on this as have private insurance so would rather plate sooner rather than two months down the line.

It's now stopped clicking around and the ribs have calmed down enough to get some sleep. So now I'm just wallowing in the self pity of missing out on my first Alps biking next Saturday. Decided to go and enjoy the mountains as best I can with a few walks and lift rides and join the boys for banter at the end of the days. Only 4 nights mind you.

Came off the codamol after four nights as it's not great for the insides and not a great combination with badly bruised ribs without going into graphic detail! Ibuprofen still helping take the edge off.

Looking at the figure of 8 thing it doesn't seem to sold the arm at all just pull the shoulder back is that right?

Team GB, he said all their cyclists get broken collar bones pinned/plated as standard. Guess it makes sense for a pro athlete.

Some pro teams have also pumped their riders full of drugs and done blood transfusions, doesn't mean what they do for results is the best thing for you!

Agree with Bright.
Try not to google injury, only two clicks away from leprosy.
Try to accept the injury and focus on the whole recovery rather than premature return to cycling.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement, it's good to hear other people's experiences even if all it proves is what a wide range if variables there are!

I spoke to a friend who's a GP who recently specialised in sports injuries. He said universal plating for athletes is dictated by sponsors' needs rather than medical need. In my case, there's around a 5% chance the bones won't knit... That 5% is too much risk for a pro!

Interestingly, he said that they've moved away from plating on jockeys - the fall off so often that future breaks are inevitable. If they're plated, the clavicle doesn't break and it separates their AC joint which takes longer to repair!

I've managed to avoid opioid painkillers and I'm trying to reduce the ibu/paras as I'm getting the old "painkiller gut"!

It's a week since the accident now, and my ribs and whiplash are settling down, and I'm back at the fracture clinic on Tuesday. I'll report back!

Thanks again, and a speedy recovery to anyone else in the same boat!

G

Glad things sound more positive. I have been busy making hay today. It is surprising just how difficult jobs you take for granted are with a partially healed collarbone. Just hitching up the mower, or connecting the drive shaft become a battle that usually ends in a sharp intake of breath and a grimace. I tell myself it is doing good and helping it to heal stronger than ever 🙂

I have not had a shower since May 24th

If you haven't broken the same collar bone 3 times you're not trying.

No ops here, cocodamol is your friend - fall asleep, don't move for 10 hours, don't shit for 10 days.

[img] [/img]

I rememder pooping, the good old days. Now working on man made diamonds

I go and have my dressing removed on Thursday and the plate x-rayed, defo getting pics for this thread.

Hi,

Bad news on the collar bone. Heres my story. I did mine on a motor bike a few years ago. Fell off at slow speed and snapped it (amongst other things). All fine until I tried working from home early. I displaced the collarbone not too dissimilar to yours. I went to A&E and was told they wouldn’t pin it. I asked on the NHS to get it fixed but in our area (Huddersfield) they say that because it doesn’t change your life and you can live without a collarbone they will treat it conservatively. Now a lot of cases will heal ok in this instance. I went back several times and got no where. Move on 6 months later and ive still had a broken collarbone! They wont pin it and they cant offer much else. I ended up going private at eland hospital and getting it pinned a year later! Best thing I did tbh and I was back on the bike 6 weeks later. Heres some things I learned.

The best healing happens in the first 4 weeks. Keep things still for this period with as little movement as possible in the area. Make sure other joints are moving.

Get an x ray if they think its healing to confirm. There are 2 types of healing one where it knits a fiberous tissue between the bones and one where the bone repairs its self. This is preferred but they doth work.

If its not going well after 4 weeks id seriously asking if it can be pinned / plated.

The scary thing is all the nerves for your arm go under or around your collarbone. If these are damaged you can end up with a paralysed arm. This is one of the risks of surgery. When I had mine done all the nerves had grown into the scar tissue around the collar bone because it had been left so long. A 45 min opp took just under 3 hours because of it!

They do offer to take bone from other locations on your body if there is a gap or to use synthetic bone. Apparently there is a better chance with your own bone. What the figures are I don’t know.

I do echo the movement (physio) thing. Because I spent 9 months in a sling I ended up with a frozen shoulder and elbow. This was a bit of an issue.

Still now ive not got 100% feeling back in my shoulder and it hurts from time to time. Its also horrible with a backpack as the plate sticks up and you can feel the screws through the skin.

I read a lot of papers on this while I was off. The heal rate of people with plates / pins if a lot better faster than without. The ultrasonic thing can work but results don’t seem to be conclusive yet (they do it a lot in the states). Ine thing I would recommend is to up your calcium and protein intake while your body is repairing.

Lastly heres a pic of mine. Look at the ****ing screw in the middle. I asked if this was because he needed extra purchase or something when fitting it. The doc said “No I just picked up the wrong screw” ****ing great!
https://goo.gl/photos/j9tXDiYBFi8fY9dR6

I hope that helps you make a decision. And good luck with the healing.

Christ Andy, those screws!! 😯

I had another visit to the consultant on Tuesday, X-rayed it again and said everything was as it was. So he's still going down the conservative treatment route.

He recommended getting out of the sling a few times and flexing my elbow and raising my shoulder forwards and outwards. Outwards isn't too painful and I can get to about "20-to" but lifting it forward flexes the 2 parts of my clavicle and hurts like hell!

Can't seem to find much info about early physio, can anyone offer any advice on what they did? (it'll be 2 weeks on Sunday since the accident)

Thanks!

there are lots of exercises on youtube. i believe the pendulum one is the important one but i wouldnt advice anything as im not a doc.

Only thing i would say is if it hasnt healed in 4 weeks get it fixed. I had over a year of my life ruined because they didnt want to treat it. Not bitter about it, ****ing fuming! the reason i got afetr i finally went private was "im more of a leg man, im glad your seeing a specialist" and that was from the doctor!

[img] [/img]

Done done twice now. This is the most recent. The original got ripped out in the crash and shattered around the original screw holes (which you can still see a few of).

Off to speak to the doc next week about the plate coming out!

thats nasty

I'm sorry to hear about your ongoing woes. Not nice. And again I'm sorry - this isn't going to help but I think I've been very lucky in that I've been able to heal naturally very quickly.

[img] [/img]

I snapped mine after a taxi pulled out on me as I was overtaking at 15mph in October last year. I took 2 days off, and was back at work the following Monday. I was out of the sling by then. I managed to stay off the tablets which helps apparently. They made no difference when the real pain of bone/muscle hits anyway. The very worst part was the torn muscles all around the area. Getting into and out of bed was really very difficult for 2 weeks. After a week though I was fairly confident that things were going well. I was back on a bike after 19 days. Commuting after 4 weeks. Took it relatively easy on the mtb until about 7 weeks after the accident.

I used those stretchy bands for a bit but realised that the strength was coming back off it's own accord, and that I had no mobility issues. I also realised that it's rather difficult to find the discipline to do the full suite of recommended exercises for the duration and frequencies they specify.

It took about 3 months for the pain to go away completely and I've not suffered any major lasting issues. The joint crunches a bit but I suspect it's just ligaments slipping over each other as it rotates.

Just had my first 2 week consultation since surgery (18 days since falling off). Everything seems to be hunky dory
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I've only separated my shoulder so not much help...

BUT I can help with road rash and scabs. Keep them moist and they will heal much better. Alternatives are iodine and vaseline applications or medical grade honey (google Activon).

Just had cheek to chin road rash (pretty) and now just a smooth red mark which is gradually fading. Other wounds where I was less diligent with the treatments are not healed as well.

BA Nana looks good, he must have been a bloody good surgeon that did that 🙂

I'd definitely go and see the guy in ipswich, yes its a long way, I did the same journey thinking I was a bit daft, there where two guys in front of me, one had come from Manchester, the other guy from Holland!
Go now and get it fixed, if you have surgery and they put metal in you can't have the magnets etc.
I think there's a place on the A59 towards Whalley (the sanctuary) that does some of the treatment, I'd still go to Ipswich first though.

I did mine last may. (Steel city dh).
Was more displaced than the op. Further apart with 2 "North-South fragments" in between the broken ends, similar to twiglet farmers on the first page. These apparently are significant and can delay Union.
Could have had surgery if I had asked for it, we discussed the indications (shortening, more than one clavicle's width displacement/separation), but took the advice of the orthopaedic reg that it would heal without. (Teaching hospital, good upper limb service that does a lot of fixing local district general hospital cock-ups)
I didn't want to have to take time off work having had 12 weeks off when I broke the humeral head on the same side a few years ago. I managed without time off but only just.
It was a very frustrating and slow process and it wasn't until 11 months after the injury that there was any decent signs of boney healing and I could be discharged from follow up.
Hilariously at 6 or 12 weeks post fracture the consultant suggested he discharge me. I asked when I could go mountain biking again (remember they've seen my twice in that fracture clinic with mtb induced fractures, they should have known...). At that point he changed his mind and decided I needed to be followed up until the fracture was properly United.
Speaking to a riding buddy who was knows more orthopaedics than me, many clavicles heal by fibrous non union, ie soft tissue/scarring holds it all together but it won't really show up on an X-ray.
If I did the same thing again tomorrow on the other side I would push for plating, despite the risks of surgery.

FunkyDunc - Member
BA Nana looks good, he must have been a bloody good surgeon that did that