Fractured clavicle - to plate or not to plate

Underscore

Ok, last Monday I had what I hope I will be recounting to my grandchildren as "my one big accident"! Picking myself up, after having been unconscious for ~15 minutes, I discovered that I had broken my collar bone. (Actually, this was after I phoned my wife saying that I thought I had come off my bike and that I had no idea where I was but I thought that I had done something to my shoulder. I don't remember the call - or too much of the following 15 minutes!)

Anyway, I've just been to the fracture clinic this morning where I explained that our second child is due in 6 days (oooh yes, the timing really could not be much worse) so getting use of my arm ASAP would be really useful. The fracture is pretty badly displaced so the probability of a union forming without surgery is reduced (though still about 80%, apparently) and they've set me up an appointment with a specialist on Friday for a second opinion, and, if he thinks that surgery is the way, the op..

Now, since a second opinion is being sought, I guess that this is a marginal call, so I assume that it may come down to my preference (based on what they tell me, or course). It also seems that, if I have to make a call, it will be of the "do you want the op in an hour?" form, so I was wanting do a little research before the fact.

So, does anyone have any experiences or opinions regarding which way I should be leaning?

Thanks,

_

dennisn

Lots of people have broken their collarbone, had it taped up in a sling, waited until it
healed , and went on with their lives without any real problems. As I understand it, to
plate is a "marginal" call. I have a feeling that the standard treatment(tape, sling, rest)
will work just fine for you. Somehow you and the new arrival will pull through this
together. Congratulations.

Dennis Noward

NikB

dennisn wrote:

Lots of people have broken their collarbone, had it taped up in a sling, waited until it
healed , and went on with their lives without any real problems. As I understand it, to
plate is a "marginal" call. I have a feeling that the standard treatment(tape, sling, rest)
will work just fine for you. Somehow you and the new arrival will pull through this
together. Congratulations.

Dennis Noward

No offence but are you an orthopaedic surgeon? If not then how are you qualified to determine what is the best course of action for him? Have you seen the radiographs etc?
Sorry if I'm sounding harsh or argumentative but I would have thought the decision would be best left to those that are qualified to do so.

robmanic1

just forget about it and hope it goes away all on it's own in a typical blokey kind of way..............or

Listen to the experts, get as much info as possible, ask for a third opinion if you feel it necessary and hopefully no lasting damage done, don't let them pressure you into any hasty decisions though (it's your bones the're messing with!).

Congrats with the sprog!

Underscore

NikB wrote:

dennisn wrote:

Lots of people have broken their collarbone, had it taped up in a sling, waited until it
healed , and went on with their lives without any real problems. As I understand it, to
plate is a "marginal" call. I have a feeling that the standard treatment(tape, sling, rest)
will work just fine for you. Somehow you and the new arrival will pull through this
together. Congratulations.

Dennis Noward

No offence but are you an orthopaedic surgeon? If not then how are you qualified to determine what is the best course of action for him? Have you seen the radiographs etc?
Sorry if I'm sounding harsh or argumentative but I would have thought the decision would be best left to those that are qualified to do so.

Hey, it's OK; I did ask for opinions! Also, I am fully expecting to take any medical advice, I just want to be prepared should my wishes enter into the equation.

Yes, I'm aware that many people suffer broken collar bones. I'm also aware that, for severely displaced fractures (like mine), the proportion of patients left to heal naturally that have issues (bio-mechanical, discomfort, etc.) post-healing is significantly greater than with low-energy fractures. I'm also aware that there is a 1 in 100-200 risk of infection with an operation and that I will be left with a numb patch on my chest just below the collar bone. I was just figuring that fore-warned is fore-armed and that there would be others here who've gone through similar experiences, or know people who have, and would be willing to share...

_

NikB

Sure, sorry if I sounded harsh at all, it's just I see this a lot on the dog/cat side of things (I'm a cat/dog ortho surgeon) and people do the same thing by asking for non medical opinions.

I know that many people have been treated conservatively quite successfully but plating shouldn't be a big deal these days - it's just annoying that you have to wait so long because that actually makes the repair harder to do.

Underscore

NikB wrote:

Sure, sorry if I sounded harsh at all, it's just I see this a lot on the dog/cat side of things (I'm a cat/dog ortho surgeon) and people do the same thing by asking for non medical opinions.

I know that many people have been treated conservatively quite successfully but plating shouldn't be a big deal these days - it's just annoying that you have to wait so long because that actually makes the repair harder to do.

Yeah, that's another aspect. Wait for a non-union (if that's what happens) and you can often add a bone graft from the hip into the equation; do it now and there's no graft required.

And thank you everyone for your congratulations - much appreciated.

_