Broken collarbone - who's had one?

datsunman

Evening all,

I managed to do a spectacular somersault whilst skiing a few weeks ago and due to the less than soft landing broke my collarbone. :roll:

Unfortunately, I managed to break it right at the top near the shoulder, so not the 'normal' break nearer the chest.

Until the other day everything seemed to be going well, but now it seems to be protruding up again (I have about a 1cm of movement up and down).

I've been told that due to the position of the fracture it will never mend bone to bone, it will just be scar tissue, so this could be normal, won't find out for sure until I see the people at the fracture clinic though. Has anybody here done the same? Does yours still move up and down!!?! :oops:

ratsbeyfus

I broke my left collar bone over 20 years ago when I was 16. Just had a sling to mend it, and after a few days it felt fine (I used to swap the sling over to my right arm in lessons to get out of doing work 8) ). I think it took about 4 weeks in total to fix. The break was in the middle of the bone, and where the bone fused together there was a lump of new bone which I could feel for many years until if finally went. I don't ever remember the broken bone bits moving though - this does sound a bit odd - think you'd better get it seen sooner rather than later if your fracture clinic appointment is not for a while. Good luck, and I hope it mends soon.

voltemands

Bad break. Similar situation for me. Your be ok in a few months dude, it's abuggar at the time but it should heal ok.

softlad

I broke my collarbone 1cm from the AC joint - off the bike for five weeks, although I was riding a static bike after a couple of weeks. Unless you have ligament damage with it, it should heal fine and fairly quickly...

datsunman

Cheers all, the weird thing is it feels fine, just pokes out a bit.

Softlad - sounds identical to mine, I got back on the trainer last week and was quite comfortable, just noticed it protruding a bit more than usual today. Does yours still move about or has it settled in one place?

kinesin

Broke mine by falling off a motorbike - just like on a road bike panic breaking on a corner while lend over makes the front wash out :roll:

NHS crap as ever, just a sling. Massive bump and overlap on the bone. Now have one shoulder lower than the other and narrower on one side. Causes issue lifting weights, doing push up and keeping my swim stroke good, rotating & breathing on the broke side it much harder. Chest, arms and back muscles easily become imbalanced if I don't work to offset it.

Only times it moved was went I when to hospital, and when I rebroke the bone just after fusing had started to occur - about day 5, when the nerves start causing shooting pain.

At least if you break it in the Dominican Republic, they give you a body fitting half cast that secures the shoulder and bones in the correct position - no bump and virtually no after effects. :P

vitesse169

D/man - this is called a distal fracture, I had one on right shoulder/collar bone about 2yrs ago. I cannot believe they will not operate - mine was done with a 'tightrope' proceedure. I had some torn ligaments also but the 2 pieces of the collar bone were poking up somewhat and would not have fused in a month of sundays... Was in theatre for about 2.5hrs whilst the surgeon drilled and roped the bones together. Then in a sling for 5 weeks before the physioterrorist got hold of me !!!!!!! Now, there is no lump, no restriction in movement, no weakness - all just as new.

datsunman

kinesin - I've managed to avoid motorbike injuries so far, skiing seems to be my achilles heel (or shoulder!)

vitesse - i'm going to the GP today to get another referral to the fracture clinic so we'll say what they say, how long after the break was yours operated on? Mine's been five weeks now so not sure how effective an op would be now...

softlad

datsunman wrote:

Softlad - sounds identical to mine, I got back on the trainer last week and was quite comfortable, just noticed it protruding a bit more than usual today. Does yours still move about or has it settled in one place?

mine re-joined and healed with no issues at all - this was quite a few years ago and I've never had a problem since. I just dug out my old referral letter and it says 'fractured distal end of the right clavicle, 1cm from the AC joint - coracoclavicular ligaments still intact' - I seem to remember being told that because the ligaments were ok meant that it should heal with no issues...

Sheptastic

did a similar think to the OP. My advice is keep it in the sling, supported for as long as possible. I didnt and it didnt heal, had to have surgery and now i have 6 pins and a hure scar!

vitesse169

D/man - IIRC I fractured on the sunday, went to Frimley Park Hosp where they said ok, will heal naturally in 4 weeks...... Got a 2nd opinion at my local hosp in Glos where they said never in a million. Got the op on the saturday, so 7 days. However, as the surgeon said with mine - if the 2 parts of the bone are not in contact they will not fuse, well not in any kind of a hurry. If yours have not started to fuse after 5 weeks then its a fair chance they won't.... best of luck.

tomb8555

kinesin wrote:

NHS crap as ever, just a sling. Massive bump and overlap on the bone. Now have one shoulder lower than the other and narrower on one side. Causes issue lifting weights, doing push up and keeping my swim stroke good, rotating & breathing on the broke side it much harder. Chest, arms and back muscles easily become imbalanced if I don't work to offset it.

Ditto. It sucks. Due to a lack of physio at the time it's caused quite a lot of issues.

Bronzie

Me!



Took about 7 days for the ends to "knit", during which time it was very painful to do anything much. After that, it gradually got better. Think I was able to swim (after a fashion) after 2-3 weeks, but take your consultant's advice on this. Was able to do a weak form of front crawl after 8 weeks or so.

Still have a sizeable lump there now but doesn't really cause too many issues although I can feel the muscles on that side can get tense and give me a sore neck now and then.

henderson_mk

did mine a couple of years back. snapped it cleanly after coming off on the track and the two ends overlapped. NHS were pretty rubbish with some doctors saying they would operate, some saying they wouldn't.

After taking some advice from guys in the club, I went private (via company med insurance) and got a titanium plate put in it. With the faffing around initially, it took about 3 weeks to get the operation done, but once it was done, I was back riding in about 7 days. So total time until back riding was about 5 weeks, but if I had done it immediately it would have been more like 2 weeks.

after the op:

it looks like this now:


My take on it is that if you can get operation done to sort it, then do it. I would do the same again and just bypass the NHS nonsense.

tomb8555

I seriously wish I'd had the option to have mine operated on now. I'd be a whole lot less lopsided!

datsunman

I'll get a scan of my x-ray up tomorrow, see what the collective think. :-)

Bronzie, mine was an identical colour, just two or three inches to the right!!

I've got a nice vertical scar on the right shoulder already (bankart op for dislocations) so a horizontal one on the left would make a nice change.. Hehehe.

Doc's early next week so hopefully all sorted soon. :-)

kinesin

tomb8555 wrote:

I seriously wish I'd had the option to have mine operated on now. I'd be a whole lot less lopsided!

+1

Bronzie

datsunman wrote:

Bronzie, mine was an identical colour, just two or three inches to the right!!

That pic was taken about 5 days after my crash - took 6 weeks before all the bruising came out - some pretty funky colours were achieved in the process

archaeo

I broke my right one last October, spectacular crash due sadly entirely to me. I was initially considered borderline for requiring an op and later x rays did show a double fracture missed on the first xray - but amazingly there wasn't much displacement so was just in a sling. I was off work for 6 weeks which became 8 with Christmas. I found the associated trauma to muscle and nerves far more painful and troublesome than the break (after the first 5-6 weeks) the most important thing (for me) was keeping it immobile for as long as possible - then I embarked on physio at about 6 weeks - that was a killer - I only finished weekly sessions a month or so ago . But I'm now riding again and physically I have no pain at all and no lump or distortion. I do still get aches and pains from time to time but usually after lying on it funny or driving - I found driving the hardest thing as well as sitting at a keyboard - something about that position that took a lot longer to feel comfortable with - hence I was off work for a long time. Advice is no two are the same listen to your body it will tell you what you can and can't do - and get a good physio mine was superb and on nhs so don't knock them all the time - she did specific excercises for cycling which really helped. Oh and the biggest problem I had was sitting around watching daytime tv putting weight on - and using red wine instead of painkiller tabs - the codeine they out me on really messed me up - being mildly pi££ed was far better!

taz3611

My 'bump'
Car accident. No break said Dr.

datsunman

I saw the doc last week and he's referred me to the fracture clinic, just got to wait for the appointment now....

Tax, your pic is the same as mine, mine's gone down a bit but is still quite prominent. Doesn't hurt though so fingers crossed its OK.

rhodrigwyn

have you definitely broken it? did you fall onto your side with your arm tucked up against your body? if the bump is at the very far end of the clavicle it may be a AC (acromioclavicular) joint disruption where the ligaments are torn. if it is a distal fracture as has been said they dont tend to heal very well. Options if it is- fix or if the fragment is small not healing and you are getting pain then you can have the distal end of your clavicle taken out.

datsunman

Yep, definitely broken.

Was going to scan my x-ray but didn't get a chance. In the middle of a house move so everything up in the air at the moment but when everythings unpacked I'll give it another go.

evade

Don't want to scare ya or nothing, but I did mine snowboarding two years ago in France - mine was broken into 6 pieces. The French strapped me up, sent me home. Went to NHS when I got back. They laughed at the french treatment, strapped me up differently, sent me home. Went to Switzerland three weeks later, collapsed on the train up the mountain to Zermatt, was rushed to hospital... Where the break/shatter wasn't treated properly in France/UK, the bones had impinged on the main artery that runs through my shoulder, causing blood clots which travelled to my lungs - by the time I was in hospital I had half a lung left working. Had it happened a few hours earlier on the flight, who knows... The Swiss ended-up doing what the French and English should've done in the first place (and what the private medical did for the other poster) - titanium plate, screws etc etc. Once done, I started physio within a week, was back to full health in 6 weeks (but was on blood thinners for 6 months which meant no booze too - I'd never been so healthy ).

And coincidentally I went private just yesterday to see about getting the plate taken out - hopefully in two weeks time, but no MTBing for 6 weeks afterwards

Evade[/img]

rhodrigwyn

shit, that sounds bad. Hope you're back throwing yourself downhill by now!

gert_lush

vitesse169 wrote:

D/man - this is called a distal fracture, I had one on right shoulder/collar bone about 2yrs ago. I cannot believe they will not operate - mine was done with a 'tightrope' proceedure. I had some torn ligaments also but the 2 pieces of the collar bone were poking up somewhat and would not have fused in a month of sundays... Was in theatre for about 2.5hrs whilst the surgeon drilled and roped the bones together. Then in a sling for 5 weeks before the physioterrorist got hold of me !!!!!!! Now, there is no lump, no restriction in movement, no weakness - all just as new.

yep exacyly the same, 2yrs ago same proceedure, although mine still swells up very locally and hurts if i swim front crawl which is very very annoying, have yet another consultant appointmenmt next month, grr, its fine for biking though

plankton_brain

My left twice and right once. All racing motor bikes, all fixed by themselves and back racing in 4-5 weeks (except the time I broke my knee in same accident).

Bit lumpy but no problems.

A friend broke his and it has never fixed properly (probably like your early diagnosis of just scar tissue holding it together). He would 're-break' it several times a year as it seemed to go very easily, and although it hurt he was able to carry on as 'normal'.

We use to go and see a bloke called Brian Simpson (I thknk) in Ipswich (bone doctor) who was very good at putting sports people back together and very reasonably priced.

Bronzie

plankton_brain wrote:

We use to go and see a bloke called Brian Simpson (I thknk) in Ipswich (bone doctor) who was very good at putting sports people back together and very reasonably priced.

Yeah - I saw a post on Veloriders saying he is "the man" for collarbones
http://www.physioclinic.net/

datsunman

I used to race bikes too, luckily didn't have any major off's though. I miss it loads, but don't miss the costs!

I've already been to see Brian, went the first day I was back. He said it would be a bugger to fix due to the location but didn't offer much else in the way of advice. Just said don't worry about it, it will be lumpy but OK. I'm still not convinced. It doesn't hurt, just looks really wrong, a good half inch to an inch poking out. (Which is why I think it's wrong, it moves around....)

Still not got referral yet (bloody GP's) and have chased again. I've been holding off going private since it hasn't caused too much agro yet, but if the wait goes on much longer I'll have to...

Bronzie

Feck - broke my right collarbone last night racing at Welwyn track...........will try and give this guy a ring and see how it goes

carbonfiend

Broke both of mine once misjudged a bomb hole in race and the other time knocked off bike by car. Both clean breaks not had a operation on either, had a cortisone injection in one as kept getting pain when I did a bit of running but that cleared it up I also do weights and can't shoulder press with the other as much as I used to but apart from thsoe small niggles a tow weird lumps in shoulder area no probs