# clavicle fracture/surgery/plate removal



## thumbprinter (Aug 29, 2009)

just got home from having the 10-hole plate and 9 screws removed from my clavicle, 367 days after having it installed (and for those of you keeping score, 378 days after the fracture). i'll be super stoked to not feel all that metal moving around in there once it heals up. 

recovery from my previous surgery was absolutely brutal. a solid month of severe almost non-stop pain that frequently had me questioning my choice to have the surgery. this time around it was like night and day. pain upon waking up was totally tolerable and continues to be so even as the really good drugs wear off. gotta love that versed/fentanyl combo....

i can probably road bike cautiously when the incision is healed (2 weeks give or take) but no falling on that side for at least 6 weeks. i'll probably play it safe and wait a solid 8 before getting back on singletrack. maybe hit some mellow gravel before there. 

i'm bummed to miss out on some epic summertime riding this year (abnd last year!) but looking forward to knowing how good i will feel a year from now.


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## Vegard (Jul 16, 2009)

I'm in the same boat as you, but I've had my metal in since 2014. I've grown so used to it I don't really see the need to have it removed, luckily I don't have anything moving in there.

I wish you a speedy recovery from the swiss cheese that currently is your collarbone


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

thumbprinter said:


> just got home from having the 10-hole plate and 9 screws removed from my clavicle, 367 days after having it installed (and for those of you keeping score, 378 days after the fracture). i'll be super stoked to not feel all that metal moving around in there once it heals up.
> 
> recovery from my previous surgery was absolutely brutal. a solid month of severe almost non-stop pain that frequently had me questioning my choice to have the surgery. this time around it was like night and day. pain upon waking up was totally tolerable and continues to be so even as the really good drugs wear off. gotta love that versed/fentanyl combo....
> 
> ...


What was the reason for having the plate removed? My wrist and lower back have internal fixations and I have no reason for removal so I'm just curious


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## Vegard (Jul 16, 2009)

Clavicle plates are put in to help the pieces of bone grow back together in a quicker fashion than would be achieved by the sit and wait method. It's also less likely that there will be a shortening of the bone or that the bone will fuse at an odd angle with plate and screws.

Thus there really isn't any need to keep it in after the bone has fused and healed fully.


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## thumbprinter (Aug 29, 2009)

they gave me the option to leave it in or take it out. the end of the plate was literally sticking out of my chest and i could feel it in there every time i moved my arm. it wasn't painful as much as annoying. actually my bigger fear was crashing on it again and bending the plate (after hearing of such a story from the doctor) which would be far more traumatic/painful than just breaking the bone again…

if you've got metal somewhere that doesn't move and isn't bothering you there is no reason to take it out and go through another surgery. but i'm stoked to have mine gone. they let me keep the metal, it will get turned into an art project of some kind…. i'm thinking of packing it along on future rides since i'm used to the extra weight anyway (its the only titanium on my bike)


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## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

Having my clavicle hardware removed also was the best thing I have done. I didn't use a plate but used a pin, called the "sonoma crx". Because of the way my collar bone was shaped the pin came out right at the top of my shoulder and would be irritated easily.

I only needed a quarter inch incision to have it removed, but I was also so amazed about how nothing hurt after the surgery, unlike right after the first surgery.


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## glano (Apr 12, 2009)

What happens to the holes in the bones where the screws were? Are they going to be weak points in the future? If they do, how long do they take to fill in?


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## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

glano said:


> What happens to the holes in the bones where the screws were? Are they going to be weak points in the future? If they do, how long do they take to fill in?


If you had a plate and screws, supposedly it does take a while for those holes to fill in. I've heard a range from 6 weeks to many months.

I had a pin put in so I didn't have this issue. I used the Sonoma Crx surgery, so I was good to go right after the pin was removed.


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## thumbprinter (Aug 29, 2009)

my surgeon said that after 6 weeks the holes are 50% filled. they consider 6 months to be 100% healed. in theory the bone should be slightly stronger where it re-fused from the break, but in practical terms that probably doesn't mean much.

that sonoma crx thing sounds like a great solution. pretty awesome that you can have it removed so easily, too.

my recovery from the plate removal has been great. i'm back on the road bike and plan on getting back to the mtb in another week or two.


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## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

I knew I didn't want to live with any hardware and that was the reason I used the Sonoma crx. It was also less invasive than a plate when going in and I didn't want any permanent nerve damage.

Getting it out was so simple, I was telling the nurse that I felt nothing after it was out. Lucky I only had a tiny little incision, just enough to slide it out.

Overall I'm happy with the surgery, you wouldn't even see the scar or know I had a collar bone surgery.

I heard you guys with plates need months before those screw holes fill in or you can easily break it again. That is another benefit of the Sonoma crx is that the bone is as strong as it was with the pin in, I can get right back to riding the bike.

I had one screw hole and the xray I took at 6 weeks clearly showed the hole still there. I just would make sure not to do anything crazy for a few months until it heals for sure. You don't want to go through that surgery again.


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## glano (Apr 12, 2009)

Yea, the Sonoma pin does sound good, although I've read axial alignment can be an issue. I asked my doctor about it and he said my break was too complicated for it. I'm >7 months post plate surgery and I do feel some sensations now and again that are probably related to the hardware. It's something that prior to the accident I couldn't imagine living with but here I am...it's not really a big deal. I definitely don't want to go through another surgery again. I had one doctor tell me that removing the hardware would result in a weaker bone but another suggested that the "filled in" holes would be stronger than virgin. I'm clearly not educated enough on the topic to talk about it. Stay safe out there!


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## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

The problem with the Sonoma pin is that many doctors don't perform it. I don't see why axial alignment would be a problem, it was designed to lock on both ends, this is unlike a regular pin that did not lock on both ends so the two ends could swivel independently. 

It would up to the doctor to make sure it is straight and aligned before locking the ends. 

If you removed the plate it would be weaker for many months, but it would reach full strength again eventually. I know what you mean about not wanting to get a 2nd surgery. You do get used to the hardware, even though it can be bothersome sometimes, and it is easy to put off getting the hardware removed.

I was so happy to have my hardware out.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Unless one of my screws comes loose, or I blow my ACL or something and I'm hung up for a few months anyways, my plate is staying in. 

OP, you're brave, targeting 8 weeks. As you say, I too have heard that its 6 months to full strength. Any fall at the right velocity and angle, and you could be in a plate again.


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## thumbprinter (Aug 29, 2009)

they told me there is a window for getting the plate removed - 8/9 months is ideal, i pushed it to a year due to work schedule. there was definitely some 'stuff' growing over the plate that they had to remove…


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## thumbprinter (Aug 29, 2009)

i had my 10-week (and final) post-op checkup with the surgeon yesterday. he said he would recommend waiting at least a few more weeks before getting back on the mtb. i didn't tell him that i already have been for the last few….


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## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

I heard people saying it takes a while for those holes to fill in with strength, like 6 months. I would still ride of course, just have to take extra precautions not to fall.


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## Vegard (Jul 16, 2009)

Speeder500 said:


> I heard people saying it takes a while for those holes to fill in with strength, like 6 months. I would still ride of course, just have to take extra precautions not to fall.


My surgeon told me it would take about 4 weeks for the holes to fill, 6+ months for the former holes to be at full strength. He also said that I should take it easy for the initial 4 weeks and after that I could do whatever I wanted.

Take it with a grain of salt because every case is different and I bet every surgeon has a different idea about it.

I opted to keep my plate, no benefit to taking it out other than two weeks paid sickleave. (I can't work with a fresh/healing wound)


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## thumbprinter (Aug 29, 2009)

i was told 6 weeks for the holes to be 50% filled, at 6 months they consider the bone fully healed. i'm just riding a little more conservatively. i did go down on it (soft landing) with no ill effect. didn't tell my surgeon about that part either…


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Speeder500 said:


> I heard people saying it takes a while for those holes to fill in with strength, like 6 months. I would still ride of course, just have to take extra precautions not to fall.


My worry is that all my falls are usually when I am doing the least dangerous thing.


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## BicyclistBob89 (Mar 27, 2017)

I did the old natural way and let it heal so I wouldn't need multiple surgeries & wouldn't have a plate as I fly a decent amount & that becomes a hassle. I didn't want to get surgery as I have had 3 surgeries before on my feet & waist area(its a different feeling when you watch a surgery happen along with being put under for multiple hrs, that one was weird as I watched the surgery crew look over me with that bright light above them as it went black. they were actually worried because i was out for double the amount of time as expected haha! I told them I was tired when I came in). So mine was close enough to let it go and I did 2 check up roughly 1.5 months apart and it started slow(like really freaking slow to the point i was getting worried) but at the second check up it had almost formed a big ball of bone around the area. I'm all healed but it will take years for the bone to go back to the normal size as i'm sure everyone here knows that. The unfortunate part was that my right shoulder actually shortened slightly but not enough for me to tell. I do have a slight issue with the ball of bone that healed as its causing a few issues with me bringing my arm across my chest to the other side when i do full stretches. Anyone else have this issue? Oh, and everyone don't use a cross where you should use a mtb haha! I also race cross for a university and going to do some domestic races this next fall but mtb is where my heart is.


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