# Broken clavicle advice



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

I broke my collar bone and need surgery as the pieces that remain are very far apart. Surgery is next week 

I am looking for recommendations on staying in shape - trainers, road rides, etc. please share as this injury is a real downer as I am registered for Sea Otter and Whiskey 50. 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Rider2013 (Apr 20, 2013)

just broke mine in three places :-( dr says surgery but still wonder if it is the right thing to do. how are you?


----------



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

Sorry about the break. The good news is that it will heal. 

I broke my collar bone on Feb 10. I had surgery Feb 20. I would have been back on the bike but I also broke 2 vertabrae. 

As for surgery: I am not a fan of surgery in general but in this case it was needed. Clavicles will heal - but they will not heal straight if left to their own to heal. 

I had surgery and can not be happier. I have seen and talked to people that did not get surgery: one ends up with a lump in the bone and your clavicle will not be symmetrical. For most athletes this would not be a problem but for cyclists I would imagine this would cause all sorts of issues because toy would end up with effectively two different arm lengths. 

Surgery is always with risks. But what isn't. I am very happy I had my surgery and think the benefits outweigh the risks. 

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask me any more questions.


----------



## Motorider228 (Mar 30, 2013)

I broke mine on New Years Eve in 6 places, along with my left hand. My collar bone needed surgery and now I have a plate and a nice scar. My hand required two pins. Once I was able to have range of motion back I started riding the stationary bike at the gym as well as walking/running on the treadmill. Mine should be 100% in about a month the Dr. said and I did push ups for my first time about a week ago. As said before they will heal without surgery, but sometimes it is better. Mine looked like a mountain range before the surgery, so it was necessary. Good luck, sorry I don't really have any












real advice to give you.


----------



## kjlued (Jun 23, 2011)

Broke mine several years ago in a motorcycle accident. 
First couple weeks I don't think I would have even been able to ride a recumbent stationary bike. After that, I was back to work but still in a sling and probably could have managed it. 
It took a couple more weeks before I was back on the motorcycle. 

I didn't mountain bike then but I would have imagined a little more time to be hucking stuff than doing something like road cycling. 

I have heard of some faster recoveries but my break had the bones fairly separated. 
All that being said, I did not have surgery and from what I hear, you go back to normal a lot faster when you do. Of course, the doc will give you recovery times that are a conservative but you will just need to take it day by day. 

I would say though that natural progression will be to start on a recumbent stationary bike or something you won't have to lean over the bars with or maybe something you can hold on with your one good arm. Then when you can stretch the bad one, do some road riding and wait as long as you can for mountain riding.


----------



## gera72 (Jan 14, 2012)

I broke my yesterday and I really sucks!! specially not being able to ride, My broke in 3 pieces and my left shoulder(bad) is lower than my right one..I am looking for surgeon in the Phoenix Area to see what he thinks. Is surgery an outpatient? 

hopefully everyone is doing better!!


----------



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

Mine was outpatient. I think it was 5 hours total in the surgery center. 

Good luck to you.


----------



## SSearchVT (Sep 6, 2007)

I broke mine a few years ago. It sucked - especially because I live alone... I went to a few spinning classes to keep in shape. Wear a jersey that unzips all the way, wear your sling if you can't put weight on that hand without pain, and sit in the back row...


----------



## gera72 (Jan 14, 2012)

Dr, recommended me surgery, however he says that i can leave it like that and he said it probably be fine..My question are if i let it heal naturally eventhough broke in 4 pieces, will it be back to the same strenght? If i do surgery I assume it will be as strong as before, but what would happen if I re-break in either case..

Fortunate my pain is very tolerable, with ibuprofen and pain killers at night i am fine.. this is the thing that makes me wonder if i should have surgery or not. I am not in really a lot of pain!!!


----------



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

Hi,
I have been told that the bone will heal at full strength either way - maybe even stronger as a result of the break. If the doc recommends surgery, I would look in the mirror and see how the bone looks: the bone will pretty much heal in the position it currently is. In my case, the bone was pretty much sticking out from as opposed to across to my chest. The first doc I saw said I didn't need surgery and that it would heal. He was absolutely correct, but when I went to a sports med guy he said that the problem with not having surgery is that my shoulders will be different widths, and my effective arm length would be different for each arm -- could cause issues riding. 

I am pleased with my surgery to date. That said, surgery itself sucks - I puked afterwards for one day and the pain was severe (but I don't do well with pain meds)

I am not a fan of going under the knife, but for me, it was the correct call.


----------



## gera72 (Jan 14, 2012)

How did you feel with the plate inside, is it comfortable in some way? Does it hurt in certain conditions?



onobed said:


> Hi,
> I have been told that the bone will heal at full strength either way - maybe even stronger as a result of the break. If the doc recommends surgery, I would look in the mirror and see how the bone looks: the bone will pretty much heal in the position it currently is. In my case, the bone was pretty much sticking out from as opposed to across to my chest. The first doc I saw said I didn't need surgery and that it would heal. He was absolutely correct, but when I went to a sports med guy he said that the problem with not having surgery is that my shoulders will be different widths, and my effective arm length would be different for each arm -- could cause issues riding.
> 
> I am pleased with my surgery to date. That said, surgery itself sucks - I puked afterwards for one day and the pain was severe (but I don't do well with pain meds)
> ...


----------



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

I don't notice the plate. The nerves around the area have yet to grow back so that may be why. 

I was wearing a camelback all day wondering around sea otter and I never felt the plate.

That said, in a year I am going to get the plate removed - more of a precaution than any other reason. In my opinion the clavicle acts as a relief valve - the body has that break first so other more important parts don't break. 

Last thought: talk to some people that did not have the surgery. I think you will find that they regret the results.


----------



## rzims (Sep 7, 2005)

I broke mine in Aug 2011 and didn't have surgery. The bones are still not healed, but evidently the nerves aren't either because there is no pain.

In Jan of this year I met with the ortho doctor to talk about possible surgery. His recommendation was that if it's not bothering me, then leave it be. Evidently it's a "non-union" and they're actually fairly common.
I haven't had any side effects except that sometimes doing pushups I can feel the two bones rub together and it creeps me out.


----------



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

That is wrong on so many levels. I get chills thinking about it. Glad you are healed.


----------



## SSearchVT (Sep 6, 2007)

Mine was a double break. I didn't have surgery and it healed in the shape of a Z with a lump sticking up. I was told I had up to about 10 years to make the final decision on surgery (they would re-break it and put the plates in). With the exception of seatbelts and shoulder straps sitting funny I have no concerns. That was me... No two breaks are the same. The best free medical advice I can give - Talk to your doctor, review the X-Rays.


----------



## gera72 (Jan 14, 2012)

Well, Tomorrow is my surgery, hopefully everythings goes well! Just wondering how long is the scar?


----------



## onobed (Dec 27, 2007)

Good luck to you. I am sure you will be fine. Scar is about 5". Make sure you get the info on whatever it is they put in you. There are a number of different brands and materials. Always good to know what the part number is. I asked to keep an extra screw, but it was something insane in price so I did not.


----------



## gera72 (Jan 14, 2012)

Well, my surgery went well yesterday!!! I do have some pain in collar bone and i believe is vecause of the screws and plates that they installed, Pain medications are kinda helping me out!!!hopefully as the days pass, pain goes away!!


----------

