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Broken clavicle (collar bone)!

Well, I’ve managed to bust myself up.

I broke my left clavicle (collar bone) at the Folsom Criterium in the Masters 35+ 1/2/3 race. Start of the last lap of my second race. Some idiot clips the bars of the guy next to him, sending the guy down, directly in front of me. Curb and fence on the left and pack on the right. I was able to just avoid him but had to run over his bike. Ejected at 28mph.

I flew through the air for what felt like seconds and then hit and rolled. As I came to a stop I tucked and glanced back, expecting to be creamed by riders coming up behind. Luckily they were able to avoid.

Then I lay back and started going through the status check. Hmmm, legs, arms, shoulder… ouch, something not right up there. I reach over and feel my left shoulder and feel a bump. Uh oh, that’s not good. Just then a official comes over and asks “are you ok? Do you need help?”. I reply that “I think I’ll need help”. “Do you need an ambulance?” he asks. “Um, yes, maybe…”. He glances back down the course, “Can you walk?”. “Yes, in a second”. “Well, that would be good because the race is going to finish in a moment and it would be good to get you out of the course”. Good idea!

So, I get a hand up and walk over to the grass and lay down again. Yup, it was beginning to hurt. I never even noticed the finish of the race. As I lay there I ask if my bike is OK. Already crunched the frame once this year. Strangely enough, bike survived with only a few scratches.

After some chatting and info gathering with one of the race staff, we decide to skip an ambulance and get someone to drive me the short distance to the hospital. But first I wanted to dump my bike and gear in my truck. At the truck I decide to strip off the jersey. The guy helping me is telling me to leave it on since they will just cut it off and it’s ruined anyways and it will save me the pain. Pain? Destroying another jersey, that’s pain! As I’m peeling it off he’s looking at me like I’m crazy. Well, I get the jersey off and what looks like a lot of blood on the jersey is actually a Mocha Mocha Clif Shot that exploded on impact. Unloaded of gear and now carrying my clothes, we head over to the registration booth to enlist Will to taxi me. He’s very cool and gets me to the hospital.

I won’t go into the emergency room details but it was about 4 hours and during that time: filled out forms, waited, quick look by doctor, waited, x-rays, waited, tetnus booster shot, waited, scrapes cleaned and bandaged, waited, pee in cup, waited, final look-see, given shoulder restraint, fill exit forms, pay co-pay, done!

Broken Clavicle
Left Side Distal Clavicle Fracture

The good news is that the collar bone has a clean break, isn’t poking up, and should heal well. I went a few days later and saw Dr. Massimo Testa to have him do an examination. He’s a great doctor and understands cyclist’s needs. Along with the examination he put together a 3 week training program. I’ll be able to maintain my fitness!

A broken collar bone usually mends itself in about 6 weeks. I’ve been lucky and not had much pain. I’m wearing a figure-eight brace and a sling for the arm. The suffering now is not being able to ride and race during some great weather. Oh, and training on a stationary bike inside is torture. Good thing for DVDs.

Be careful out there.

Cheers!

p.s. I highly recommend Dr. Testa and also Dr. Eric Heiden (previously over at U.C. Davis Sports Medicine). If you are in Northern California and have a sport related injury, call them!

More “Broken Collar Bone” Articles

Don’t miss reading the information and comments in the other collar bone entries:

Broken Clavicle No More
What To Expect From A Broken Clavicle (collar bone)
Chad’s Broken Collar Bone Report

DISCLAIMER: The following content is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Diagnosis and treatment of all health conditions should only be performed by your doctor or other licensed health care professional. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site.

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423 responses

  1. PeterR Avatar
    PeterR

    Thanks to Hans and everyone else who has posted their stories here. I am finally getting around to posting mine, now that I am all healed up.

    9/7/2013 – mountain bike accident at mammoth mountain
    * collarbone broken near distal end/shoulder. non-surgical. bone was broken in half, and a triangular piece of bone was floating below the break.
    * grade 1 shoulder separation

    9/9 – 9/15 – week 1
    * entire shoulder area swollen and puffy
    * took percocet for just a couple of days, continued using ibuprofen (600 mg 3x/day)
    * bruising near shoulder, on pec, on upper bicep
    * worked mon-fri, drove in car
    * wore sling only a little bit. the sling hurt to wear. arm was much more comfortable out of the sling.
    * sleeping had to be done in just one position: propped up with pillows, on my back.
    * getting into/out of bed was difficult and painful
    * brushing teeth, showering, tying shoes…difficult/impossible/painful
    * getting a t-shirt on/off was unthinkable – button down shirts only

    9/16 – 9/22 week 2
    * flew to mexico (yeah, bad timing for a city-schlepping and surfing vacation!)
    * in general, not much pain in collarbone area
    * walking around for more than 30 min was very painful. deep ache/pain in lower shoulder/bicep area (probably more from separation than from broken bone itself). putting on sling would help a little, but only for a limited amount of time. then, just needed to sit down.
    * started taking Voltaren (Diclofenac) purchased OTC, 1 pill 2x/day
    * bruising still significant, changing colors.
    * could carefully put t-shirt on by threading bad arm first though sleeve, then putting head and other arm through. take off by reversing the process

    9/23 – 9/29 week 3
    * still in mexico
    * could briefly lay on stomach in bed
    * bruising around pec gone, still have bruise on bicep
    * still hurts to walk for more than 30 min.
    * floated in ocean

    9/30 – 10/6 week 4
    * bruising just about gone by 10/6. still had small yellow/brown spot on bicep at beginning of week
    * wrists still in a *lot* of pain. can’t lift pitcher of water, or chop food on a cutting board. can’t put any weight on wrists.
    * worried that i might have broken something in wrist, and the pain was covered up via pain meds for collarbone?
    * had x-ray of both hands – nothing broken, just bad sprain from accident
    * minor set-back on friday 10/4, where dropped something and reflexively grabbed for it. lots of pain near collarbone, that lingered all throughout the following day. felt like i was back in week 2. by monday, seemed to mostly recover and was back were i was before friday. however, sleeping on left side, which previously was OK, now hurts a little.
    * started using stationary trainer to ride 30-45 minutes, 3-4 times/week

    10/7 – 10/13 week 5
    * had x-ray on 10/7 – no evidence of bone callus forming. the break pretty much looked like it did on day 1, but there is perhaps a little more/better alignment. follow-up x-ray scheduled for week 8.
    * doctor advised no weight bearing until at least week 6.
    * towards end of week, feeling quite depressed as i still have pain in my shoulder (from the separation?), and at the break point. Crossing my right arm up over to my left shoulder, for example, causes a sharp pain. Feels like my healing has stalled at best, or is regressing at worst.
    * my wrists, particularly the right, is still in really bad shape, and also perhaps feels worse and worse. Found it virtually impossible to use a knife on a cutting board, and similarly couldn’t grip/pick-up the gas pump at the gas station today. Scheduled PT appointment for Monday.
    * good long hikes on saturday and sunday.
    * continued riding stationary trainer

    10/14 – 10/20 – week 6
    * PT appointment confirms wrist injury is a bad sprain. Get ultrasound, KT tape, and schedule several follow-up appointments.
    * at beginning of week, collarbone is feeling pretty good, and seems healing is back on track. Still can’t cross right arm over to left shoulder very easily or without pain, and afraid to lift weighted objects. Ride stationary trainer on tuesday night, and go hiking on wednesday night.
    * on wednesday, collarbone is bothering me, and feels noticeably broken. depressed that healing is taking so long, if it even occurring at all. Feels better on thursday. This is a rollercoaster.

    10/21 – 10/27 – week 7
    * can still feel collarbone moving around a little now and then. makes me worry. at the same time, i can pretty comfortably sleep on my stomach, and even sometimes on my right side without pain – so that is good? other times, feel a sharp pinch in the collarbone break area when i lift my arm, cross my arm to my left side, or bear any weight overhead.
    * right wrist still totally useless unless it is in brace. PT continues.

    10/28 – 11/3 – week 8
    * status quo. Some days, I just feel a slight tightness in my right collarbone/shoulder, other times, there is more movement detected.
    * sleeping is now pretty much OK, no matter which way i am lying down.
    * on saturday morning, i felt OK enough to take my mountain bike onto the bay bridge. ride was about 12 miles, and felt fine. my wrists are still an issue.

    11/4 – 11/10 – week 9
    * on monday, went for first road bike ride (about 20 miles). shoulder/collarbone were fine.
    * on tuesday, had 8 week x-ray. bone is still clearly broken (but w/ bone callus visible to the trained eye), and alignment looks even better than at 4 weeks, and doctor was very happy with it. she said i had no restrictions on activities, but just not to do anything that hurt. she said that if i fell off my bike at this point, the bone wouldn’t be expected to break from a light impact. not sure i believe her!
    * still feel some tightness at the break point.

    11/11 – 11/17 – week 10
    * mountain biking full steam ahead.

    Since then, I’ve been biking like a fiend, with no restrictions, and riding whatever kind of trails I want. I’m pretty much back to 100% of what I was before the accident, including full range of motion. It took several weeks to get my cardio back, and to lose the ~10 pounds I had gained throughout this ordeal (granted, I ate and drank the same as if I had been riding my mountain bike 100 miles/week!). Unfortunately, just two weeks ago, I broke my ankle (which needed surgery), so I am back off the bike for a couple months (at best), but this time, I am eating smarter b/c I don’t want to balloon up again!

    Reply
    1. Thorsten Avatar
      Thorsten

      Dear Peter, your story sounds very much like mine (distal third, tenting, but no operation). had a bike accident 18 days ago, and now I am basically painfree except when I do funny moves or when I lie down or get up. I am getting increasingly worried about the popping, clicking sounds and moving of the bone, reading all the horror stories where people haven’t made any progress after 12 weeks or more. Did you experience something similar? It is impossible to not move the shoulder. When did the moving stop in your case? Any other advice/tips/experiences you can share? Many thanks Thorsten from Cardiff (uk)

      Hi Thorsten – From my own experience I went through what you are at the moment. It’s still early in your recovery so I wouldn’t worry too much. It was in the four to six week range when my shoulder started feeling solid again.

      – Hans

      Reply
      1. Thorsten Avatar
        Thorsten

        Cheers Hans, it is a roller coaster, emotional and physical. One day a wreck, the next day happy as a sandboy (because of reaching another milestone).

        Reply
  2. Sharon Avatar
    Sharon

    Hello All,
    I’m not very pleased to report I am the first broken clavicle story for 2013.
    I had a horse riding accident 12 days ago, when my 16 hand high horse had his first encounter with cattle that had come onto our property. An explosion of fear and aggression saw me catapulted along way, hitting the ground on my right hand side, and breaking sternum, 6 ribs and my right clavicle. The accident winded me badly, so breathing was priority #1…an 1.5 hour ambulance ride over extremely bumpy windy road to ER. Only after 24 hours in hospital was it discovered that I also had an apeture in my lower right lung and put into Intensive Care unit. On day 2 they put me in a sling, but the chief concern was still my lungs, ribs and sternum. On day 3 I was moved to surgical ward, and on Day 4 the orthopedic surgeons came around to ask if I wanted surgery on my clavicle. AS if I would know the answer! So I went online and everything I found said don’t operate if it can be avoided. I also found an article in medlink that noted surgery should be avoided for a a distal fracture. The orthos didnt help at all – they didnt tell me I had a communited fracture. Or give me any advice at all. I was released from hospital on day 5 hospital and came home , where I have been for the past 7 days. Ive been drugged up on Oxycdondine so i can breathe properly, but I have notice these past 2 days that something is wrong with my collarbone. Firstly when I put my head back i get wildly dizzy, I am also noticing pins and needles in my hands and my scapula and back are absolutely killing me. My shoulder is very uncomfortable and although im still in the sling, it feels awkward and *not right*. Although ive got a follow up for an xray and the bone fracture clinic on Monday, I rang my GP today and will be seeing him later this afternoon for some advice. I have no idea what to think but i am green and yellow everywhere, I have a huge lump on my shoulder and there is no way that the angle of my bone is normal. It looks like its sticking up half way along where it should be. I dont know whether that is from swelling or breaks. I guess i will soon find out. And hopefully I get some good advice about what to do next. I am already tired o f one handedness and being so dependent for everything. Dressing has become a laborious chore and left handed typing is not much fun either. Today my partner shaved under my arm for me 🙂 I wonder if i am moving my arm around too much even though its in a sling. Its hard to hold down active people. I’ll update this comment when i know what’s going on.

    Reply
  3. Mandar Avatar
    Mandar

    Dear Hans
    Hi
    I visited my doc yesterday i.e 31/10/12 and the x ray was good. The bome has joined properly. He suggested me to continue to use the brace and said he would allow me drive the car after 15 days. Cycling ofcourse in Jan 2013

    Reply
  4. Mandar Gadre Avatar
    Mandar Gadre

    Dear Hans
    I visited my doc yesterday. He also said the same thing which you have said. The slight movement of the bone is all right he said. Thanks for the tip about the muscles around the shoulder. I have been using ice packs in the morning and hot shower during the baths.

    Reply
  5. Mandar Gadre Avatar
    Mandar Gadre

    Dear Hans
    The doc has allowed to me to walk since the 7th day after my fall. Today I tried little bit of gym stationary bike with one hand in sling and brace and other holding the handle bar. It was preety much ok.
    I would like to ask you one question. During the injury my muscles around the clavicle bone have also take an impact and they are paining, I think this should be normal. The pain is subsiding. I feel there is a movement of the broken bone. like the two parts are moving separately. But it does not pain. I am going to doc today. In between he has seen me and took out an x ray and said the position of the bone is good and bridging it taking place.

    Muscle pain is very common. Besides being caused by injury to the muscles, it can also be from the muscles working to hold your shoulder and arm stable. I would lightly massage the shoulder muscles to help relieve some of the tenseness and pain. Hot baths or showers also helped to relax the muscles.

    The feeling of the bones moving is also something many notice. I don’t know if that’s the bones actually moving or the other tight supporting tissue moving and rubbing against the bone. But keeping your shoulder stable helps early in the healing process.

    – Hans

    Reply
  6. Mandar Gadre Avatar
    Mandar Gadre

    Dear Hans
    I read about you fall and rehab program. I have forwarded this link to my doc to see. I am in the first week of my fall. Fortunately I have a similar type of collar bone fracture like yours but in the 2/3 portion of the clavicle bone. Today is the 6th day after the fall. I am feeling better , the pain has reduced and I can move my hand much better, though I am not taking any chance till I see my doc this wednesday.

    Hope he permits me to start cycling on stationary bike in the gym and allow me to walk.

    Sorry to hear about your injury. The rehab program I used was rather intense so that I would be able to keep up my race fitness. It’s been used for recovery successfully by other cyclists. Usually the plan is adjusted for the specific person. I hope it serves you well.

    – Hans

    Reply
  7. Net Avatar
    Net

    Great site, and many other sites link to this so thanks for all the info.

    I came off my roadie 3 weeks ago, displaced distal third collarbone fracture. Went to ortho dr who said it was only 1.5cms displaced and he just wanted to conservatively manage it.

    My questions are – I have a visible lump, which I’m assuming is the end of the bone, it’s still sore to touch, is that normal? My ortho dr and a physio both told me not too rely too heavily on the sling as it can cause lots of other probs and the sling won’t assist with bone alignment, it’s just for comfort. I have been wearing a figure of 8 sling as well, but it’s so uncomfortable that I took it off a few days ago. I’m concerned that i’m doing too much to allow recovery, just daily household chores, mum of 2 active teenage boys so it’s not easy just lying on the couch. Will every day movement cause it not to heal, I try very hard not to move beyond the limits of pain, but I do get very achy by the end of the day.

    Cheers
    Net

    Sorry to hear about your crash. The lump can be from swelling, the displacement of the bone, and from the healing. The body produces a bone callus, a fibrous tissue, between the ends of the broken bone. This hardens over time and should become as strong as before. The body may absorb some of the callus and its size will reduce. The site of the injury can be sore for several weeks. Even though you can’t see it, there’s some major healing going on in there.

    Not using the arm and shoulder these first few weeks can be important to keep from disturbing your healing process. Too much or extreme use can hinder the connection of the fibrous tissue. A sling is helpful for reducing arm/shoulder movement. The problems associated with using a sling are from the lack of movement in the joints. Your elbow and shoulder need to maintain movement so as not to lose range-of-motion. But using a sling for small periods during the day shouldn’t cause those problems. Just be sure to carefully bend your elbow and raise and lower your arm a few times to keep the joints active. Use pain as a guide. Stop as soon as you feel pain.

    I used a figure-8 for my healing and it helped to keep me from causing too much motion on the shoulder. It also allowed me to take off the sling and use my arm during the moments I needed both arms. I made the figure-8 more comfortable by adding padding under the shoulder straps. Wearing it and a sling also allowed me to be more active since I was less concerned about movements that would hinder the healing process.

    I hope this helps.

    Hans

    Reply
  8. Vern: Age 50 Avatar
    Vern: Age 50

    I got a 6 week xray today and the collarbone is healing up fine. There is definite bone growth visible. The alignment isn’t perfect on the xray, but its pretty good. The only difference I can see in the mirror is the rather large bump from the bone callus.

    So there you go, a broken bone can heal in 4-6 weeks even if you’re 50! I started cycling last week and my fitness is returning. There’s still a bit of an ache, but nothing bothersome.

    I want to clarify my previous statement about “pushing for surgery”. After reading through all of these posts I can see that there are horror stories associated with surgery. However, if you look at the xrays and the bone is in 3 badly aligned pieces, your looking at a long recovery. 6-9 months long! I think I would take my chances with surgery in that situation.

    Congratulations on your smooth recovery. And your writeup and advice is good. Also, over time your callus will probably reduce in size. I’ve experienced that and hardly notice the lump. And the same has occurred with friend’s of mine.

    – Hans

    Reply
  9. Vern: Age 50 Avatar
    Vern: Age 50

    I commute to work by bicycle year round. I broke my collar bone 4 weeks ago while riding home on some river trails. I went to emergency where they gave me an xray within minutes. It was a clean break and the ends were only about 1-2mm apart. I waited 10 hours to see a Doctor who told me to go home. It was a busy night and the reality was, they couldn’t do anything for me. They probably made me sit around for a few hours to see if I passed out.

    I slept sitting up the first night and then on my side on the couch for a couple weeks. The back of the couch helped keep me in position. I wore a sling for about 3-4 days. I took two T3’s the first night and didn’t really need anything after that. I had no bruising or swelling. I’ve been taking a multi-day vitamin and a vitamin D pill pretty much every day. I saw an orthopedic surgeon at 1 week. He looked at the xray and my rather large lump (callus?). He told me to get rid of the sling and start moving the arm around.

    I have not been back on the bike since the break but I’ve been doing a lot of walking which has progressed to slow jogging. I walked 36k using a courier bag in a bike/foot race 2 weeks after the break. Switching to walking was a smart move. There is no way that I could have wrestled a bike through the snow filled ruts. Since then I have been walking/running to work 3 times a week which is about 20k. Not too fast but enough to get a workout. I keep the arm stiff at my side to limit shoulder movements. I have regained most of my range of movement. There is still some pain. The shoulder joint took quite a shot and about half the pain comes from the shoulder socket and Acromion.

    I will be getting another xray at week 6. Hopefully I have some good bone growth and its not just held together by a callous. Reading these posts has been very informative. There seems to be a wide variety in fractures and their healing times and I seem to be on the lucky side. I am healing well in spite of my age. I’ll try to post a follow up after the 2nd xray

    My advice is to look at the xrays yourself and use some common sense. If the ends of the bone are not lined up reasonably well, then guess what: its going to take months. I’d be pushing for surgery in that case.

    Reply
  10. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    Hey, love all the comments, but hate them at the same time. I broke my left clavicle about 3 weeks ago. Not a clean break, at all. Doc said let’s wait it out, you are young, non-smoker, no risk factors basically. I am having follow up x-rays done at the 3.5 week mark (had them on day 1 and at 1.5 weeks already). Day 1 the ends of the bone were touching, but my bones were protruding up like a tee-pee. X-ray at week 1.5 showed that they had slipped and were now butting up to each other almost like a “T”. If week 3.5 x-rays don’t look good, I will probably inquire about one of the intramedullary devices. I’m not so concerned about having to take time off now (race season starts in 3 more weeks so I’m already going to miss this year), but I am concerned about healing so that next year, I can come back and race and not have to worry about getting a broken clavicle from any little spill.

    I have been getting very depressed lately. I’ve since noticed other things that have occurred after the crash (hard lump on left side just above where I had a large bruise, strange bump on left side of chest). I guess I just feel like I really beat myself up and wont be able to get back to the racing shape I was in.

    I can’t wait to start seeing signs of healing.

    Sorry to hear about the break. You mention race season starting in 3 weeks but don’t mention the type of racing. Snow based I’m wondering?

    I understand the feeling of depression as I also went through that. It helped me to set some goals for recovery. And having a training program that I could follow. I was able to fully recover and not be limited by the injury. But I was also careful to let my healing finish. Oh, and to have some great docs that understood what I expected once healed.

    Hopefully you will see the signs of healing soon and will have a smooth recovery.

    – Hans

    Reply
  11. Bermo Avatar
    Bermo

    Hi, my doctor told me that I should have my X-ray on the 6th week after the fracture (I’m currently wearing the figure of 8), I checked with another doctor informally and he told me that I should be doing another X-ray after two to three weeks from the day of fracture… Is it expected to see any healing signs or make sure that things are going fine?

    The 6 week mark is very common for having a follow up exam and x-ray. I’m told that that’s the point when signs of healing will be most visible. An x-ray too soon after the break might not show signs of healing even though it may be occurring. The difficulty is in capturing the material that rejoins the break. It’s soft tissue at first and therefore hard for an x-ray to pickup. Also, deciphering the small details in x-rays requires special training, by an x-ray technician for example. A doctor might not have the training. So if you did get an x-ray before the 6 week mark, it would be important that the x-ray be examined by a qualified x-ray technician (which may be your doctor).

    Also, if you did get an x-ray prior to the 6 week mark, had it properly analyzed by an x-ray technician, and found that the break wasn’t healing, what would be your plan? Wait to see if it’s taking longer (which can occur) or opt for surgery instead? If you don’t plan on having surgery then is having another x-ray going to be beneficial?

    Consider these things and give your doctor a call and discuss your thoughts.

    – Hans

    Reply
  12. Bermo Avatar
    Bermo

    Great! Thanks Hans

    Reply
  13. Bermo Avatar
    Bermo

    Amazing website! I broke my L collarbone 11 days ago and i’m wearing the figure-of-8 I’m suffering to find the best position to sleep… Can you advise please?

    Try sleeping on your back with several pillows arranged around you so that you don’t roll around. And you can keep your elbow/arm elevated on one of the pillows so it doesn’t hang down.

    – Hans

    Reply
  14. Rhona Avatar
    Rhona

    This is such a good site. I too have broken my clavicle in a car accident and it has been three weeks since the accident. Last week I had a flexible titanium rod put in and I M not in pain. There was very little pain even when it broke. Still, I am utterly depressed and scared that the rod could get infected in the future. When will this nightmare end?

    Sorry to hear about your accident. Luckily, recovering from clavicle surgery can be quicker than non-surgery. I’ve not heard of the rods becoming infected after recovery. Hang in there, you should be back to normal soon.

    – Hans

    Reply
  15. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Update #2

    Had Surgery yesterday 10/10/11. I ended up with a plate and 7 screws. Surgery went well. I was home by 3 pm. First thing I noticed was the pain in my back upper shoulder was gone. I spent the rest of the day on the sofa. As the anesthesia wore off I started to feel some pain. I tried to sleep on the recliner. Didn’t get too much sleep.

    Today was ok. Stayed on the sofa/ Kept ice on the shoulder and kept a steady dose of pain killers. I go to the doc on Thurs for a follow up and again in a week to get the stitches out.

    I am glad that I went for another opinion and that I got the collarbone fixed right. My shoulder and back muscles are much better for it. I can live with the scar. I hope others will not give up. Listen to your body and do what is best for you.

    Great to hear all has gone well with your surgery. And scars make for great stories!

    Hans

    Reply
  16. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    UPDATE:

    Today I went to another doctor. He took x-rays and measured the displacement of the bones. He said that I had 1 cm of over lap and he didn’t see any signs of healing. He was also concerned that part of the bone was sticking out. You can see it very easily. My clavicle broke at an angle. He wants to do surgery on Monday–plate with 6 -8 screws,

    I am going to go ahead with the surgery. It just doesn’t make sense to keep waiting and then end up 4+ weeks later having surgery. I will update as soon as I can.

    Reply
  17. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    It has now been 8 weeks since my “crash”. I still have pain and am very frustrated. Is it normal to still have pain? I can move more, but still can not move my arm past shoulder height. My right shoulder is also “sagging”. Sometimes I feel like something is being pinched.

    Not sure what to do next.

    Sorry to hear you are still experiencing problems. Have you gone to your orthopedist for a follow up exam? It’s possible you’re injury was more severe than normal and you’re recovery is taking longer. Or something is inhibiting your recovery. Age can impact that length of time. As can other factors such as smoking and/or diet. Other folks here have described their recovery periods taking 8 weeks or more. If you haven’t done the follow up exam, then that’s my recommendation.

    Hans

    Reply
  18. emily Avatar
    emily

    I broke my right clavicle 6 weeks ago (Aug 6). I was 30 miles into a 50 mile ride. A car came out of a drive way and hit the guy in front of me. I went down. Have no idea what I hit. When I finally stopped moving I had the bike on top of me. My shoulder hurt like hell. I was also having sharp pains going down my arm to my hand. I broke the bone at an angle. At the hospital they gave me an immobilizer. I went to see the doc that Monday. He was not a surgeon and told me to come back in 2 weeks and to see the surgeon. I decided to find another doctor. I went to doc #2 on that Friday. He said to keep using the immobilizer, Six weeks have past and I just now have some calcification. Told me that I do not need the immobilizer anymore. I decided to go for another opinion. This time I found a sports doc. He agreed with the treatment that I have been having. He also recommended a bone stimulator,

    I am not to lift my arm over my head. Even if I could it hurts too much. I am still sleeping on the recliner. Can only wear tops that have buttons or zippers or that I can step into. Of course I am right handed so I have learned to do many things with my left.

    My question is: I am having pain on the front side of the shoulder and the top of my arm. It seems to be worse by the end of the day. Is this normal? Also the fact that I can only lift my arm to shoulder height bother me to . I’ve see that people have gotten almost full ROM by 6 weeks. I was told PT would not be offered until possebliy the next vist in 6 more weeks. Is there anything that I can do to increase ROM without causing damage?

    Thank you

    The pain you are experiencing is similar to what I had. By the end of the day your muscles are tired and strained. If the pain becomes intense then you should contact your doctor. Also, light massage helped me with this problem. As for PT, when to start depends on each person’s injury. Your injury may be more extreme than another’s. If you are concerned then I recommend contacting your doctor. Be clear when explaining your desire to be farther along in recovery. And ask what PT you might be doing, even small things like finger wall crawls. Note that 6 weeks is fairly standard for basic recovery.

    Hans

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  19. Tony Fitzgerald Avatar
    Tony Fitzgerald

    I shatered my clavicle skiing 8 months ago.
    They used a dozen screws and a plate to fix it.
    now the bone is growing too much and I have pain and reducd range of motion.

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  20. pete corcoran Avatar
    pete corcoran

    i put a comment or two here about a year ago ,whilst recovering from a broken collar bone , wondering if at the age of 61 i would ever heal ,well here i am swimming ,playing golf and more importantly(have to pay to play ) working as a plasterer with little or no pain. So if there are any other old dudes out there concerned about getting well take heart ,eat well ,work the muscles and sinews when able , i do yoga daily and youll be be fighting fit one day again ,

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  21. David Fox Avatar
    David Fox

    First some words of comfort for those of you contemplating a plate and bone graft: it need not be a big deal. I was back at work (I am a teacher) three days after the operation. It was uncomfortable but perfectly manageable.
    Much less encouraging has been the neck and shoulder spasms which set in a week or so after the procedure. This is the result (I think) of prolonged immobilisation stemming from wearing a sling for most of the last three months (the accident which fractured my clavicle happened 14 weeks ago

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