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What to Expect From a Broken Clavicle

The following is a funny story sent to me by a rider that broke her collar bone while cycling. She found my site when searching for more information on training and recovery from the break.

Along with the story she mentions “I know it would’ve helped me alot if this information had been available when I was lost in the land of one arm. I have attached my ridiculously long account”. She then adds that I may post the story if I wish.

Well, I think it’s well worth posting. So here it is.

Enjoy.

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.

What to Expect From a Broken Clavicle

By Laura Erker

On March 23rd I had the exciting experience of breaking my left clavicle while riding my bike. I thought I’d put together a synopsis of what to expect so that anyone else can read and see what’s in store. If you’re reading this and you have broken you clavicle then get someone to run out to the store and get you some really good calcium. You should take 2000mg of calcium with 6mg of Boron a day! While they’re at it, have them pick you about four books to read and ten movies to go through. Further, a really funny account of the first five days with a broken clavicle can be found on line http://www.kurlancheek.com/clavicle.htm. Also, relax, it’s gonna be a while.

So, what happened? Good question, everyone has their own version of who is to blame and how it all went down. From my vantage point I only know that I was cruising along in a group, riding into a crosswind. Someone had the bright idea to put it in the gutter and everyone started fighting for wheels. Then, I heard some tires hit and “…zzt zzzt zzt crack crack crack”. The bike in front of me came to a screeching halt and as I hit my brakes I went into a skid that had my back wheel hit the back tire in front of me. Next thing I knew I was picking myself up off the ground and getting back on my bike. But, as I rode away I realized that something was very wrong. Not only was my left shoulder ON FIRE with pain but I could feel/hear a clicking there that could only be a broken bone. Deciding that I was not stupid enough to try to ride the remaining 25 miles with a broken bone I attempted to bring myself to a stop and threw my bike in the dirt glad to be rid of that infernal pain machine. The pain was so intense now that fainting was the only possibility. But, I had to wait to lose all consciousness until I could hail down an ambulance, cab, person! I could see a group of cars a mile away down the road at the site of the crash, where I should have stayed. Well, hindsight is always 20/20. I hailed the ambulance like a cab and crawled in just in time to faint. I was then transferred to another ambulance and so began my new adventure into a one-armed existence.

The emergency room was exciting and the staff was very generous. All in all, a three hour affair in the door and out. It ends up I broke the distal third of my collar bone. However, getting a hold of someone to pick me up became a new challenge. I didn’t have my cell phone with me and not knowing any phone numbers I had to go on the internet to get the number of my team director, Chris Evertsen. Chris or an official was able to relate to my husband where I was located and he headed off to get me. After sitting in the emergency entrance for hours, seeing my husband come through the door of the emergency room was one of the happiest moments of my life!

Week 1 (This is movie week)

One quickly learns that it is a two-armed world out there and this will not make your broken clavicled life any easier. But, on with life.

Killing the pain. First, let’s discuss the power of alchohol. Through the ages this fine substance has been used to dull the pain of many a fallen soldier. Seeing myself as such, I broke into the whiskey with wild abandon. Choosing Jack Daniels’ as my personal “fav’ I set out to imbibe. If you dose this correctly you won’t have to pick up your prescription vicadin. Careful to drink a glass of water for each alcoholic drink so you avoid hangovers.

Dressing, this becomes a new adventure. You must keep your hurt shoulder extremely still. This means that the arm attached to it is completely useless. If you are a woman then forget the bra. If you must have a bra get someone you “trust’ to put your most comfortable one on and realize you will be wearing this item for at least two or three days. Unable to work out how to get a t-shirt on I tried my shirts that button up. You soon come to realize that buttons are not an option. Ok, back to regular shirts. I could get large t-shirts on by feeding the sleeve of the bad arm over my useless hand up to my armpit and then carefully pulling it over my head and then putting my functional arm in the other arm hole. Getting the t-shirt off again is usually a two-person project. Forget tying shoelaces or wearing tight pants, they become the enemy.

Sleeping. Most certainly, one must avoid, at all costs, rolling onto the affected shoulder during the first week. This will wake you up in just as much pain as the day you crashed. I found that propping pillows all along the length of my body helped to reduce unwarranted movement. I slept a lot, there wasn’t much else to do. But, this doesn’t really matter, as dressing, eating, and drinking will take about 5 times longer than usual, so I filled my day accordingly.

Book read: Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Movies watched: a lot!
Alcohol consumption: can’t accurately remember :’)

Week 2

Now I was really starting to feel better, less pain in the shoulder and I could use my hand a bit. But my shoulder turned a pallid green. The bruising is disgusting and continued to creep down my torso for another week. But, since I only owned three t-shirts that I could manage to pull over my arm and head I just continued with the same state of affairs. It was about now that I realized I only had one thing to do to entertain myself!go to work. So, off I went arm in sling. I had only two things on my “to do” list each day. These items were usually something that would normally take me about an hour. Not now, I could spend all day working on simple problems. I had to get people to open the freezers for me and handle mice etc! But I got to talk with everyone at work quite a bit :’). I’d be able to work about 6 hours maximum a day before I completely cracked. This is when I learned to value of ibuprofen! One little pill can take a cranky/pained Laura and turn her into a working machine for about 2 more hours, lovely.

Comraderie. It was now that I learned that walking around in a sling attracts a lot of attention. People have to comment. They can’t help it.

“Fall off a bar stool?”
“Boy, broken collar bone, that’s the worst!”

I quickly pointed out that being on fire would probably be worse, but ok it’s nice to know people care.

I also learned that other injured people are most certainly your friend. You have to ask them what they did, and if they have a good left arm then you always ask if you could borrow it, or something corny like this. But, it’s fun.

I also started to get on the bike at the gym around this time. According to one man, I was great inspiration working out with my sling on. Well, I’d surely give up my inspiration status to use my left arm again, buddy! I went home suddenly after some of these visits to the gym because I would try to do too much and BLAM, pain again. Don’t do sit ups.

Doctor visit. It was mid-week that I was able to go and see a doctor. I sat there for about an hour just to get a referral to an orthopedist. Once I got in to see the nurse she looked straight at me (let me remind the reader that I was wearing my left arm in a sling and was covered with a big green bruise that covered my arm and torso)!

“So, what is your problem, today?”
“I have a broken clavicle and need to be referred to an orthopedist”
“Which arm is broken?”
(again, I remind the reader that my left arm was is a sling)
“My left arm”
“Okay, and what are you doing for it?”
I point to the sling, flabbergasted.
“When did it happen?”
“One week ago” I replied.
Surprised, “And you haven’t been in to see a doctor yet?”
“Well, no, I was just starting to feel like I could venture out of my “healing cocoon’.”
“Alright, let’s get you an appointment. Right, so the soonest our orthopedist can see you will be April 22nd.”
“That’s in three weeks! I have a broken bone. Isn’t there something sooner?”
“There isn’t really anything we can do for that, do you have any ibuprofen?”

Eventually I got x-rayed and was told to come back in three weeks.

Book Read: Second Foundation, Isaac Asimov

Week 3

I felt the same as Week 2 but was able to get on the trainer with my sling. I got a workout regimen from Hans Kellner on line. Very nice guy, who broke his clavicle a while back, you can go to !

Hans Kellner Dot Com :: Broken Clavicle No More

The training regimen consists of workouts broken up by Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3. Wow, I thought, this guy was training at week 1. Well, straight onto the trainer then, let’s get to work. Ends up, “Week 1” should be approached more as “the first week he began training after the break”. Holding my entire upper body up on my bike trainer with just my right arm was another challenge I hadn’t anticipated. I pushed through it. Also, it seems it only took Hans three weeks to recover, that’s only as long as his workout regimen was. Excellent, I’ll only be on the trainer for one week! This is great. Again, it ends up the three week training regimen can be repeated ad infinitum until you heal, just a little heads up.

Pit of Despair. This probably only applies to women. I could not shave the injured arm’s pit! This was horrible and I began to refer to this area of my body as the “pit of despair”. This is when you realize the ultimate greatness of the Mach 3 razor. You can literally shave without lifting your arm! Well lift it as much as you can. Good luck girls!

Book read: Swimming Across by Andrew Grove

Week 4

Having contracted some kind of horrible cold (which I affectionately call “the snot blanket”) I was unable to sleep at night or workout. I fell into a depressive mood. Out of desperation I rode my bike on the road for one hour and ended up hurting it again. This is when I completely cracked under the strain of heading out into the world each and every day facing new painful challenges. I was tired of it. I wanted just one day where I didn’t have to struggle to get my clothes on or sleep! I felt that no one could possibly understand the pain I was going through. It was during this time that a friend and coworker died in a tragic car accident. Suddenly I found myself very appreciative of my situation. I was alive, fairly healthy and had people that loved me.

Back to riding, I found that I couldn’t reach the handlebars with my bad arm until the end of Week 4, this may be because I had a distal break, but I don’t know. I just kept focusing on my appointment with the doctor and the x-ray machine. He would certainly tell me that I was completely healed and I could resume my life again. Alas, it was not to be, the x-ray looked the same as the day I broke my arm. Well, I headed back home to cry, pulled myself together, bought a year’s supply of calcium and vowed not to drink any alcohol until I was better and healed! I hear alcohol can reduce your healing abilities. Also, when you break a bone you should take 2000mg of calcium a day with 6mg of Boron.

This was the week that I talked with Dr. Allan Richberg, also a cyclist. He informed me that seeing no healing after four weeks was normal for a 30 year old. This greatly lifted my spirits! He talked with me for a good 30 minutes on what to expect from my injury. He informed me that if you ride in the early healing stages of a broken clavicle you will most probably put a rib into your lung if you crash. This was alarming, why didn’t my doctor tell me this. Thanks Allan!

Book read: Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Doug Adams

Week 5

My arm started to feel a lot better now. I could lift it over my head! Also, I could start driving my car with two hands. This was great! I started really riding the trainer a lot and was able to just get my left hand up to the bars comfortably and put a little weight on it. I did seven hours on the trainer this week, good for me. Whoever thought I’d be riding my trainer so much in So Cal with it sunny and 80F outside!

Book read: Finished Hitch Hiker’s Guide

Week 6

I risked a ride on the road, against the doctor’s orders and found that my arm was ok. Whew!

Book read: Sequel to Hitch Hiker’s guide “Restaurant at the End of the Universe” by Doug Adams

Week 7

Now I am back to riding 3 times a week and really enjoying it. My body sure is tired though.

Book read: Finished Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Doug Adams

Week 8

I have an appointment with the doctor to get x-rayed again. Keep your fingers crossed. I am really looking forward to racing and just glued my ksyriums with the help of the best husband in the world, Jacob Erker.

Book read: Started Ringworld by Larry Niven

More “Broken Collar Bone” Articles

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

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759 responses

  1. Rami Avatar
    Rami

    Hans and everyone else here would like to say THANK U!!!!
    I broke my left clavicle 2 weeks ago playing soccer and xray that day showed a clean fracture in middle section. Put a sling and rested. Now 2 weeks later new xray shows bones moved further apart about 1.5 cm, 4 pieces with jagged end on one of them….my question is , is it normal for bones to move apart from start of injury? I’m 32 and dr says it might take longer to heal so should consider surgery plate…..should I give natural healing a try first?

    Yes, it’s possible for the bones to move apart. As your muscles loosen up after the injury the bones can shift. Also, arm and shoulder movement can move the bones. This is one of the reasons people use a figure-8 brace. The brace will help to minimize movement of the shoulder and movement of the bones.

    Should you select surgery for recovery? I would recommend that get a second doctor’s opinion before choosing surgery. It’s become more common for doctors to recommend surgery for a broken collar bone. It’s not a 100% guarantee of recovery and there are risks from it. But it provides a method of recovering within a certain length of time.

    – Hans

    Reply
  2. kaiser, Avatar
    kaiser,

    Mr.Hans
    thanks n for ur replies
    I am into my 6th week now and there is no sign of bump on my fractured area what does this mean? there is no calcification happening is it worrying and one more thing if I remove sling this week does that mean healing will be slow then. i have already put off figure 8 after 5th week. i am doing exercises for frozen elbow and shoulder
    kindly Advice
    thanks

    kaiser

    Not everyone gets a bump so I don’t think not having one is a bad sign. I would think that you wouldn’t need the sling at this point. But you should always check with and follow the advice of your doctor. Each injury is unique and will heal at different rates. Your doctor will be the best source of information since they will have examined you and your injury. But be sure to ask your doctor very specific questions about healing and what you can do to provide the best care to speed up the healing.

    – Hans

    Reply
  3. kaiser, Avatar
    kaiser,

    kaiser
    thanks Hans
    my immediate worry is that i cannot sleep on my bed for last 4.5 weeks as it is troubling me i am trying to sleep opposite side of my broken clavicle but it really hurts after 1 to 2 hours as i feel whole side soared .when can i sleep normally and how much time it takes to heal completely.

    It took me a while before I was comfortable sleeping. I’ve forgotten now how long that was. But over 6 weeks at least. I did find that using extra pillows for support helped with sleeping. I was place my bad arm on a pillow to keep it raised. And another pillow on my side to keep from rolling onto the bad side. The healing takes time. And there’s no way to know how long since each person heals differently.

    – Hans

    Reply
  4. kaiser Avatar
    kaiser

    i broke my collar bone 4 weeks ago playing soccer was immediately taken to Dr who found my right calvicle boken on X ray and i put on figure 8 as well as arm sling .after 4 weeks i had another X ray which is still showing fracture but the gap has minimized . The Dr has told me to put off figure 8 but wear arm sling for two more weeks and start pendulum exercises .Now my worry is should i take of figure 8 or not and when can i start driving my vehicle ,how will it take to heal completely .My age is 40 years now

    It’s probably about time to stop using the figure-8 brace. You are far enough along that it’s probably not helping that much any longer. I would think that you should be able to start driving, at least an automatic. Might be harder to drive with a manual transmission if you injured the side used for shifting gears. Depends on your level of pain, range of motion, and strength. If all is healing well then you should be getting close to healed. But age is a factor and can cause healing to take longer. Be sure to check with your doctor regarding these questions. They will give you the best information since they will have examined you. And each person’s injury is unique.

    – Hans

    Reply
  5. chanakya chanu Avatar
    chanakya chanu

    i to have a broken clavicle…but im surprised that people become unconciuos after having their clavicle broken…but in my case it didnt happen.i feel from a bus gng at 60km/hr speed.as i feel i rolled to my left nd getting up i realised i broke my clavicle..then i travelled 25 km to reach home then took some water and went to doctor..after a week my bone went far unable to attach then i was suggested for surgery and had it after few days…after a month i am completely fine with an odd feeling in my left hand…now starting to gain muscle in my left hand…after surgery my left arm muscle reduced..now can any one tell me how to gain my muscle back??..and thank u in advance…

    I suggest getting an appointment to see a physical therapist. The therapist will be able to evaluate your injury and provide you with a set of exercises. I don’t recommend you get physical therapy advice from anyone that isn’t qualified nor hasn’t examined you. Otherwise you risk performing an exercise that may hurt you more than help you.

    – Hans

    Reply
  6. Carolyn Cranna Avatar
    Carolyn Cranna

    Hi
    I broke my right clavical 5 weeks ago. Been wearing a brace, but not a figure 8. Crosses around the back to the front and across my left shoulder around my back. Still sleep with it on worried about moving it too much.
    Have just started taking it off during day. Have noticed my right shoulder
    is more forward than my left. I look twistered. Still getting a lot of aching, and wondering if it is just muscles pulling shoulder forward?
    Have more movement, but not sure how much I should move my right arm, still get the odd little clicking but not like it was. My x-ray @ three weeks, no change, bone over lapped, go for next x-ray this week will be 6 weeks. Seems like for ever. Have not been taking extra calcium, as a site told me a balanced diet is more important durrrr, don’t know what to think now.
    Sooooo over it.
    Have been walking most days for about an hour with sling on, worried its going to heal crooked.
    regards
    Carolyn Cranna
    Age 51

    Reply
    1. hans Avatar
      hans

      @Carolyn – Sorry to hear about your clavicle break. It sounds like you are doing all the right things for your recovery. I don’t know what might be causing the one shoulder to be further forward. It might be because the clavicle is now overlapping and thus pulling the shoulder forward. Or, as you mention, the muscles are doing that. On your next visit with your doc be sure you have a list of questions such as the position of your shoulder.

      Also, although it takes time there’s always a good chance it will heal on its own and you won’t have to think about it any longer. I eventually got to that point.

      Reply
  7. Lisa Myers Avatar
    Lisa Myers

    Hello. I am a 38 year old female with 4 girls. I broke my collarbone last week during a group ride with the local bike shop. My husband and I had started commuting from work on alternating days. My speed had improved and I was gearing up for my october MS ride from St Augustine to Daytona, FL. Unfortunately I do not remember what happened that caused me to lose control of my bike. My husband literally ran me over because he was behind me. He just got a little bruised up and some road rash.
    Anyway it is my right arm that I messed up and now I am learning to do everything with my left arm. I stumbled across this website and was encouraged by the other cycling stories. I am anxious to ride again. I have a spinner and a trainer that I will hopefully be able to get on soon.

    Reply
  8. John Altizer Avatar
    John Altizer

    This is a great site – glad I found it.

    I broke my left clavicle on 5/15 in a charity road ride, but I was particularly aggressive that day and intent on staying with the lead pack. I was into mile 68 of a 75-mile ride with ride average at that point at 23.5 mph. I don’t recall how it all happened, but after that ugly sound of wheels rubbing, several riders went down. Most got up and continued on, some called it a day, and I had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. I was thankful that there was ride support there to call for help and to make arrangements for my bike to be transported back to the ride start point. I had considerable road rash on my left shoulder, left arm, and left thigh & knee. In addition, my helmet was cracked clean through in 2 places. At the ER, I was given a series of xrays at the clavicle, knee, & elbow. Only the clavicle was damaged. Because of the broken helmet, they also took a CT scan of my head – thank God no injury there either. (Quickly purchased a new helmet on sale, though I knew I’d have no need for it for many weeks)
    Though I don’t race competitively, I do consider byself an avid enthusiast, logging 250 miles per week except in the winter in NC. I spoke with numerous cycling friends who had broken their clavicles, seeking their opinions on course of treatment. I was in immense pain, even with ocycontin, and was biased that surgery would be the best course of action. My friends, all racers, said that even in marginal situations, they would tend to select the more aggressive option of surgery. I saw a sports orthopedic surgeon about 5 days after in crash. He was referred to me by the local hospital. Xrays showed the fracture to be in somewhat complicated geometry, with several loose, but not overly conerning, shards of bone. The doctor said he was not optimistic about the outcome if I chose no surgery. I am 44 and did not wish to take chances with the use of my left arm for the remainder of my life. So based on his opinion, the opinion of friends who had had broken clavicles and experienced both surgery and natural healing, because I wanted the most expediant recovery as possible, and because I wanted the pain to stop, I opted for the surgery. I realize every broken clavicle presents a unique set of circumstances, and that other’s non-medical opinions are simply anecdotal.

    The doctor preferred to use an intermedullary pin (a titanium rod hammered into the internal bone canal, joining both sections of the fractured clavicle together) rather than plates and screws. He would have to wait until he got into my shoulder before deciding which method would work. Fortunately, the pin was selected. Sugery would skip the “union” process and allow the two sections to knit together that much faster.

    The surgery was done about 1 week later on an out-patient basis. In all, the surgery lasted 90 minutes and was pain-free (at least until the anesthesia wore off). I was on 5mg of oxycontin every 4 hours. That seemed to do the trick. I can leave the pin in for eternity if I wish, or have it removed, but that would require another surgery under general anesthesia. I intend to leave it in unless it gives me trouble in future years. There is a chance that it could work itself out in future years, creating a small “tenting’ effect with the skin. Obviously, I would need to remove it at that point. Even now, there is a slightly noticeable bulge where the pin head is protruding from the bone just under the skin (about 5mm wide). I didn’t notice it at first because the surrounding area inflammation was hiding it. Now that all of the inflammtion has receded, it’s definitely there. It does not bother me – just looks a little funny. I also have 2 surgical scars. One is about 3 inches long and another is 1 inch long. I’m not sure why there were two incisions made. But they are not terribly noticeable and diminishing with each week. I was glad the surgeon used dissolvable sutures – no need to have them removed in a follow-up office visit.

    Because the crash was on a Saturday, I was right back to work that Monday. I did miss 2 days of work – 1 for the surgery, and 1 day of recovery.

    For the next 3 weeks, I discovered the importance of owning shirts that button. My usual attire was golf shirts or t-shirts. Like others, I had to sleep in a sitting upright position for the first few weeks. I’ve since been able to sleep in any fashion I wish EXCEPT on my left side (the injury side). I was in a sling up until week 4 following the surgery.

    I was allowed to get on the indoor trainer at about week 3. I am going crazy being limited to that trainer- I’m logging in about 10 hours a week on it. Yesterday, I had a 5-6 week follow-up xray. To my greatest satisfaction, I was cleared to get back on the bike outside but only under the most controlled conditions (only solo riding, no “balls-out” hammer riding). The doc explained that there is still a great deal of risk – if I crashed again, the treatment will be substantially more complicated and the outcome more uncertain. I will be at the beach all next week and I love early morning solo rides along the coast – so I rationalize that this type of riding will meet my doc’s conditions. I was worried about what the pin would do if subjected to another crash. The doc did not seem overly concerned stating that titanium has some flexibility to it and that it would give a little and then spring back.

    I still have good days and bad days with pain. But I can tell that the pain is mostly muscular and limited to surrounding muscles still “guarding” the injury site. I still feel what fells like fracture bone pain when I try to reach behind my back. Oddly, lifting my hand over my head was never a problem, probably due to the quick union that surgery necessarily performs.

    Make sure you have good insurance if you go the surgery route. Bills are still coming in – but I project the total cost to be around $15,000. This includes: Ambulance, ER, surgeon, hospital fees, radiography, anesthesiologist, & drugs.

    Reply
  9. Sophie Avatar
    Sophie

    It’s amazing how many clavicles get broken and mostly at the mercy of our (2- and 4-) wheeled friends. I broke my clavicle after being knocked off my bike 7 weeks ago. At first it was straightforward and then displaced. The first surgeon I saw told me to leave it to nature and said he’d see me in a couple of months. I got a second opinion from a renowned shoulder specialist and he said he’d always plate, which he did 3 weeks ago. After a painful and uncomfortable couple of weeks, he has now let me shed the sling and go back on the indoor trainer. He reckons by week 6 he’ll be sending me back out into the world to do what I like. I was due to do an Ironman Triathlon this week and am devastated to be missing it after months and months of training (with full-time job and 2 year-old). However, I’m so glad I had the surgery. In a funny way, the accident and the broken bone has also given me time to appreciate full health (and be bitter with people who do nothing to help themselves on that score). I keep repeating to myself the following mantra: “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful”……..
    Hope all your bones mend quickly.

    Reply
  10. Deb Avatar
    Deb

    It was a beautiful Memorial Day morning so my husband and I decided to take our motorcycles out for a ride. I had surgery for a kidney tumor scheduled and wanted to get one final ride in since I didn’t know how long it would be until I was going to be able to ride again. It’s going to be awhile. I was pulling in to get gas on the way home toward the end of a glorious ride. I was watching the roadside gravel as I came around so that the backend of the motorcycle didn’t slide. I should have been watching the curb on the planter ahead of me. A 3mph side-swipe of the curb and down I went landing on my right shoulder. Fully padded motorcycle jacket not withstanding I have broken my right clavicle. Not only does that end my riding season but it halts my kidney tumor surgery. During surgery I will be lying on my left side with my right arm extending over my head for two hours. I endured a second ambulance ride the day after the crash because of the shoulder seizing up on me. Saw an Ortho doc yesterday. Between the two ER visits and the Ortho surgeon I’ve come to this conclusion: there’s pretty much nothing to be done but wait it out. “You’ll have that” was the universal response to my detailed and sundry complaints. Since I can’t drive, I’m going to have someone take me to the baby section of our local store. There I will buy some pretty little barrettes to adorn my blossoming armpit which I shall now call Amelia. Maybe something in yellow and green to match the bruises. This blog has been a refreshment to my spirit. Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences ~ straight up, no ice. Oh, waiter …!

    Reply
  11. Ashley C. Avatar
    Ashley C.

    My niece broke her collar bone in P.E. It’s been alomost a month since it happened and she went to the doctor. She is still in a back brace to hold her shoulders straight, while its healing. Last night, she said she was feeling no pain, so I told her to take her brace off ,and see what she felt like, she took it off and said there was no pain still. She tried to raise her arm, and couldn’t hold it up but for about 10 seconds. We do not have insurance and cannot afford a physical therapist, so does anyone know some excercise that I can do for her, untill we talk to her doctor. If so please E-Mail me at rja_chick@yahoo.com I really appreciate this. I’m desperate.

    Reply
  12. Barbara Johnson Avatar
    Barbara Johnson

    Fabulous website, thanks! Now for my story. I am a 54 year old non-athlete. While on a work plus vacation visit to Colorado in March I decided to try cross country skiing. In my youth I tried downhill but soon discovered my extreme dislike for uncontrolled speed. Unlike most of you atheletes, I have no adrenalyn rush genes and like safe and slow.
    The first three days of cross country I was in heaven. Beautiful countryside, somewhat effortless activity, and burning calories. I thought I’d finally found my sport! Day four we tried a new track. The first several miles were fabulous. Then the track changed from beginner to intermediate with no other options. Feeling cocky after my previous three days experience I had no qualms about finishing the course rather than turning back. I then learned that intermediate meant hills, but none were more than a gentle slope of maybe 20 feet at the apex. Unfortunately I thought I should stay in the groomed track rather than move over out of the ruts. The result was zooming down the hills with no method of slowing down. I could have attempted to snowplow if I’d been out of the track. At the bottom of each hill I would end up on my butt, but laughed it off and kept going.
    About six hills and several miles later came the injury. I remember starting zooming and being scared of my speed as ususal, then being on the ground. I immediately knew something was broken and called out to the others who were ahead of me that I’d broken my shoulder. They reported seeing me fall and that I’d basically done a cartwheel. I think I must have caught a ski pole which launched me airborn. I’ve never been able to do a cartwheel in my entire life! Being experienced skiiers they reassured me I was just shaken up and perhaps had pulled some muscles. I proceeded to ski the remaining three miles but found I could not use my right arm. Upon reaching the car and removing my gloves, I could feel that my clavicle was raised about 2″ and then knew I was in trouble.
    Lucky for me I was in a ski resort town with a walk in Ortho clinic with one of the world’s most respected doctors on staff. X-rays showed that I had shattered the end of the clavicle nearest my shoulder. They explained that I could elect to do nothing but with the amount of bone now in shards I probably would never be able to use the arm properly. Unlike interior clavicle breaks it would not knit together on its own as the fragments were scattered and not close to the remaining bone. I could have surgery and they would plate the pieces back together. I was scheduled for the following day since it was late afternoon on a Spring Break week and the surgeon had 5 more people for that day who had injured themselves.
    I was put into a sling. That night despite Percoset (which I later discovered doesn’t work for me) was a living hell. They had recommended sleeping sitting up and I found that I could not recline at all so I spent the night in a recliner unable to sleep in severe pain wishing for the next day to hurry and arrive.
    At the hospital when my surgeon got her first thorough look at my x-rays she said it was a much more complicated break than originally thought. There did not appear to be any fragments large enough to accept a plate, and the 3/4″ of bone that was now pulverized would leave a large gap between what was left of my clavicle and the shoulder joint. She gave me my options and I elected to proceed with surgery. She said she would attempt to find a solution once she was seeing the bones and knew what was viable. It was possible she would have to take a bone graph from my hip and tendons from another body part if what I had left was too damaged to repair.
    Fortunately for me there was one viable fragment about the size of a staple that had all of my tendons attached to it. Because of the small size, a plate was out of the question because there wasn’t enough bone to screw into. The surgeon pulled the big part of the clavicle down into the natural position, and pulled the fragment up to meet it. She then took a wire and wrapped the two together going around and around with the wire. Since I am female she took extra care to have the skin side of the wrapping as flat as possible and the wire ends tucked inward trying to give me a result that would not be noticable and would not interfere with bra straps once healed. She also braided lengths of suture material together to give herself a stronger thread and used this to weave and sew my tendons to I don’t know what.
    I had to extend my vacation a week in order to have a follow up visit and also to get to a point that I thought traveling might be physically possible. The x-ray showed everything in the right place and the surgeon then revealed I had been her most complicated clavicle repair in 15 years of sports medicine to include being one of the Olympic team’s doctors specializing in bicylce events which are famous for breaking clavicles (as evidenced in how many on this website broke theirs on a bike). Her clinic walls are full of extreme athletes (a lot of famous folks) photos autographed with their thank you notes for putting them back together! Trust a non-athlete to trump folks doing extreme sports. Go figure. I left her office with instructions to wear the sling 24/7, no lifting with either arm, instructions to do pendulums regulary but nothing else, and instructions that it was fine to use a keyboard since the arm could stay in the sling which was good news since my entire job is Internet related. I was told to get a local Ortho immediately on return home. I was to expect no physical activity for 4 weeks and a 12 week total recovery.
    Now on to the really terrible parts of all of this – the pain. First I had to get home. Was able to book a one stop flight which should have been about 6 hours flying with a 1 hour layover. First and longest leg of flight got delayed when the incoming flight had a stewardess carted off the the hospital resulting in not being allowed to fly. Passengers were told not to leave the airport as they were attempting to find another stew. Six hours later we did get to leave. It had been a 2 hour drive to the airport with arrival 2 hours early so I was now 10 hours into traveling. By the time the 5 hour flight ended I was in silent screaming agony because I could change positions to take some pressure off the clavicle and had no ice. Due to the delay all flights had finished for the day stranding me in Atlanta overnight. I had to claim my bag which even on wheels was not something I was supposed to pull even with the good side. I spent 4 short and painful hours at a hotel then had to get back to the airport with luggage and get through security, etc. Over 30 hours after I began the trip I was finally at home, a sobbing mess of relentless pain. I was back to the same level of raw relentless pain that I had the night before surgery.
    I saw a local Ortho the next day who agreed with everything that had been done and wanted me to return in a month for more x-rays. No activity with injured side except keyboard and pendulums. No weight bearing even with good arm. I had to immediately begin working and could not find a way that wasn’t torture. Eventually ended up putting keyboard on a low table so that my injured right side (I’m right handed) was being used with my arm not having to be raised at all. After pushing myself too hard the first week I finally realized that two hours was the maximum I could work without a major break for ice and reclining.
    By now I was in weeks 2 and 3 post surgery. I could not live without regular every 4 hour doses of Vicodin with Advil in between doses. My pain level did not change from how I felt on day 4 for the next 5 weeks. On a scale of 1 to 10 I was a constant 8.
    My month visit back to the Ortho for the x-ray was comical. I wore a halter top which is one of the few styles I can get on. I shimmy into it feet first and then pop the strap around my neck. Luckily I live in the warm south and not cold Colorado! My scar is visable and about 5″ long and I have on the sling. The x-ray tech had me stand against a plate mounted to the wall still fully clothed, and then took a very long time lining up the cross hairs on my LEFT shoulder. I wondered why she cared about the uninjured side but decided to stay silent as I thought perhaps they wanted a look at the good side and would then take x-rays of the injury to compare. Luckily a second tech came in and looked at the orders and asked the first tech if she was sure she had the correct side. The tech said that the orders were for the right shoulder – hello – she had no clue it was my right not HER right.
    She then took x-rays of the right side and after developing them asked me if I’d had surgery. I guess the fresh unhealed scar was not a clue and the sling a fashion statement? She then asked if I was wearing a bra. Hello – you can see my whole shoulders so where would a bra strap be hiding? She said she was seeing something on the clavicle that looked like metal and wondered if it was a bra strap metal adjustment hardware. I explained it was a surgical wire wrapping. NOT a warm and fuzzy experience for the skill set of the practice!
    The ortho said all looked well but for another month only do pendulums and begin finger crawling up the wall as tolerated. In his experience with my level of both fracture, tendon tearing, and soft tissue damage most people have debilitating pain for six to eight weeks and a four month healing process. He did refill the Vicodin and gave me a sleeping pill when I asked for help being able to sleep more than an hour at a time as pain would wake me up. Sleeping half the night now and am feeling more human. Am finally able to sleep without sitting bolt upright but have to remain flat on my back with the injured arm on a bed pillow which seems to hold the clavicle from dropping down to the mattress.
    I am now on week 6 and can finally report that the pain is about a 4 out of 10. I’ve been given permissin not to wear the sling around the house which resulted in lots of muscle pain in the back of the shoulder and arm from not using them. A heating pad does wonders. Am now down to 1/2 a Vicodin at bedtime and lots of Advil during the day on days when I have been a good camper. On days when I try to do lots of computer work I sometimes have to have Vicodin during the day. Riding in a car for more than 15 minutes will set the pain into overdrive still. I can’t go shopping as I can’t push a cart or lift things into it.
    As for my grooming hints – I have curly hair so that has been good that it doesn’t need much styling. My drying method is to put the end of the hair dryer that is the exhaust over the sink bowl with the handle resting on the sink edge. I can then hold the handle down with my slinged arm. I bend at the waist and allow the air to flow up into my hair. I take the round brush with my good arm and have been able to at least get the bang portion straight. I fully understand the underarm furry creature issue, but now can move my arm out enough to sneak in a razor. Immediately after surgery I purchased a second cheap sling online and would change into it before entering the shower and let it get wet. This was much better than attempting to shower without a sling when any movement of the bad arm was excruciating and frankly I was scared not to have on a sling for fear of moving something. I’d highly recommend getting an extra sling (mine was $10 with shipping) for this for the first couple of weeks. I found that wearing zip up lightweight hoodies was the easiest top to wear and usually thick enough to hide the fact that I can’t wear a bra. I still cannot stand the strap of a bra, but now can wear anything with a V-neck or wide neck as I place the injured arm in first and then torque my head and other arm into the garment.
    Depression is a huge issue. Like most folks, I hate to ask for help. Most of my recreational activites are impossible. My husband has been wonderful doing all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning and putting up with me 🙂 I am grateful and aware that not all injuries are temporary and that this too shall pass.
    I’d love to hear from anyone else who has had my type of fracture. I’m concerned with the future once I’ve healed and wonder about long term discomfort, especially for middle aged non-atheletes like me.
    p.s. I still want to cross country next year on my Colorado visit, but plan to take lessons on how to slow down.

    Reply
  13. moses Avatar
    moses

    im a swimmer that broke my clavical a few months ago but i still have some slight pain should i continue swimming? will it affect me?????

    The overhead movement used for swimming can put a lot of twist and strain on the shoulder and clavicle. If you aren’t healed fully then you might be doing more harm.

    The only way to know is to have a doc examine you. Don’t listen to anyone that isn’t a doctor and hasn’t actually examined you. You wouldn’t want to jeopardize your mobility and your ability to swim.

    Reply
  14. Chey Avatar
    Chey

    Hi! i broke my right collar bone sledding 7 seven weeks ago and i havent healed yet. My bones are supposed to grow back together but my recent xray a week ago today shows no sign of connection. They’re as far apart as the night i broke them. I get sharp, numb pains down my arm and cant stand for about 15 mins without it burning and bringing tears to my eyes. i recently went and had an EMG Nerve Study test done to see if there was any nerve damage done but there was not. Something else is wrong and i’m freaking out. Has anyone had these type pains from a broken collar bone?!

    I had some radiating pain when I was healing. But it eventually went away. The pain you are experiencing sounds extreme. I wonder if it’s muscle related? If your back and/or shoulder muscles are strained because of supporting the injured region then they might be going into spasms. In an extreme case that can lead to sharp pain. You might consider using a heating pad or getting a massage to relieve some of the muscle stress and see if that helps.

    Reply
  15. Maggie Avatar
    Maggie

    Phew, found this site when looking up to see how long it should take for clavicle to heal. I broke mine in May, falling off my bike on way to children’s school. I knew there was a car behind me and indicated that I was turning left and in an unbelievably stupid move, my brain told my right hand to put on the brakes. Needless to say I flipped myself over the handlebars into the middle of a pedestrian crossing, in front of the car that was behind me. She stopped. I landed on my shoulder, then my head.
    All the school mum’s picked me up, called the ambulance, called my hubby at work to come collect me from the hospital, and off I went.
    My fracture was at the end of the left clavicle in the joint. No displacement, no bump. I am left handed and a left sided sleeper.
    Scalp glued together, and arm in a sling, I went home, dazed from the whack on the head. I didn’t get offered any pain meds, or even a decent sling. I had a triangle bandage, which caused pain in my neck and blisters on my skin.
    The bruising started to show up after about 5 days and lasted for nearly 2 months. I am glad to have landed on my shoulder first and not my head, as I wasn’t wearing a helmet. I do now.
    The worst thing was trying to sleep, and like lots of you I had a nest of pillows, but it was the backache from not moving that was keeping me awake. My solution was using a thick sheepskin rug under my body, kept my back from aching, and allowed me to move a bit more from side to side than being directly on the mattress.
    I also had terrible pain in my elbow when I had the triangular bandage sling, which improved once I had a decent one that kept my arm in correct position.
    I had to get a complete new wardrobe, no bras, lots of vest tops to wear under tops with large openings that I could thread my hand and arm through, lift over my head and slide my right arm in.
    A shower took about an hour, so had to be done at night, with help, then had to wear vest to bed, so that hubby could help me dress before going to work in mornings. I was lucky that it was warm enough for summer clothes and sandals, as no way could I have done winter clothes and shoes.
    It is now 5 months later and after my 3rd xray and 2 months of physio, I have nearly full range of motion, but the bones have not healed at all. That is a bit depressing to say the least. It may not have helped that the first time out on my bike again, I somehow managed to overbalance myself whilst dismounting and landed on my left arm. And I wonder why my husband doesn’t want me to try out the rollerblades that I bought on holiday.
    I can now sleep on my left side, very carefully, with 2 strategically placed pillows, and more importantly, I can scratch my back.
    My local pharmacist has given me knitbone to try to encourage bone growth and after 5 months I am ready to try it. The surgeon talked to me about surgery, but didn’t really recommend as this comes with more risks than my fracture is worth, as due to position in joint it would involve plating the joint, at which point I was turning pale and he stopped talking. He did however keep asking me if I smoked, which really annoyed me as I don’t and never have. He couldn’t believe that I have not even started to show bone growth, so assumed I was lying about smoking, as this inhibits bone growth. I asked if it would ever grow together and he said possibly not. I will be going to see my GP who I am sure will give me a sensible answer, although will, as usual, compare my injury to the rugby players he usually deals with.

    Reply
  16. J Freyensee Avatar
    J Freyensee

    I am a cyclist as well as a ju-jitsu martial arts guy and broke my clavicle one week ago from today. Boy was a depressed because I had a ju-jitsu tournament in two weeks. But since I saw the doctor two days after breaking it, I have had good spirits. My first week was very similar to the theme of the first week, ‘movie week’, but that is about where it ends. My doctor actually wanted my arm out of the sling as much as possible. His reasoning is he didn’t want the entire right muscular side to cramp up in the sling. The shoulder was also relatively stable and already healing after two days. So although in the first couple of days I went to work and school via public transit with a broken clavicle (blah), Thurs-Sunday all I did was sit in a comfortable chair at home with the arm out of the sling watching movies and reading (though I did sleep with the sling on all week). I didn’t bother putting on a shirt, but when I had to go somewhere, I just wore a cycling zip-up vest (that has no sleeves and big arm holes) and draped a jacket over me like a cape. Not the best fashion statement, but I certainly did not care, and i was still clothes-wise legal in any grocery store or even work (with no malfunctions). Today I can use my right arm for simple things like typing in this blog, grabbing my house keys, or even cutting fruit and vegetables. The only reason why I cannot drink from my right hand is tightness in the shoulder. So this week I’m looking at working out again, stairmaster, leg weights, preacher db curls (elbow rests on the leg), and probably martial art kicking. Next week is the real test to see where I am at when I get my next x-rays.
    So I think where I want to go with this is when I read this blog I saw a lot of nightmare situations (at least for me), but not all seem to go that way (like mine so far). Also, you may want to ask the doctor by NOT wearing your sling, but still keeping sure you don’t move the arm the first week. I was actually more comfortable with it off in my chair than wearing it, but I think the true test of how effective that was will be in about a month when I start doing strength conditioning for the shoulder again.
    Here’s keeping my fingers crossed for next week’s xray…

    Reply
  17. cyndi leslie Avatar
    cyndi leslie

    Hi I’m a Judoka, 2 weeks ago I fractured my left clavical on a sudden stop fall off my bike (cycling) it is end of week 2 and yesterday I did one push up with no pain. in the mornings I heat pack my shoulder area to get rid of the stiff ness. In 2-3 weeks I will get back on the mat in Judo. at first i thought the world had ended for my Judo. but i found courage and strength from my coach. thansk for haveing this info here it helps me too.

    Reply
  18. Cary Avatar
    Cary

    Laura, thank-you for starting this with your hilarious account. Right on!
    Like many of you, I too am comforted by the fact I share the same the agony and misery of those who have suffered the same clavicle fate as I.
    Marten, you and I broke ours on almost the same day, mine was on May 7, 2009. Did itfalling from my bike, superman style right over the handle bars. I had the nasty looking “tent” with the dang bone protruding from day one. By week seven the x-rays showed no change, very depressing.
    I recommend John Yardley’ post at http://www.jpy.com/john/clavicle/ very insightful. Most doctors don’t recommend open reduction internal fixation, surgery. However, at some point you have to stop the bleeding, so to speak. Your whole life becomes a living nightmare, sleeping, moving, picking things up. Everything is just off. And if the bones are overlapping in your x-ray, they may never fuse back together. And like Colleen Pope, I could still move the bones around with my left hand.
    So, surgery on June 25th, exactly 7 weeks post crash. It’s been a little over 3 weeks since the surgery and I can tell you that the bone is lined up nicely now. I don’t care what kind of scar I have, I just could not go on living with that bone tent. My wife said from the very beginning that it looked like I’d need surgery. I wish now I had considered that option sooner because surgery does a complete reset on the recovery time table. At least another 6-8 weeks, maybe more. And you need to really use the sling and no riding, no jogging.
    Good luck everyone. Happy healing.

    Reply
  19. Dee Avatar
    Dee

    Are there any dental hygienists out there who have broken their collarbone? I’m right handed and broke my right collarbone. I had surgery the very next day and have the plate and screws now. I’m wondering how soon I can expect to return to work… but I want to really be certain at the same time to allow for proper healing time. I’d love to hear from you if you are out there!! Thanks bunches!

    Reply
  20. Tanya Avatar
    Tanya

    Hey! Enjoyed reading this and it reminded me of when I broke my left clavicle in a car accident in ’03. My question is this? After years, how is your collarbone now? I’ve noticed that I seem to get arthritis in the break location, cannot carry purses or bags on that shoulder for long, can’t carry my kids on my shoulders for long at all, and after I just got off the carpet after watching tv laying on my left side the area is pretty sore. I was just wondering if yours (or any one elses out there who had the injury occur over a year ago) still gives you trouble like that! 🙂 Thanks for the read!

    My shoulder and collar bone feels fine and as strong as ever. Although I do occasionally feel tightness in that shoulder more than the other. You might consider a follow up with an orthopedic doctor to see if there’s something related to the original break or something entirely different.

    Reply
  21. Marten Avatar
    Marten

    I broke my clavicle 9 days ago while snowboarding. Exactly the same way as J.Austin Hunt above. Didn’t quite make it over the flat part after the jump and bounced off. The bone was sticking up quite nastily so I went to a hospital nearby and had X-rays. After 2 wrong X-Rays they finally captured my clavicle and it’s obvious: http://marten.klencke.net/misc/sleutelbeen_square.jpg
    Anyway, I was put in a sling and sent home. Had an appointment with an orthopedist 3 days later and they also said I wouldn’t need surgery but I should come back in 2 weeks.
    The first few days were painful but bearable so I didn’t take any pain medication. Now, 9 days after the incident there’s almost no pain (only when raising the arm or trying to lift things) and I have quite some freedom of movement. However, it does still look very nasty and it seems to me that the bone is quite severely displaced. It’s ‘tenting’ the skin above my shoulder.
    I’m going back for X-rays in 8 days, let’s see what they say then. I think they were expecting the bones to more or less realign themselves but I’m not seeing that now.
    Any experiences like this? Will the bone lower itself after some time? Will the tent on my shoulder go away? 🙂
    I am, by the way, quite astonished by how quickly the body is able to cope with such an injury! I expected to be immobile for a few weeks.

    Wow, the ends of the bone look shifted rather far apart. But it’s hard to tell from the one x-ray. It’s possible for the bones to start to realign. It depends on many factors. I would recommend that you get a second opinion on how to treat it. Also, be very clear to your doctor what you expect once healed. For example, be clear that you are active and want to be able to regain full mobility of your shoulder. If that break heals but is misaligned it can hinder your movement. Or if the break is so far apart that the ends can’t fuse back together, then you may other problems. Prepare a list of questions before you visit your doctor again. It’s easy to forget when with the doctor.

    Reply
  22. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    I was playing lacrosse and broke y lft clavicle. I want to be able to go back and play in 7 weeks. Can it happen or is it at really serious risk of being injured?

    Being able to heal in 7 weeks is possible. There are a lot of factors that effect healing. For example, how well you take care of yourself while healing, if you listen to your doctor’s advice, and how bad your injury is. Talk with your doctor and let them know what your expectations are about healing. Be sure they know you are an athlete and that you want to heal fully to the level where you can fully participate in your sport.

    Reply
  23. Bruce Tilghman Avatar
    Bruce Tilghman

    What should the medical proffession do trear a dislocated clavivcle

    I haven’t heard of a dislocated clavicle. You will have to check with a doctor to determine the injury and how to treat it.

    Reply
  24. janet Avatar
    janet

    Broke my left clavicle 2 weeks ago skiing in France – well actually I was standing still at the time and have no idea what happened! Medical centre put me in a figure of 8 brace which was very badly fitted. Whem I returned for a follow-up x ray 6 days later the bones had moved. Saw orthopaedic consultant on my return home. He says it will heal eventually on its own but I’m quite worried as I’m 50. First physio today to avoid frozen shoulder. Pain not too bad – more a dull ache – but night times are awful. All I want to do is turn over on my side and have a lovely sleep! Nice to read all the entries and know I’m not alone. Anyone notice any signs of healing, rather than just having to wait for an x ray?

    Reply
  25. davie Avatar
    davie

    broke mine two days ago by riding my bike into a fence at 30kph. boy is it sore! reading is now going through the roof! any ideas on the best way to sleep?

    Pillows saved me! Set them up around you to keep you from rolling around. Use one under your arm to keep it raised a little.
    Some folks have slept better being more upright. They sleep sitting in a lounge chair or reclining chair. Again, using pillows to help prop up the arm.

    Reply
  26. Liz Saunders Avatar
    Liz Saunders

    I broke my right clavicle on 12/29/07 along with six ribs on my right side. The ribs healed, of course, but I am left with a horrible-looking bone jutting out from my shoulder that spoils the wearing of most of today’s fashions. I wish I didn’t have a woman’s vanity, but I do. Any ideas on how to cope? I should be grateful I didn’t break a hip.
    Good luck to all of you.

    Reply
  27. darryl low Avatar
    darryl low

    G`Day people,
    I smashed my left clavicle on 11/4/07, 5 months of hell later an op to rebreak the bone shift it and plate it so as the artery and nerves stopped being crushed. At the 6 week mark it felt great, lots of movement and no pain. 6 weeks and 1 day my fingers started tingling. Slowly this got worse and the numbing pain was back, also my tempreture kept going throught the roof. Finaly on 10/20/08 after an MRI, a CT scan, Neurological studies I had an angiogram. Bingo when I stood up it was crushing the artery and nerves again. Surgery booked for 11/25/08 to remove plate, reduce the bone size and shift the artery and nerves. 1 week after surgery it just exploded in my shoulder. To be standing there and bang I cannot desribe. Now 6 weeks later I am booked for more surgery in 2 weeks for a bone graft from my hip to be put in the shoulder and replating. Here`s hoping 3rd time lucky.

    Reply
  28. Michael Fitzpatrick Avatar
    Michael Fitzpatrick

    Hi all,
    First posted end of June 08. Broke clavicle kitesurfing and had surgery with hook plate inserted. Plate out in Dec. Back on the water many weeks before before and two weeks after the plate extraction operation. Everything perfect. Full range of movement and no pain. Hope this gives comfort to those of you who are still in the pain/depression/frustration zone.
    Note to Cary and other hook platers..MAKE SURE they take that hook plate out. Not good to leave in long term.
    Sl

    Reply
  29. Cary Gallagher Avatar
    Cary Gallagher

    I had a Grade 1 open fracture outer end of clavicle left side,I had surgery the same day, they put in an ‘Hook Plate’ that I hope they will be taking out. It happened on the 12th september 2008. It was a motor bike accident, not my fault. I’m still off work, my shoulder is still very sore and tender. Still taking painkillers, sleep still not good. can’t drink due to alcohol and painkillers do not go together. Having my first physiotherapy on monday 21st January 2009. I can’t see myself going back to work for another 8 weeks.I’m a plumber/Pipefitter.
    I wish this never happened, it’s a nightmare.

    Reply
  30. Danny Avatar
    Danny

    Hey there. First posted back in August after breaking my left clavicle on the 18th. Almost 120 days out now and I feel like I’m at about 90-95%. I’m lifting weights regularly(but not too heavy yet, especially when bench pressing), can do push ups with little pain, etc.. But I go to the doctor today and my x-ray shows very little sign of healing! That sucks! He says I’m able to exercise and such due to the build up of scar tissue around the bone. How common is this I wonder? Doc said all people heal differently, we could do surgery and plate it, or I could just wait and see. I don’t want to do surgery and end up back at square one. Anyone had the same thing with healing taking a long time? I’m 41 and very healthy, don’t smoke, but I do drink a good bit of alcohol. Usually vodka and orange juice. Orange juice has calcium, right? 🙂

    Reply
  31. andy Avatar
    andy

    hey fellow bone snappers, im not alone,,,,yeah mine feels better already.!!
    snapped mine last week kite buggying, it was a great day apart from the last few minutes. my friends helped me to get to the hospital from the beach, thanks guys. where i was told after 4 hours of waiting, to put it in a sling,(piece of material with a pin!!) and come back in a month… yeah right!!
    incidentaly, none of the people/nurses/doctors who saw me even touched the shoulder! the only help i got was in the form of an x ray which showed a clean break to the outer side (near the shoulder) about 1 inche in. At least i knew what i was dealing with.
    i could move the end of it about with my finger, snapping and crunching to great effect, all coupled with a dose of intense pain. i must have reset it 10 times a day, lying on the bed with my shoulders back, kneeding it into place.
    after 2 days i’d had enough. i spoke to my sports injury/chiropractor friend who advised me to get it plated back together, so of i went to the gp for a referal. i am lucky enough to be on a medical insurance scheme.
    the op came 4 days after, no dramas at all.
    it is now one day after and it feels unbelievable conpared to yesterday. no binding no pain, thanks to the codeine. and a near complete, albeit slow and steady, range of movement.so now i start the long road of waiting for the bones to fuse and strengthen up.
    It was important to me to get the position of the bone right so as not to cause any compensation/sympathy from other muscle groups.
    when i was a kid i broke the other collar bone, and i have memories of that time,slings and months of waiting and pain. i have since then had a nerve which fires up every now and then, which i attribute to this old injury.
    this is soooooo much better.
    i cant understand the reasoning when it comes to fusing two ends of bone together, that they can possibly be correct if not held in position!
    i hope everyone recovers well.
    ill check back later with another report, hopefully i will mend!

    Reply
  32. Dean Avatar
    Dean

    I have been wearing a figure 8 brace for about 6 weeks now and other than my right forearm/elbow area swelling up the brace has not been as bad to wear as I thought it was going to be. The swelling has been because the brace is just tight enough that the blood from my arm has a tough time circulating. Swelling goes down instantly if I ice or elevate my arm. The most disappointing thing that happened after I wrecked mtn. biking in Montana was that the ER doctor in Couer D’ Alene, ID apparently “looked” at my x-rays, told me that I did not have anything wrong with my shoulder and sent me away with a sling for a week. Talk about getting your hopes up to be able to ride in a couple weeks!! My shoulder did not feel any better after a week of wearing the sling, so I decided to go see my physician…they too said that I didnt have anything wrong with my shoulder maybe strained it thats it. After a couple more days wearing the sling and doing excercises for a strained shoulder (I know!! They told me to move it around so I wouldnt get a “frozen” shoulder) I went back to my physician and asked for another set of x-rays. The x-ray tech brought in my images and said that she did not see anything abnormal in the x-rays and the doc would be in shortly…While waiting I looked at the x-rays and noticed that I had CLEARLY broken my collarbone!! I managed to find not one but two doctors that misdiagnosed a fairly simple injury. I certainly wish better luck to all other breakees in getting a good diagnosis the first time!!

    Reply
  33. Colleen Pope Avatar
    Colleen Pope

    Hello all, it’s been a while since I posted (end of May?)
    I wrote a story about a month after my surgery about my surgery with a brief history leading up to it. Here it is….

    Colleen’s Broken Clavicle

    I am female, 38 years old and I broke my left clavicle on August 12, 2007 dirt bike riding with my husband. He was on his brand new Honda CRF450X and me on my not-so-new Honda CRF230F. I was going too fast in the sand over the whoops and my front tire washed out. In a matter of seconds I hit the ground HARD! I got up and wandered around in a daze trying to get rid of the stars I was seeing. I was scared and in shock, but I didn’t cry. I was cleaned up and taken to the hospital. Checking in at emergency, my voice faltered and my eyes watered, but I still didn’t cry. I was x-rayed, put in a figure 8 brace, given Percocets and sent home. The x-ray showed a 3cm overlap, 1.5cm gap and a bone fragment in between.

    I was referred to an orthopedic specialist, who again, x-rayed me and told me to continue wearing the brace for up to 10 weeks. Surgery seems to be a last resort and the preferred treatment is to let these things heal by themselves.

    Three months later I went back to the specialist and again, no change to my condition. The bone wasn’t healing. He told me that it can take up to nine months to heal and only 1% of these cases end up in non-union.

    Three months after that, no healing yet. Coincidentally, he had just read an article about heavy doses of calcium and vitamin D promoting bone growth, so I opted to go that route, rather than going under the knife.

    After diligently taking my supplements, I returned for more x-rays, 9 months post-injury. STILL NO SIGNS OF HEALING!!! (I already knew this, because I could grab the bone and move it.) This is when both Doc & I decided it was time for surgery!.I guess I’m in that special class of 1% non-unions.

    I am now 4 weeks post-op and on the mend. This is how the surgery went down!

    I was admitted to the hospital on June 5th, 2008 at 12:15pm. They hooked me up with an IV right away. It took two tries to get it in my left hand only to have them remove it in the operating room and put it in my right hand. My surgeon thought it might get in the way of the operation on the left side of my body! I guess I should have clued in, but who is going to question a girl (who does this for a living) with a needle in her hand waiting to jab it in you?!

    I parted with my husband before I was wheeled off to the operating room where I was greeted by the anesthesiologist and my surgeon. I was scared and I fought the urge to cry, but felt a little better when the anesthesiologist assured me that I wouldn’t wake up before they took the tube out of my throat. The time was 2:15pm. I was asleep in no time. The operation was supposed to take 1 hour, but lasted 2 (partly due to the lack of chisels in the operating room needed to hack a piece of bone off of me). They cut open a 6 inch incision below my collar bone and proceeded to clean up the ends of the bones, which consisted of “rubbery stuff” (I think that was the technical term used). Then they cut a 3 inch incision along my left pelvic bone, pulled back the muscle and chipped away some bone underneath. They packed the bone under my collar bone and attached a plate with 8 screws to hold it all together. I woke up just as they were about to wheel me out of the operating room and into the recovery room. The first question I asked, which I am told is common, is “what time is it?” It was 4:15pm. The next was to ask for water, which they wouldn’t give to me. I felt like someone had taken rough sandpaper and rubbed it on the inside of my throat. I so needed to clear my throat, but coughing was not an option due to the agony in my hip. All they would give me was a not-very-wet sponge lollipop!not the least bit satisfying. This made me want to cry. I got 10 shots of morphine in no time until they were happy with my pain level, then I was wheeled to my room for the night. My husband and father were there to see me right away and my step-daughters came to visit shortly after. I called a couple friends that night and some called me, which I remember, but vaguely. Could my haze have been due to the self-administered morphine drip, which I used every 6-1/2 minutes when the light turned green? Red means no, Green means go! I slept sitting up that night, if you call waking up every 5 minutes sleeping. I couldn’t move around at all, but I wasn’t allowed out of bed anyway. I had my first experience with a bedpan that night. Thank goodness it was a female nurse. I declined the bedpan offer from the male nurse later. I spent most of the night fighting off the urge to spew my guts, mostly because I didn’t want to endure the pain in my hip from the spasms, but also because I didn’t want to disturb the three neighbours I had in my room and because I didn’t want to make a mess on myself! I was given a small kidney-shaped dish in which to heave in if I felt so inclined.

    My husband came to pick me up early the next morning and it was about a minute after he arrived that I decided to empty the contents of my stomach!.the previous night’s tea and beef bouillon soup and the morning’s coffee, oatmeal mush and carnation instant breakfast. I found out very fast that, just as I suspected, the small kidney-shaped dish was not big enough for what I had brewing. Thank goodness my husband was there to grab another bigger dish to shove under me as I continued spewing. (He didn’t feel as lucky to be there!) When we got home, I required the company of a bucket wherever I went in the house, just in case. Bending over a toilet was not an option due to the agony in my hip.

    My husband was a sweetheart that day. For someone who does not normally cook, I supervised him while he made dinner. He dished out a plate for me and asked if it was too much, I promptly shook my head yes, grabbed my bucket and let loose again. If he never cooks for me again, I will understand. Thankfully, I was able to put the bucket away the next day. It must have been the anesthesia and/or morphine working its way out of my system.

    For the next week or two, doing just about anything was painful! I shuffled like an old lady (I’m only 38 you know!), took the stairs one at a time. Getting in and out of the car was brutal. If I dropped something it stayed there until someone else picked it up. I didn’t/couldn’t blow my nose or cough; thank goodness I didn’t have to sneeze. Hiccups didn’t occur either, for which I am truly thankful. Sitting down was awful, getting up was worse, and good luck getting into bed, worse luck getting out. I had to use a stool and my husband. There was one morning when I thought I was going to be stuck in bed even with my husband’s help! I almost cried then. I slept sitting up for a while, spent one night in a chair. I had to grab my pant leg to lift my leg up on to a stool and even then it was a slow, laborious and painful process. I spent a lot of time in clothes with spandex and/or elastic waists. All of this was due to the fact that they pulled that muscle away from my pelvic bone which affected the muscles in my thigh. I did not spend any time in the shower or bath as I wasn’t allowed to get my incisions wet for 2 weeks; soap and a washcloth, no more. I didn’t cry at any of this.
    I am happy to say that 4 weeks after my surgery, I have been showering on a regular basis, and I am out of my sling as of yesterday (no more one-fingered typing!) and ready to go back to work next week. I still need to take it easy, but feel worlds away from where I was only a few short weeks ago. As much as I hate to say it, my husband and friends were (probably) right!.if I’d had the surgery when the accident happened or shortly after, this ordeal would have been a breeze. They wouldn’t have had to take a bone graft from my hip which seemed to have caused most of my difficulties.

    My hip feels much better, but the bone itself still feels a little sore to touch. The incision is placed conveniently where my undies or bikini bottoms will cover and is healing very nicely anyway; my surgeon did an amazingly neat job stitching me up. He was very concerned about leaving ugly scars. Now that my hip and leg feel better, I am feeling the pain in my collar bone now. The bone hurts to touch and the incision area is sore, but the skin all around the incision is numb. I am hoping that the sensation will come back, but I don’t know for sure. I am told by friends that I need to massage the area to get the circulation and nerves working again. I will ask my doctor at my next checkup.

    I have found through this whole experience that the only thing that makes me cry is talking about dirt biking, watching other people dirt biking, hearing other people talk about dirt biking, writing about dirt biking and not knowing if my future includes dirt biking. On that note, I will end this with tears in my eyes!

    It has now been almost 5 months since my surgery and I am doing very well. My hip is back to normal and my collar bone has finally fused back together. I have perfect range of motion and did not have to go for physio. The plate & screws is noticable since the skin there is so thin and not much meat there either. My surgeon did an amazing job on the incision…it is about 6 inches long but a very thin white line. Most of the redness has disappeared. The skin all around the scar is still numb and not much sign of the feeling coming back. Doesn’t bother me though. Only if something strikes the plate or a car seat belt rubbing across the plate really bothers me. I’m hoping to be able to keep the plate in and not have surgery to take it out. I have the go-ahead to start lifting weights again (if I can get off my lazy butt!)
    I went dirt biking for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it was an amazing feeling to be riding again. I only hit one tree and managed to make it home intact! lol

    Best wishes to all out there….keep the rubber side down!

    Wow, an amazing story. Thanks so much for sharing that with everyone.

    -Hans

    Reply
  34. ANN Avatar
    ANN

    I broke mine in May and it appears to finally be healing, but it is overlapped and about three-fourths of an inch shorter than the other shoulder. One problem I am having is underarm chafing because the arm and chest are now closer together. I have to make a concious effort to hold my arm out and have to sleep with a rolled towel between my arm and chest. Has anyone else had this chafing problem, and what did you do? I am using Gold Bond Power, but this doesn’t help much.

    Reply
  35. Lyndsey Avatar
    Lyndsey

    well, the first time i broke my clavicle it was the right side. It was my first tournament in the wonderful sport of judo,I was 14. The 2nd time i broke my clavicle the left one this time, once again in judo, I was 19. The 3rd time I broke it it was the same left one and it was because I returned to judo 3 months after I broke it, supposedly to early. Well, I guess I am a veteran at this, but wow it hurts so much everytime. The 2nd time I broke it a literally laid on the couch for a month waching tv, the 2nd month I went camping, so i pretty much sat on my ass for another month. By the third month I just couldnt handle it anymore and heasded back to judo, just to get sent back to the infamous hospital once again. O ya A week after I found out I broke it the first time, I ended up getting pneumonia. I think getting sick after being broken happens cause you are just so stressed out. Well, I am about about 3 weeks into my 3rd break (2nd on the left shoulder) and I headed back to judo just to work on my legs. Contact sports suck because it takes way longer then a month and a half to get back into things. Well, thats my shortened story, I just thought I would share some of my experience with the infamous clavicle. Does anyone know about clavicle braces? cause I would absolutely love to get my hands on one of them, if they worked

    Reply
  36. Jeff Avatar
    Jeff

    Well i feel encouraged, thanks everyone. I am 41 male and broke left clavicle. Doc said, “this will heal.” (notice the quotation marks)It didnt. In fact he said that the 2 halves were even further seperated. 2 weeks to the day of the break he put a metal plate and 7 screws holding me back together. We are the Borg, resistance is futile… I have been home for 2 weeks and am going crazy. I suppose this wouldnt be so bad, dont forget the fact that i had to learn how to wipe my butt with my right hand, if i didnt just get over kidney stones 2 months ago. Yep they had to go in with a back hoe to get them out…
    I am still swollen but its only 2 days after surgery, and i can see the plate across tho broken clavicle. I hope they can take it out without risking further injury.

    Reply
  37. Luis Avatar
    Luis

    Greetings to all, just wanted to add my two cents worth to this invaluable site. I too fell victim to gravity while cycling. No help from anyone but my own inner daredevil. Anyway, as I was trying to see how fast I could bomb down a fireroad on my mountain bike on a trail above La Tuna canyon here in So. Cal, my front tire lost traction at about 28mph. I landed really hard on my right shoulder and immediately heard a loud POP. I fell so fast that my hands were still on the grips when I hit the ground. After taking a quick body inventory and realizing what I had broken and also deciding that walking out of that canyon would take too long, I decided to get back on my bike and try to ride down as far as possible. Well, half a mile later I realized how dangerous that was. Especially considering I was only using one arm AND I had to ride the front brake on a downhill that was getting steeper. Lucky for me two fellow mt bikers, complete strangers, helped me walk my bike and myself for about 45 minutes in 90+ heat to my truck at the bottom of the trail. I regret not remembering my two guardian angels names, I was trying not to let the intense pain get the better of me.
    That was four weeks ago. The first week was hell, and in my desperation caused by lack of sleep, I googled ‘How to sleep with a broken clavicle’ and somehow I found this site.
    Besides sharing my collarbone breaking experience, I wanted to share how I was able to get a decent night’s rest in bed. I too tried the pillows in different positions but nothing would help the lower back pain that would wake me from even the most deepest of sleep (vicodin induced of course). Not to mention the cramping triceps, shoulder and upper back.
    What really did the trick for me was a two-inch memory foam bed topper that my wife and I purchased at the local Target dept store. It allowed my entire body to be supported, giving me a floating sensation because my whole entire body contacts the mattress now. No more pillows under my knees just so my lower back could touch the mattress. I’m even braving sleeping on my side somewhat, actually i’m leaning on my wife…
    Oh yeah, I’m using both a figure eight brace (clavicle brace) and the arm sling. The figure 8 brace really helps to sleep on my side because it keeps my right shoulder from drooping while I lay on my left side. I use the sling in the daytime to help keep my arm from moving around too much (doctors orders!).

    Reply
  38. Randy Avatar
    Randy

    Hello All, Broke left clavicle 7 days ago in a surprise ditch while cyclocross training in a field. I’ve not had any severe pain or taken any pain killers. Other than general brusing and some pain if I lift over my head I seem to be lucky thus far which is freakin’ me out after reading others stories. Strange -since I broke same clavicle 15 years ago and thinkin maybe nerves not so sensitive?? I was back on my road bike 4 day after the crash and have ridden 3 times so far for about 120 miles total. Figure 8 has been good but I don’t feel I have to wear it all the time… Either way just wondering if I am doing any damage while riding? Arms are out mostly straight on top of bars and I feel a little tension if a bump comes up on the road. Thanks for the feed back….

    After I broke my collar bone I also wanted to ride right away. Especially after building up so much fitness. But my coach and doc talked me out of it. Better spending a few weeks recovering then risking months recovering or possibly surgery.
    So I think you are really risking recovery by riding so early. You might be really lucky and the bones are next to each other and rather stable. But one good bump or a crash might set you way back.
    Although it sounds terrible, think about riding the stationary for now to maintain your fitness (also look at the trainer workout I used Trainer Workout). And there’s still time left to recover and get in some late season CX racing.

    Reply
  39. Marcus Hill Avatar
    Marcus Hill

    I’m in week 10 now, the bone hasn’t fused yet, I have a displaced fracture and there is 5mm to 10mm distance between the pieces, with about 12mm overlap. I wear the sling half the day there is little pain now 2/10 unless I do anything or lift anything then its quite painful 6/10. I just can’t sleep in the sling, but the pillow trick really worked at first.
    The last two times I broke my collar bones it healed in three weeks I was a teenager then but now I’m 30. I’m getting really depressed, the last xray at 6 weeks showed no bone growth. I can’t ride my bike either – the only thing that cheers me up :(.
    Maybe I’ve been using my arm too much, some people have said there is no way bone will grow over that distance, I’m wondering if I’ll need surgery, my next Xray is in 2 weeks so I’m drinking my milk and taking my calcium pills and just wishing it will heal.
    Can I ask you guys, if I get a metal plate how long will it take before I can start to live a normal life again? I’m quite worried about having to go through all that pain again. But if I look on the bright side at least I wont have lose bones rattling about!
    Good luck to all you others and hope your healing goes quicker than mine!

    Into your 3rd collar bone break? Ouch, that’s unlucky.
    If you go the surgery route and get the metal plate you are looking at a minimum 6-8 weeks of recovery time and then physical therapy. Hopefully there will be signs of bone growth in your next x-ray and you won’t have to get surgery.

    Reply
  40. tom fordyce Avatar
    tom fordyce

    this has been a great help and amazingly accurate to my story!
    three weeks ago i broke my left clavicle in three places playing rugby. i have just taken my sling off and i have an almost full range of movement even putting my hand straight up above my head without any pain. how long should i wait before starting any physical exercise with the arm and when can i start using weights to build up the muscle? i have a huge bump and i have been told that i might not be able to play any contact sport again because the bone is not straight and will just snap if put under any pressure. is this true?
    good luck to everyone recovering from injuries!

    Reply
  41. mike Avatar
    mike

    i just shattered mine in my prime condition for xc racing…
    talk about depression…
    but
    life goes on
    im 16 and all may heal faster than expecyed
    we can only hope
    thanks for the article though
    it really did help
    🙂

    Reply
  42. Gary Avatar
    Gary

    I broke my collar bone on May 28th 08 playing football, it was a displaced fracture and my OS suggested not to operate. I have pretty much full movement with little or no discomfort and the site seems fairly solid. A recent xray showed signs of healing but the thing that I am told is normal but see no-one mentioning is the ‘clicking’ and ‘popping’ (like when you bend back your fingers)from the site of the break and the joint with the shoulder. Anyone else getting this?

    Reply
  43. Vince F Avatar
    Vince F

    Thanks! Just about a spitting image of my experience thus far. Beginning week #3. I declined treatment, as I have no insurance God Bless America. I’ve done it/broke just about everything before and I always decline surgery so – the pain killers I’m cool, I wouldn’t opt for surgery until 3 months or so went by, by then I should have insurance again. I did the booze thing too ha day 1-2. Nyquil to sleep. 800mg Advil throughout the day, lots of dairy, soy, cal, Calcium+ Mag every 4 hours and bought a sling. Week#3 I can put on shirts, got a small/med bump and it appears fused well woot! Still aches in the mornings, after getting dressed etc….Good Blog. This time I didn’t crack it all the way through I think as I didn’t have the clicking as I did last time. I just met a girl last night who crashed and had a clean collarbone break. She has been sleeping sitting up, wont use her arm, and it still hadn’t fused, week #4 for her, her doc is now giving her the surgery option. My dad’s had corrective surgery to fix this and that surgery/screw/plate that moved or came loose all his life, not my bag. It’s supposed to take about 2 months to get back to “normal” but no push ups for awhile, unless your Tyler Hamilton and are on God knows what Franken-Dope 🙂

    Reply
  44. John Avatar
    John

    I get what you mean about the sling, Danny. I got rid of it at the end of week two because I found it kind of useless, plus it caused cramps in my triceps. I’m into week 4 after crashing onto my right clavicle during a martial arts class. My instructor’s girlfriend (a doctor)was able to give me some advice, but I STILL haven’t been able to officially see a doctor (no insurance, scheduling problems, doctors out of town etc.)I know I don’t have a dislocation, but I still feel a bump protruding through the skin at the end of the clavicle. Nonetheless, my arm strength is back as well as much of my flexibility. I can raise my arm and extend it normally with few problems but the main thing is that I can’t apply pressure with my full arm (push-ups, etc.)or move it too fast. Does anyone have advice for this stage?

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  45. Danny Avatar
    Danny

    Well, I’m 3.5 weeks into this break and there are several positives and negatives to report. Broke my left clavicle on 8-18 and as of today I would say the pain has gone down to about a 3 on a 1-10 scale. It was about a 9 in week one. I can lift my arm above my head SLOWLY and out to the side easily and have a bit of rotational movement, but still get stabbing pains if I try to do anything too quickly. The dull ache of the surrounding muscles is really the worst thing. After any significant amount of activity such as walking, sitting upright for long periods, driving, mowing grass (on a riding mower), I still get lots of dull pain. Particularly around my scapula on my back and in my deltoid. I pretty much ditched the sling early into week two, and have been much more comfortable since. Still sleeping on my back only with my “bad arm” propped up on a pillow. I hate not being able to roll from side to side. Have re-injured myself a time or six by trying to do too much too soon. The keys as I see them are as much rest as possible, even though it may drive you bonkers, and lots of ice. MUCH patience is required or you will continue to re-aggravate your injury and slow down your healing time. As time has gone on depression has set in as well. This is so FRUSTRATING! Spending so much time lying on my back after eating has given me major heartburn problems as well, so anyone who has GERD (as I do) will need to take all necessary precautions on that front. Make sure you have plenty of antacids. Remember, take it slooooow….. 🙂

    Reply
  46. Matt Davis Avatar
    Matt Davis

    Lots of reading, and I guess I must have it better than most. On 8/31/08, I broke my left clavicle when I was bucked off my horse. It was something that I could have prevented had I not allowed myself to be rushed, so it’s not her fault, but I guess I’m the one paying the price.
    Damn ER gave me a sling and vicodin – all they ever do for anything – so I followed up with an orthopedist in two days. X-rays showed very slight displacement, and the ends touched, though I could feel a groove where the tops do not meet though the bottoms do. Funny thing is, I must have a high tolerance for pain – the worst pain is not the break – it’s the residual damage to my shoulder. Obvious pulled muscles and tendons, likely severely strained ligaments. Doc gave me a figure-8 (expected it to hurt like SOB), and I have my wife pull it as tight as she can without losing circulation, and it doesn’t hurt at all. Taking extra calcium and multi-vitamin (knew that was a good idea) seems to help. Have next appointment on 9/26 for x-rays and another follow-up. I’m 34, so I’m not expecting much healing at that check-up, but am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
    Thanks for all the informative notes – they’ve been helpful and uplifting.

    Reply
  47. Vicente Avatar
    Vicente

    I broke my left clavicle on a bicycle fall on my birthday last week. What a birthday present! The xray showed a break at 2/3 to shoulder with a gap in break, though the doctor in emergency made light of it, and though I asked for specialist, was told they saw xray but I couldn’t get an appt till next Wednesday in clinic. I could hear the bone click and when I moved shoulder a certain way ugh the pain is intense. I saw an orthopedist that Friday who suggested that surgery would be best to get union and also that as it was compressed a little in remaining distal end the surgery would also help that. Mind you the digital xrays in emergency room didn’t visualize what the conventional xray plates did in Ortho Dr office. Anyway, I am now scheduled for surgery end of this week (9 days after accident, my Dr told me to do it within first 10 days before mending begins) using plate and screws “to predictably restore body architecture and provide scaffold for healing.” I am scared, as I’ve not had knife based surgery since a child, though my regular Doc says colonoscopy poses greater risks, I just turned 53, and really try to stay active. Now after surgery what of recovery and restored movement? I believe this is part of fear I have, but also feel for future good recovery not much choice here. What have others been through on this recovery front?

    Reply
  48. Claudia Avatar
    Claudia

    I wrote earlier about the plate on my collar bone beginning to protrude. I saw the surgeon and apparently the surgery done in February resulted in a non-union. The plate has actually bent outward in response to bone placement. Tomorrow I’m scheduled for more surgery to replace the old plate, draft in bone, and put in a new plate. Seven months after the original skiing injury, I’m starting all over again. This is getting very old! I never would have imagined that the clavicle could cause so many problems.

    Interesting. First time I have heard of the plate protruding because of that. Let’s hope they get this one right.

    Reply
  49. Nick Avatar
    Nick

    Fell off my bike in Richmond Park 5 weeks ago & broke left clavical. Think Im on the mend but wont find out for sure until 2nd lot of x rays in 3 weeks, Don’t have anything particuarly useful to add, just wanted to join the party. However, I am also finding alcohol (in my case, London Pride) very therapautic! Good luck to all feelow sufferers. If they were so bloody difficult to get on & off Id suggest we design a special tee shiirt!

    Reply
  50. Maria Sgambati Avatar
    Maria Sgambati

    Dear Friends,
    Thanks so much for all your postings; it’s made me feel less alone in my broken collarbone state.
    I took a spill from my bike and had a comminuted mid-shaft clavicle fracture in my right clavicle (my dominant hand). The fracture was fairly displaced with a free floating fragment. I am a 45 y.o. female very physically active and essentially this is my first major illlness. I am also an internist and I almost cried when I saw my x-ray in the ER and heard that I might need surgery to fix the collarbone. The pain was very severe the first two days, even with round the clock narcotics and the worst was feeling/hearing the bone fragments rub together when I would move, particularly getting out of bed.
    I saw the orthopedic surgeon two days after my injury. I had been in a conventional sling for two days with essentially no visible reduction in the fracture. He said that the U.S. medical board answer is to let these fractures heal on their own but he leaned towards surgery because he felt it would reduce the risk of non-union (when the bones don’t heal). Being a doctor, I spent the evening looking at some of the medical literature. The Canadian Trauma Society had recently published a paper in which patients were treated with either surgery or non-surgery and the results showed that the surgery group did slightly better. I am including the link here in case anyone is interested.
    ttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18310682?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
    I decided to have the surgery which went very smoothly and basically took about 45 minutes. I went to the hospital in the morning and went home in the late afternoon. The most important thing for me was to regain full function of my shoulder and to avoid having a non-union and surgery down the line. It wasn’t an easy decision and I gather from the medical research that is one that is still up in the air in terms of the best treatment option. I am less than three weeks out from my surgery and feeling tons better. I have some pain still but am basically only taking tylenol and advil.
    My biggest questions are what is it like to have the plate in long term? I’d really like to hear from people who are months or years out from their surgery to hear how they are doing and whether they have any physical restrictions.
    Peace,
    Maria, United States

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