broken clavicle...surgery or not?

Negina

Hi friedmikey,

I'm Negina. Had surgery with plate a few days ago and it was going quite well. Now I seem to have made the wrong movement and the op site is more painful and prominent. Will see my doctor hopefully today. I wonder if feeling cracks and pain is normal post-op? Why did your surgery not go according to plan? What happened? Thanks for any input!

All, I do appreciate this great forum! Thanks !!!

stephaniec

did you have the surgery and how did it turn out. i'm where you were when you posted this email. thanks for any info.... stephanie

friedmikey

Hi Negina,

I'd say pain is pretty much unavoidable in our situation. I don't know the degree of your pain though. It should be tolerable with the help of pain meds (vicodin, darvocet, percocet, etc.). Part of the increase in pain could be due to the local block used during surgery wearing off - usually the day following the surgery. I'm no doctor, but cracking does not sound normal. Shouldn't your shoulder be immobilized at the moment? Why the movements? Anyway, be on the safe side. Stop any movements you've been doing and if you haven't already, see your doc ASAP.

As for my surgery not going as planned, the severity of bone damage was worse than my doctor had expected. Rather than re-hash the story, I'll just give you a link to my post in this thread back in September, where I discuss it in detail:

http://www.cyclingforums.com/showpo...14&postcount=64

Oh, and I've been back on the bike for the last three weeks. I'm so effing excited, I just thought I'd share.

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..:: M t T a m B i k e s ::..

Negina

Hello fredmikey,

Thanks for getting back. I saw my doctor afterwards and he said the op site looked ok and the plate felt stable. I am due for another check up and xray end of next week and hope that they will show things to be ok again.

I am in a sling - I just slightly raised my arm involuntarily when I had removed the sling for washing. Otherwise, I am being careful and keep the sling on all the time.

I guess my expectations of the recovery period were perhaps too rosy because I felt great during the first 4-5 days post-surgery.

Still, the pain is gradually subsiding and I don't have to take a lot of painkillers. So, I hope I am firmly on the road to recovery now.

Thanks again for the input! Glad to hear you are on the bike again!

Hi Stephanie, things have been getting steadily better since I had the increase in pain. So far, the doctor says things are going well. No reason to worry it seems. I will let you know how it progresses .... How are you doing?

DVad3r

UPDATE:

Got another xray today, its almost been 6 weeks since the accident. Doctor says I am healing fine, said I don't have to wear the sling at all times anymore, he also gave me a list of exercises for motion etc to do. I must say I am feeling alot better and that my bone seems to be solidifying.

I ask him to show me the xrays of how it all looks, and this is the part that scared me, my xray looks like a total disaster! I am no expert, but it looked like it is still broken really badly. I asked him where the new bone was forming and he showed me a little cloudy spot and said this was new bone tissue. Again I am no expert but he says I will be alright. Regardless seeing that xray has scared the crap out of me again so I am going to get a second opinion.

A few questions:

1. Do all breaks look terrible/worse then they really are on the x rays?

2. WHat happens to the excess bone that has been dispositioned? Does it die off eventually and is replaced by the new bone or does it just stay there?

Thanks

Negina

Hello All,

I have a small update: had an xray and the plate appears to have moved at the outer end (become unhitched) - so it's not really holding anything there anymore.

Still, the 2 ends of the bone are now next to each other and the doctor says it should all heal by itself from now onwards. Have another xray in 2 weeks - hope it shows more progress! (Before the surgery, the 2 ends were very far from each other - quite hopeless)

He wants to remove the plate shortly after healing and I am in favour since it's sticking out quite a bit at the moment.

Lesson: even a modest involuntary upward movement of the arm is better avoided. (But if it happens to you, don't panic - things may still work out ok and no need to think the worst..)

Will keep you updated - best of luck to everyone!

Cwego

Hi all

I had my left clavicle plated in April, all's went pretty well. Back riding motocross etc, but lately theres been a lot of pain at the top and towards the back of my shoulder and i can't sleep on my left side. I think it may be sleeping on it that caused the pain in the first place!

Has anyone else had this?

Thanks

Negina

Hi All,

I had another X-ray today and the doctor was not confident that the bone would heal in the end.

Last time we talked, he hoped the bone would heal by itself since the 2 ends are quite close together (even after the plate was compromised).

Still, I suppose the X-ray doesn't show a lot of evolution. He suggested I have another operation, remove the current plate and see how the bone is doing. If it is holding by itself, then leave it. If not, plate it again...

I asked what would happen if we left it alone and the doctor said it might still heal - it is not an easy decision to make.

I will get a second opinion in early January and then make a decision. It won't be too late to operate again if truly necessary.

At this moment, I am just not convinced enough to just jump straight again into surgery... I am a brave old girl but I am not a surgery addict ;-) And I don't want to be doing it without being fully convinced.

I will let you know what happens next... I don't know if this story helps - I hope it will when it's finally over...

Thanks all very much for sharing your adventures!

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a great New Year!

Negina

jazza

i found that sleeping on it did make it very uncomfortable but got used to it over time and the pain did ease, if you are still riding has your doctor recommended removing the plate after about a year? i had my plate and seven screws out a few years after they were put in and my shoulder feels alot better without it, gave me the willies to think i might have another high impact accident and shatter the shoulder to more peices than when i bkoke it the first time because of all the screws.

jazza

i see in one of your replies you have had your surgery, did you have it in london or wait until you got back to perth? i had mine put in at a london hospital and taken out at a brisbane hospital. were you hit by a motorbike courier in london?

Cwego

Hi Jazza

Thanks for the info - sorry it took me so long to reply!
Can you tell me, what happened after the plate was removed, did you have to do physio and all that again?!? Do you have to lay off lifting/racing until the holes where the screws were fill with bone again?

Many thanks

Cwego

Cwego

Forgot to say, my doc never mentoned gatting the plate removed, but from what you've said I may approach him about it. It will be a year from the break in March.

Cheers!

jazza

no physio, just had to wait for the swelling to go down and not lift too much weight, i only had about 10 days off work and was back in the workshop on light duties for about another fortnight. got told by doc that untill the holes filled up only an impact would break it again, im glad my plate is gone!
i was back on a road motorbike after a fortnight

jlb

Originally Posted by Craig B
Hello to all of you that have been as unfortunate as I,


I broke my collar bone about 6 weeks ago on a motocross bike. I am 42 years old and a very active individual. I was as well told to let it heel on it's own. However, It is broke in two places and is shaped like a Z with a 15mm piece that is vertical. I, as well as many of my friends, think it is wrong to let it heal in this manner. I have a very large bump (edge of the bone) where the bone from the neck area is sticking up in the skin. The doctor keeps telling me to let it heal like this that an operation is risky due to infection. I have had four doctor's opinions and 2 were against the operation and 2 stated it was an option. Since my normal Doctor has convinced me not to have the operation and the bone is healing I am concerned about such a late operation.

My wife is also not carzy about the operation. It is still very discomforting after 6 weeks and the bone under the skin continues to cause pain but it appears that the bones have begun to fuse back together. I would really like the operation. Any suggestions from those of you that have had a similiar break? I am really struggling with how bad this looks (bone protrudes approx 20mm more than the good collarbone.

Thanks
Craig
Michigan, USA
Just wondered how you got on Craig?