broke my collart bone- looking for ideas
 

hey fellas. you'll have to forgive my typing and gramar for a bit. i reallly got myself good the day before yesterday playing flag football. i completely broke my left clavical. There is almost a 1 inch gap between the two pieces and two smaller fragments in between the two. it looks like a "Z" shape.
im pretty loaded w pian killers and typing with one hand.

anyway, this is supposed to be a fairy common break and i am looking for opinions from yio guys who hsve been here before. the doc is telling me it is my choice, i can either elect for surgery -plate and screws- or just let nature do its thing and let it heal itself. he said there are risks associted with both options.

i don'tt care about appearances -scars vs. bump- so thsat doesnt matter to me. what i am worried about is a loss of motion and strength. the doc said if i let it heal naturlly it will likely be a little weaker permenantly. if i go w/ surgery, they can straighten it but then i run a risk of the bone not healing properly because they interfere with the healing process when they do surgery.
i cant believe i typedf this wuth one finger1
i will upload the xrays later for s and g's.

any opinions would be appreciaterd,
lee

I have not broken my collar bone, but I did separate my collar bone from my shoulder bone(tore all the ligaments) 1.5 years ago. I was borderline surgery, but since I am not a model, it was decided to let things go. If this just happened, it may be wise to let the swelling go down for a week or two and then get another opinion. Take it easy, rest up. I would be worried by the fragments, but if they pose no threat, I'd probably let things heal naturally.

Dave

Lee,

I am no orthopedic surgeon of course, but being around colleagues discussing this topic, I would personally leave it alone.

Only a simple pediatricians unprofessional view though...

BTW,

I thought that the areas where a bone breaks becomes stronger after it heals... But then again, I am not a doctor. My injury is commen amongst hockey players. Seems like almost all of them get back in the ring and have good careers. I cannot throw a baseball from outfield to home plate anymore - from this accident, but it does not matter. Stay away from surgery if you can.

Dave

i've never been under the knife before. and i'd like to stay away from it if possuble. the doc said if it was his shoulder he'd leave it aloone. i was just looking for some other opinions fropm those who have been thriugh this,

heres a picture:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161252675.jpg

yikes, huh.

The INTERNET has wonderful opportunities. If required, I could simply walk across the hall here at work and ask one of my orthopedic colleagues to have a look at your x-ray.

I've broken both of my collar bones. The right one was a minor fracture and the left one was a break like yours that came really close to being "compound" and breaking the skin. Mine broke cleanly into two pieces, though - not three.

I wore a brace (both times) that simply kept my shoulders pulled back to allow the bones to re-align and heal on their own. Seems like it took 4-6 weeks. My left one (the one with the worse break) has a decent sized knot on it, but I really haven't had any other problems.

I feel for you. I broke the left side (the worse one) playing backyard football, too. It wasn't painful, surprisingly, but I heard it crack when I hit the ground. The worse part was dealing with the discomfort for the next few weeks. Things like putting on shoes will become a major task, trust me. :>)

Good luck,

Mike

Look up Sete Giberneau from MotoGP - 3 surgeries to repair a broken collarbone this year, plate #1 wasn't strong enough and and needed to be replaced by plate #2 when he tweaked it going down again.

Just last weekend he was collected on track and went back to Spain where in surgery #3 on the season they took stem cells from his hip and injected them into the fractured area (same collarbone, sam fracture area) in an effort to reinforce the area.

Other than that, never had the problem. Is the healing time different with either with plate vs. natural?

I have broke my both of my collar bones (broke my left one twice) back in my motocross racing days. It is quite common in MX as the lower edge of ones helmet contacts the clavicle and snaps it like a pencil in a hard fall.

Both of my X-rays looked nearly identicle to yours and I just wore the stupid strap braces that hold your shoulders back. I often have thought about designing a better brace as the strap typically would rest right in the area of the break which kind of tends to ensure a messed up clump of misaligned bone mass there.

The ER docs when questioned about surgery, would always claim that broken collar bones heal if they are in the same room together. I am proof that they are right, but mine are quite ugly.

I broke mine in the late 80's and early 90's and just turned 40. So far, I have not experienced any problems due to these old injuries, although arthritis in the area where the clavicle meets the shoulder someday would not suprise me.

I broke mine the day before last thanksgiving. It ended up over-riding like yours and in 4 pieces. My doctor also gave the choice of surgery or no surgery. I decide no surgery. It healed. After about 6 weeks, the pain was not so bad. I know you probably hurt everytime you move now. Mine healed fine. There is a lump there, but I dont care. I was going to play some cricket this last summer, but I found the overhand movement when bowling caused some pain. Other than that, no problems. I was so happy when I was able to lay down and sleep. I though for a while I would never sleep on my side.
I hope you pain supsides and you heal up well.
mike

Former rugby player here .. yep, multiple times, both sides, never surgery.

Note: if you are over 30 and do not train properly/consistenly do not engage in contact sports (basketball, soccer, football -even flag-, etc.). Most of the visits to trauma ER's are due to 'old farts' trying to be young again.

Get well soon Leland

Very cool film. Let your body do it's thang, baby!

Invasive procedures should ALWAYS be a last resort.

Heal well, heal fast Pate.

the break looks incredible. you did a really good job on it ;)

sorry to hear ab your situation though. it's a tough call. have seen enough med mal cases to realize going under is always gonna be risky. all it takes is for someone (usually anaesthesiologist) to place your arm in a wrong way and next thing you know you have a pinched nerve. since you're under, you don't know and don't move it, then you wake up and your arm is numb. useless forever more like it...

can it straighten itself out if you leave it alone? would you have to have someone align it first? strength is important but making things worse is even more so.

Broke mine doing MX. Wore a brace and really took it easy for a while. Hurt like a mother****er.

I actually rode a race a week after one of my breaks just to button up my lead in the season point standings. I rode around one handed....it was not pleasant even on two vicodins, but I got my $2.00 1st place plaque at the end of the season, so it was worth it!:rolleyes: :D

i have broken both my collarbones twice now crashing at mach velocity dezert racing. it hurts it sucks and you cant sleep. and there really isnt a hell of alot they can do. kinda like cracked ribs which i did also during one of the stunts. my suggestion to you...............is find a girlfriend that REALLY REALLY LOVES YOU............to wipe your ass! true story it was bad! hope this makes you laugh in pain! flag football nor dezert racing is SAFE!

I broke mine in highschool and it has left rather large calcium deposit. Looking a your radiographs, I would venture to say you need to have some fixation, most likely internal plating, to get that back into position. You really did a number on it and I don't think it is ever going to get back to the same position on its own.

Broke mine twice right side both times in Bike races.
Doc. did not recommend the knife either time.
I do have a bump on the upper side.
Does not bother me that much.
Heal up.

Mine all looked about the same as Leland's. As bad as it looks, it will heal (it will be crooked, but it will heal). My left one is probably displaced even more than Lelands. :eek:

recent developments with pvc tubes might be something for your colarbone? no?

The diagonal drop on my left side is at least 2" and it healed fine.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161280527.jpg

my boss has crashed and burned so many times road racing bikes that ortho-sturgeon, stated he will be crippled for life, the next time he breaks either one. did he stop road racing????? hell no! he is in the running for the coveted lifetime "king of pain award".

If you can not stay quiet for the time it will take to heal naturally, I would go surgery.
A thing to consider in these large displacement breaks is that your left shoulder will get closer to the midline, therefore you will be asymetrical...
Me? I would go knife, if only because it will hurt less, quicker.

Need to know more about you. How old are you? How active are you? What do you do for a living? Any other problems from this accident (nerve injury, other fractures, skin compromise, etc)?

Reasons for fixing it: shortening of 20 mm (absolute indication), displacement of 20 mm (relative indication) b/c these increase the chances for non-union. Skin compromise (if the bone's gonna poke through).

FWIW, the ortho chief resident sitting next to me says he'd fix it. Can't use all the other peoples' experiences on this board for comparison--unless they can pony up their xrays.

edit: Other chief resident says you could go either way. He recalls a pt he did about 2-3 weeks after the injury--the bone was starting to heal, and he thinks it was more trouble to take the fracture apart than if they had just left if alone. But that's not necessarily something you know going into the surgery at that point. However, if you choose to have surgery, it's a lot easier to do it within about 2 wks of the injury, than if you wait longer than that.

I broke my left clavicle 3 years ago, although mine was broken all the way through, my bones were still aligned.

It took about 4-6 weeks to heal properly. I wore a brace the entire time (ok, most of the time). It only hurt when I moved it.

**I'm amazed that so many Pelicans have broken their collarbones!! And I'm sure that none would want to ever do it again. Oh, and I can feel the pain just by looking at your x-rays!!!

ps- Don't run full-speed on brick streets when it's raining really hard.

I've never broken my collar bone.

And I've never saved a lot of money on my car insurance. I think GEICO dropped me. Fcukers.

Get well Pete! :)

I broke my left collar bone while doing martial arts exercises when I was 16 YOA , it was a clean break with about an inch and a half on the x-rays. I heard it pop it was that loud, I opted out of surgery and wore the brace while it healed and slept in a semi seated position in a recliner in the living room.

After it healed I had and still have a knot there but no other complications, I have led and still lead a very active lifestyle without any complications.

Good luck either way,

Todd ;)

Leland,

I broke my left collar bone into three pieces flying over the handlebars on my mountainbike about 4 years ago. I was 27 years old at the time.

My x-rays looked similar to yours, but the middle piece was a bit shorter. My doctor recommended surgery and I took it. I now have a metal plate and a nice scar.

I didn't have any complications, but I remember my doctor saying that low blood-flow at the end of the clavicle can be a problem sometimes. Don't keep still for too long, or you'll develop "frozen shoulder".

I supposedly tore a bunch of ligaments too (2nd degree AC separation?), but I haven't missed them.

It's a journey, but you'll get through it. My left shoulder was a bit weaker and more sensitive until I started taking boxing classes. Now it doesn't bother me anymore, except for when I forget to put sun tan lotion on the scar.

Hang in there,

Johan

As an OR nurse specializing in Orthopeadics, this is the best advice. Don't mess with it unless it becomes a painful issue. We have a surgery called the Mumford Procedure, which is preformed both open and arthrospcopically, that can relieve that, but only if it's a problem.

Do what the therapy nurses tell you to do.

Hmmm, once the discomfort of the trauma is over, revisit the issue with your DR. Collar bones are less important than fibula's are, which is to say if you're not in the NFL, it's should not be an issue.

Tell us what you think in two weeks.

orthopedic-STURGEONS! LOL!

Good luck with the C-bone, Lee

http://www.aboutonehandtyping.com/

fix it. i think you can get a replacement in fiberglass too. in a week, the healing will already in progress. i say this should be fixed now to get the best use and strength and joint range of motion in the future.

this is not medical advice, consult a physician in person.

dude, this a is a Porsche forum
when talking performance light weight replacement parts

ALWAYS mention the CF/Titanium alternative to FG.

Have it PINNED! You won't regret it!

I've broken bones and detached muscles (although never a collar bone) and I would avoid surgery unless absolutely necessary. Let it heal naturally, and who knows, maybe you'll be able to pop your shoulder out of socket on demand and do the Houdini "Escape from the Straight Jacket" trick at parties. Seriosly though, heal up and get better..

I broke mine the very same way but due to a mountain bike crash... I simply let it heal on it own. I didn't want to go under the knife. It works great today and it's been 7 years now since it happened. and yeah I have a big bump on my left shoulder but I simply don't care about that stuff..
good luck man.

-Em

When I saw 52nd Medical Group the first thing that came to my mind is to get a second opinion from from a private sector ortho. I injured the left many years ago and it healed by itself. Except for a visible knot it doesn't bother me and never has for that matter. Godspeed....
Clinton

I had the "Let nature take it's course" option from my HMO when I blew out my Achilles....12 weeks with my toes flexed downward with the "hope" that the tendon halves would send out tendrils and eventually reunite....all the while on crutches or a wheel chair.....

Ya right....got a second opinion, was immediately whisked into surgery and was walking 4 weeks later.

Get another opinion.

BTW...chicks dig scars....
:rolleyes: