Coracoclavicular ligament injury

Anyone ever injured their coracoclavicular ligament?

The injury isn't extremely common and is seen almost exclusively in males under 35 years of age that participate in contact sports. I'm close enough to that demographic at 36. Funny enough, one of the medical websites I was reading that was describing this demographic had a photo of someone roadracing. I partially tore mine in a dirt bike crash over the summer (very beginning of August). Google searching doesn't yield a ton of feedback from people that have experienced this injury.

The ligament is definitely improving, but it's still bothering me a good amount, and I'm getting impatient with a full return to activity. The doctor has given me a legally safe and deferential reply of: "Light stretching and exercise are OK. No surgery required, and keep waiting". I'm trying to determine the likelihood of exacerbating the injury if I return to heavier activity too quickly. I've been golfing and riding a mountain bike here and there, and that's been OK, but I want to start doing more.

So, anyone have some real life experience with this specific injury, and how long did it take to fully heal?

 

Get a second opinion from a qualified specialist. That means don't listen to any of the yahoos on here!!!
That being said, I'd just go ahead and get back to normal usage until it hurts and then do less than that. Kinda like torquing bolts, tighten until it strips and then back it off a 1/4 turn.
Really, what is the worst that could happen?

 

If it's really bothering you they will generally have you do some PT, and you will be able to get back to normal as the inflammation and pain subsides. Most times with clavicle and the associated ligaments surgery won't be recommended unless you have lingering strength and/or stability deficiencies that don't improve with PT and time. I always recommend to follow the medical guidance, and if you feel you can do more, let them know and they will up the intensity.

 

Put the healing back a few months,perhaps.

 

See what you can do or tolerate.

Pain is your body telling you to stop.

Patience. I’ve spent the last almost 2 years healing and recovering. It’s not easy.

 

Good thing I didn’t even know about that. Managed to break both collarbones in multiple places at different times as a result of motocross crashes. Takes a lot longer to heal in the 40s than it did as a teenager. I’ve learned to get multiple opinions. Docs can have very different opinions on the best course of action even given the same injury.

 

My Right A/C joint has been Grade 3-4 since I was 28 y/o. I'm 62 now.
Tore it out in a bicycle race crash in Houston Tx.
It's good today. I use my arms well, still a Masters swimmer, still very active, etc. Take my shirt off, and it's obviously raised compared to my left.

It's no problem.

 

Appreciate the advice! My issue is the doctor isn't taking a hard stance in either direction, and with pain tolerance being so different and subjective, I don't know how much is 'fine' and how much is 'too much'.

This particular ligament's only function is for alignment. Not saying that's not important, but it doesn't have a mechanical function where it's always moving and stretching.

Starting up a workout program next week to shed the weight that I put on the last couple of months while sitting around and healing. The instructors said they they'll help me modify exercises as needed, so I am hoping I can find a good balance of protecting the injury but getting a complete workout in.

 

By the way: my wife hated the motocross idea. I did it over a decade ago before I got into roadracing, and I wanted to get back into it because it's so cheap compared to roadracing. Bought a shiny new bike and only took 2 months for me to land in the hospital for a week with some significant injuries. The shoulder is just the one that's lingering and taking the longest to heal. Turns out, motocross isn't as much of a bargain after you factor in a big crash (even with health insurance).

 

Personally, when surgery has ever been an option, I always opted for surgery. I would rather them go in there and fix that shit, rather than pussying around for months and months waiting for it to naturally get better...only to likely end up with setbacks along the way from pushing too hard.

Fix that shit and let me get on with it.

But I would definitely get more opinions, especially if your doctor is kinda wishy-washy about it. If he isnt (or wont) take a hard stance one way or the other, then find someone who will. I would rather get a definitive answer, one way or the other.

 

With my own injuries, I'm the same way. There's a reason that, in general, athletes get surgery and get on with it.

 

A few years ago I had just sold an RM125 I completely rebuilt and was planning on getting a KTM 350SXF with visions of doing some vet races. I kept thinking of all the injuries I’ve had. I went to watch a CCS race at Summit Point and decided to get an R6 instead. Not saying I can’t get hurt at the track days, but it’s much, much mellower and predictable.

 

It was 30 years ago, but my excellent sports surgeon said. It's cosmetic, and If I graft the clavicle back down, you'll be in a sling for 6 weeks to give it a better chance to heal. It won't be any stronger either way.
Just saying. Either way will be OK IMHO. ( I don't play one on TV, but I'm a medical professional). I just live with the end of my clavicle sticking up some on the right side. YES, it hurt at that spot for months. Many years ago.

 

My doctor: It probably might not hurt, which is a very likely possibility that rarely occurs most definitely, and I am not saying I would recommend surgery, but I am not saying I wouldn't, so proceed accordingly.

I think I'm just gonna send it.

 

That is a load of CYA non-committal horseshit gibberish. It's like "proceed accordingly.....according to what? You didn't say one fucking thing to give me any direction".

I would have to find another doctor.

...or I would just send it. Fuck it. It might not fix the problem, but it will end the suspense.

 

I've been working it out a little more the last few days, and it's actually feeling better. Not saying I should have been a doctor, but, maybe I should have gone to medical school and been a doctor.

Surgery was never in the cards; it's not a huge tear. As long as I am not going to risk effing it up more, the pain isn't a huge deal. It's an uncommon injury, and I'd feel a little more comfortable if I could get some real-world advice from other people that have torn the same ligament. I'm starting a heavy workout program on Monday with modifications as needed. Not 'heavy' from a lifting standpoint; 45-minute HIIT workouts so I can get that Bautista body and get protested when I start racing again.

We'll see what happens!

 

I have always pushed myself when it comes to things like that. But after working out for so many years, you can tell the difference between hurting and being injured. I know what it is supposed to feel like, so if something is actually torn I can feel it. So I can't blame you, I would do the exact same thing. I would keep pushing until I felt something that i know isnt right, then id back off a little and give it some more time.

Good luck dude.

 

Haha, yeah I had never heard of that ligament before two months ago, but now I know all about it. I lost my brakes and crashed in a WERA race at Summit Point in September, broke my collarbone and had a complete tear of the coracoclavicular ligament. There really wasn't a question of not getting surgery because my collarbone was floating around loose and probably would have come through the skin if it were not for the race suit and airbag inside holding it all together. When they put in the plates and screws, they also sutured/re-attached the ligament.

I am now 7 weeks post-op. I'm out of the sling, and the bone is pretty much healed. I have been in PT for 3 weeks now. No pain from the bone, but I think the ligament damage/repair is actually the majority of what I'm having to recover from in PT. I had a pretty restricted range of motion from the AC joint and it's taken a lot of painful stretching to improve. Who knew there were so many directions a shoulder was supposed to bend and stretch? Making progress but will definitely take more weeks of PT before I have full range of motion. I'm still not supposed to use any weights or use it to bear weight.

 

Oh, two other points to mention:
1) in the surgery repair, they also added a "new ligament" with a thing that looks like a drywall anchor in the lower bone, and a tough elastic band wrapped around one of the screws on the plate at the top of the clavicle. The purpose of that was to help raise my shoulder which had dropped relative to the clavicle, while the ligament was healing. I don't know what effect that is having on my mobility and recovery, if any.

2) I'm a few days from being 40 yo, so similar age range and presumably rate of healing.

 

I can relate to your after pic, I just had mine plated in June (also had an unrelated surgery on same shoulder/clavicle/bicep back in 2017).

I walked around with a fractured clavicle for over a year because they kept missing it. Ended up with a non-union that required surgery/plate/bone graft because of it. Feels great already just have to take it easy as the bone is still slowly bridging the gap.

It just pissed me off because I kept telling them of my pinpoint pain in the clavicle, and I went from benching sets at 315 to not being able to do push-ups and they kept telling me there was nothing wrong. Finally got referred to a sports medicine/ ortho with Mayo clinic and he spotted the problem on the x-ray within like 5 secs.