Collarbone plate removal.

So I've had mine in about 10 years, you guys leave these things in or what?

I've noticed mine has started to bother me here and there but this morning it was hurting like I broke the damn thing again. Not sure what's going on, maybe it's pinching a nerve?

Just wondering what the general consensus is.

 

weather change.


i don't have plates in the collarbone fractures, but had 2 in the left ulna and radius. had them taken out 6 months later. nice pieces of hardware. surgeon offered me 150 euros for them, to re-use them in 3rd world countries.
i kept them, awesome key chain hangers.

10 years later?
question if the bone hasn't over-/ingrown them...

@StanTheMan you're that type of butcher, arentcha?

 

I've got one on both sides, left one about 14 years, right one 5. Neither one has ever bothered me. I can't imagine having them taken out would be a very good time, especially the first one. Would think the bone would be grown over ?

 

What's the deal with so many peeps on here having collarbone plates?

My right has been plated for 18 years now. No issues but once in a while I can feel it mostly in winter months. I would def get yours checked out.

 

I was told that "infection" was the biggest concern. I have both sides plated...only real issue I have is my hands losing feeling.

 

No idea. Maybe we didn’t drink enough milk? Not sure what else it could be...

 

What we frequently see here at Duke is the screws will eventually start to back out on plates and cause pain. I’ve always been a proponent of removing hardware if possible once healing has occurred. Any foreign object in the body is where infection will go if it ever gets in the bloodstream. (Think dental cleaning where your gums bleed slightly)

 

My fingers have been tingling.

F%@k.

OK, that makes sense. Thx.

 

Shit, They wouldn't even plate mine back in the old days (93, I believe) Just got the old tough guy brace to pull my shoulders back. Now it looks like I have a golf ball under my skin where the broken chunk didn't align .

 

I asked my dude about it, and he said they leave all hardware in for life, unless it causes constant discomfort/pain, or if it becomes damaged.

I slipped and fell on the ramp of the toy hauler, reached down to catch myself (as you would), and bent the big plate in my wrist.

I didn’t want to mess with it, but after a year it got to where I was couldn’t do much of shit with it. Come to find out, every time I made a fist, or worked my wrist, and those tendons/muscles flexed, they were getting small tears from the corner of the plate sticking up.

Went to have to checked out, and I had almost 170lbs of grip strength in my right hand...and 25lbs of strength in my left. That shit was ripped to shreds in there. He said in a few months, I would have loss use of my hand.

So they removed the hardware, and repaired the tissue damage.

But the hardware in my collarbone and ankle is still there.

He said removing it brings in inherent risks as with any surgery, then you deal with more (potential) nerve damage, scar tissue, etc.

If it causes issues daily, I’d remove it. But I don’t plan on removing any of it unless I have a good reason.

 

I've had mine about 10 years, I always know it is there. I'd have it taken out if my insurance hadn't went to shit. I'd probably be looking at $15k cash.

 

same here on the center fractured one

the lateral fracture was held together by the ligaments nicely

 

now have a plate and 6 screws.
10 years in now.

When the weather gets cold fast (like 30 or 40 degree drop) I can feel it ache just a bit.
I've had to double/triple up the padding on that strap on the backpack, as they left the nerve run over the outside ridge of the plate. Just feels odd.

So far no other issues.
Bolt in the ankle (soccer injury) has been in since 1991. No backing out yet.
4mm x 4mm x 16mm.

 

Doctor said not to do any activity so I thought a little super Moto would be fine— until I heard a clicking — it was the screws sliding when I pushed on the plate! Had it revised to the next picture— point is I’m pretty sure once it’s in it supposed to stay in.....I would have it checked by a specialist and at least xrays..that’s why we have insurance right!—oh about leaving it in I ain’t no Doctor

 

My ortho said something along the lines of... if the hardware went in during yours 20s, you have a few years to decide if you want it out. In your 30s, more time. In your 40s, whenever. My left radius plate is covered by bone. My left collarbone is sitting on top. Of course, all that assumes it healed well in the first place.

 

This is what my surgeon told me, no need to remove unless the screws start backing out, mine did in the first year, but just a bit and havent moved since, only a pain when Im carrying something hard and heavy on that side.

 

Mine's been hurting since 2002. They were too busy looking at my broken neck to notice that my shoulder was broken despite how badly it hurt every time they turned me on my left side. A few years later, a doctor looking at a current x-ray asked me when I had broken my shoulder. "Motherfuckers!"

 

When I had my bad wreck they were obviously concerned with my lungs and broken sternum but I kept saying my arm felt funny and they told me they had taken enough x-rays to know I was fine. The accident was Saturday and they finally checked my collarbone again on Tuesday and I had surgery on Wednesday because it was broken into 3 pieces.

I had a rod inserted through the center of it to hold it all together inline. A few years later my shoulder started hurting so I had it checked out and the rod had broken in half because my bones are stronger than titanium apparently. I had to have half of my collar bone cut away so they could get to the lower half of the broken rod.

Fun times.

 

OP, see your Ortho person, get it x-ray'd, see what's up if anything, go from there.
Great advice and stories- this place is awesome

 

I came to suspect two weeks ago that I broke my left collarbone due
to a sharp point sticking up that hurts when I touch it. If true, the problem
is that it happened last August so I doubt there's much to be done about it now.