Non-op collarbone recovery

Get it plated. When I broke mine, the normal docs didn't see a break and had me doing PT for 8+ months trying to get back to normal. Went from benching 315 lbs to not able to do pushups...but they were telling me no structural issues.

Got referred to a pro sports (Minnesota) ortho surgeon and he found the fracture first visit, bone graft (due to non fusion from the previous docs missing it), plated it, and 3 months later I was already better off that I was after 8 months of PT.

 

If you go the surgery route I might suggest contacting the doctor who fixed mine, Carl Basamania. He invented this toggle bolt kinda thing that goes in thru the back of the shoulder and sucks your collar bone back together allowing the bone to heal fully. Then 4 months later he took it out. There is almost no scarring. My other side where I have a plate, huge ugly scar.

I was fine the next day, kept the weight off of it for a week or two and week 4 I was racing again, endurance round to boot.

I got to keep the bolt thingy, PM if you want some xrays.

 

Did my right collarbone back in 93 in a street crash. Broke a 1 inch chunk out of the middle which twisted sideways. All I got was the harness which pulled your shoulders back and made you walk like a Connor MacGregor wannabe. . Now, I was back at work the next day with only OTC meds, but it happened in late october so I didn't ride again till spring time. I felt pretty much 100% after about 6 weeks though, and have the giant knot where it all fused back together.

 

Can you plate one that's in pieces? My first one looked like a bag of mooshed tater chips.Dr. mentioned surgery,
but my 22 yo landscaper had no insurance. And the shoulder blade,and scapula are different breaks,correct??

 

yes... mine was in 5 pieces. Ortho took pity on me & put me on standby the day after he took some xrays.

 

The immediate stability offered by a plate far outweighs any negative outcomes from the surgery. 2¢

 

Broke my clavicle and collarbone at the GNF years ago… wish I got a plate… still sucks..

 

Broke my collarbone ( in two places) 3 years ago on a mini. Didn’t get the plate (glad I didn’t) took about a month to heal enough for the doctor to clear me for work.

 

Hit a curb trying to straighen out an S too much, t-boned the next curb. We separated company and my helmet broke my collarbone. Went drinking for 4 hours before heading to the hospital, end up in a sling.

6 weeks later I was riding and running. Took a year to get mostly recovered in the weight room. I was pretty young. Got a dip and lump that is visible.

 

No plate. Rode from Phoenix to Jerome and back 6 weeks later. That one ride helped more than the PT they had me doing, physically and mentally.

 

plate.

did not get mine plated in 2001. doc said only difference will be if i get a tailored suit. well, not true.

 

A close friend of mine is dealing with an un-plated collarbone break right now. The break was simple and only a tiny bit displaced. But apparently it's struggling to calcify and strengthen, even after 6wks now. She's in her 40s, so that probably has something to do with it. I doubt a plate would help all that much.

I destroyed mine while in my early 30s and got it plated. I went back to rock climbing after 5wks and raced after 6wks. The surgeon just said to not crash.

So it all depends on you and the break.

 

My Ortho doc was in favor of letting it heal, and said he could always "put it back together" if that didn't work out. I had the time, so did that. It was a long recovery, and can't say if the result is better or worse (not having anything to compare to). But, no pain or movement problem, just a big bump. Some issues with having one shoulder shorter than the other in regards to clothing and exercise, but not sure if a plate would have fixed that.

I had an office job and races weren't that frequent in the day, so didn't miss that much. Just tired of being trussed up and hurting myself during the early stages. My break was a bit different than the typical motorcycle break where you land on the "end" of the bone in a crash. I was on a dirt bike and hit a tree, so it was a hit from the front. It meant all the available harnesses did nothing, so I had to make my own.

 

Thanks for all the input. My doctors went from “you don’t need surgery” to “eh, borderline - up to you” to “surgery is your best path back to racing” so I think I’m gonna do it.

So follow up question: if I have surgery on Monday, would it be crazy to go out to a baseball game (as a fan) the following Saturday? Sutures will still be in, but it’ll be my birthday and I’d love to go.

 

I’d go the baseball even if you didn’t have surgery. I would think it would be fine with surgery

 

You will be fine for watching baseball. Guys have raced that many days later.

 

You'll be fine to move around after the surgery