I have pain down my arm too, and my neck, is that normal? And will I ever be able to lift my arm higher than chest area?
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Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [TheStroBro]
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Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [tinaedgar]
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I had the same issues. Make your doctor send you to physical therapy, mine tried to tell me I'd be able to race in 10 weeks. I would say I didn't feel "normal" until six months post surgery. Basically your muscles in the shoulder got destroyed and they need to be rebuilt from 0.
Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [tinaedgar]
[ In reply to ]
My hardware has been in for 15 months. No issues here and I have zero plans to take it out.
Biggest thing I found with recovery was use your arm as much as possible. The quicker you get it moving, the faster the recovery.
blog
Biggest thing I found with recovery was use your arm as much as possible. The quicker you get it moving, the faster the recovery.
blog
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [stevej]
[ In reply to ]
stevej wrote:
My hardware has been in for 15 months. No issues here and I have zero plans to take it out. Biggest thing I found with recovery was use your arm as much as possible. The quicker you get it moving, the faster the recovery.
Mine is going on 11.5 years now without issue, key for me was initially range of motion exercises and then yoga, and eventually swimming. No pain/irritation to this day and it's never limited me in doing anything. No plans to have it removed.
"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [TheStroBro]
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I’m not doing any physiotherapy, but I’m a hairstylist, and I’m back to work, it’s killing me doing that, I just want to be back to normal.
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [tinaedgar]
[ In reply to ]
I’ll another data point.
I’m 52, medium build, 5’8”, 160 lbs. I’m not a triathlete, as I swim like a stone. I used do some 24 hour mountain bike relay races “back in the day”, and certainly experienced enough crashes then. Thankfully, only ever broke ribs in those crashes.
So, my level of fitness, while better than the typical American (low bar there), is not up to par with this group, but, the injury and subsequent surgery are the same nonetheless.
As a baseline, I do short road-bike rides 2-4 days a week (20-30 miles typically, as that’s all my work schedule gives me time for), and during the warmer months typically kayak 1-3 days week as well. For me, kayaking usually involves paddling up stream for 2-3 hours, and then back down. This isn’t just a lazy float down the river with a beer cooler in tow. This provides a good stress relief, and some upper body workout, as I hate indoor exercise for the sake of exercise (again, I probably don’t fit in here in that regard either).
OK, enough about my background, and on to the current injury and subsequent surgery.
First, some relevant medical history.
15 months ago, I suffered a comminuted fracture of the right clavicle, along with a fractured right scapula and four right-side posterior rib fractures. Cause was a low-speed (30 mph) low side motorcycle crash. This was on a race track (turn 4B at VIR), wearing full race leathers. A crash like this usually results in little to no injury, but, unfortunately, my right shoulder found an exposed edge of the track sliding from the dirt on the inside of the turn back onto the tarmac.
The pain from this was the worst I’ve ever experienced, including recovering from lumbar fusion surgery 3 years prior.
The ortho-surgeon’s recommendation was to just let it heal naturally, which is what I did. Several weeks of PT starting at week three, and I was good as new in 8 weeks, and back on the track in 13 weeks.
A comminuted fracture is one where the bone breaks into a lot small pieces. It was basically shattered mid-shaft, but, all where held roughly in place by surrounding muscle and other tissue.
Fast forward to July 27th of this year. Low-side crash going into turn six at Summit Point Raceway, speed, approx 45 MPH. Should’ve been a non-injury slide, but, when I got to the grass, I tumbled and took a hard hit to the right shoulder.
This time is was a complete single break. The fracture was being hold about 5-6mm apart by my muscle, so, ORIF surgery was required. It was complicated by the previous fracture, which ended up healing as large bulge in the middle of the bone. Two plates were required, one on top, and one in front. I’m not sure how many screws were involved, I’ll try to snap a pic of the X-rays at the post-op visit.
As another post mentioned earlier in this thread. I do have concerns about any future crash (motorcycle, or bicycle for that matter) risking breaking the clavicle in a worse location, near one end, due to the presence of all this hardware in the middle. I’m only 1 week post-op, so, I don’t yet know what discomfort or irritation I’ll have from the hardware long term. I’m experiencing some nerve pain in my right forearm and two fingers on my right hand. I hope this resolves as the swelling reduces.
I have a post-op visit to the surgeon next Wednesday, which will be just shy of 2 weeks post-op. I’m hoping I’ll be cleared for PT, at least ROM, if not some light strength training at that time. For now, I’m to keep it in a sling, and “lift nothing heavier than a fork.”
I will be investing in an airbag equipped race suit before returning to the track. I’d already been considering the purchase of one, and I wish I had one on when I crashed, as it likely would’ve saved me this fracture.
I’ll update this thread with my recovery progress.
See attached for pre-op x-ray.
[url=https://ibb.co/6nJNQTg]
[/url]]
************************
TL;DR (too long didn’t read):
Right clavicle fracture, open reduction with internal fixation. History of previous fracture 15 months prior. Considering future removal of hardware.
I’m 52, medium build, 5’8”, 160 lbs. I’m not a triathlete, as I swim like a stone. I used do some 24 hour mountain bike relay races “back in the day”, and certainly experienced enough crashes then. Thankfully, only ever broke ribs in those crashes.
So, my level of fitness, while better than the typical American (low bar there), is not up to par with this group, but, the injury and subsequent surgery are the same nonetheless.
As a baseline, I do short road-bike rides 2-4 days a week (20-30 miles typically, as that’s all my work schedule gives me time for), and during the warmer months typically kayak 1-3 days week as well. For me, kayaking usually involves paddling up stream for 2-3 hours, and then back down. This isn’t just a lazy float down the river with a beer cooler in tow. This provides a good stress relief, and some upper body workout, as I hate indoor exercise for the sake of exercise (again, I probably don’t fit in here in that regard either).
OK, enough about my background, and on to the current injury and subsequent surgery.
First, some relevant medical history.
15 months ago, I suffered a comminuted fracture of the right clavicle, along with a fractured right scapula and four right-side posterior rib fractures. Cause was a low-speed (30 mph) low side motorcycle crash. This was on a race track (turn 4B at VIR), wearing full race leathers. A crash like this usually results in little to no injury, but, unfortunately, my right shoulder found an exposed edge of the track sliding from the dirt on the inside of the turn back onto the tarmac.
The pain from this was the worst I’ve ever experienced, including recovering from lumbar fusion surgery 3 years prior.
The ortho-surgeon’s recommendation was to just let it heal naturally, which is what I did. Several weeks of PT starting at week three, and I was good as new in 8 weeks, and back on the track in 13 weeks.
A comminuted fracture is one where the bone breaks into a lot small pieces. It was basically shattered mid-shaft, but, all where held roughly in place by surrounding muscle and other tissue.
Fast forward to July 27th of this year. Low-side crash going into turn six at Summit Point Raceway, speed, approx 45 MPH. Should’ve been a non-injury slide, but, when I got to the grass, I tumbled and took a hard hit to the right shoulder.
This time is was a complete single break. The fracture was being hold about 5-6mm apart by my muscle, so, ORIF surgery was required. It was complicated by the previous fracture, which ended up healing as large bulge in the middle of the bone. Two plates were required, one on top, and one in front. I’m not sure how many screws were involved, I’ll try to snap a pic of the X-rays at the post-op visit.
As another post mentioned earlier in this thread. I do have concerns about any future crash (motorcycle, or bicycle for that matter) risking breaking the clavicle in a worse location, near one end, due to the presence of all this hardware in the middle. I’m only 1 week post-op, so, I don’t yet know what discomfort or irritation I’ll have from the hardware long term. I’m experiencing some nerve pain in my right forearm and two fingers on my right hand. I hope this resolves as the swelling reduces.
I have a post-op visit to the surgeon next Wednesday, which will be just shy of 2 weeks post-op. I’m hoping I’ll be cleared for PT, at least ROM, if not some light strength training at that time. For now, I’m to keep it in a sling, and “lift nothing heavier than a fork.”
I will be investing in an airbag equipped race suit before returning to the track. I’d already been considering the purchase of one, and I wish I had one on when I crashed, as it likely would’ve saved me this fracture.
I’ll update this thread with my recovery progress.
See attached for pre-op x-ray.
[url=https://ibb.co/6nJNQTg]
[/url]] ************************
TL;DR (too long didn’t read):
Right clavicle fracture, open reduction with internal fixation. History of previous fracture 15 months prior. Considering future removal of hardware.
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [jas67]
[ In reply to ]
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Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [jas67]
[ In reply to ]
Your plate looks like mine, all bent to shit. Apparently mine was a re-break of a break when I was 5 and then again at 14, that never properly healed so it was curved. Apparently the doc had to use a hammer to get mine to fit. I'm a bit jealous of those with nice straight plates in their x rays
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [jas67]
[ In reply to ]
Welcome to the titanium club, hope your recovery goes well. FWIW, I’m coming up on 14 years now with the plate/screws in mine and zero issues/limitations with it. Best of luck!
"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler
"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler
Re: Anyone had the plate removed from their broken collarbone? [Brian in MA]
[ In reply to ]
So, just a quick update.
I'm now a month post-op. I started riding (bicycle, not moto) about 16 days post-op, and was quite sore, so, I gave it another week after that. I've been riding every since, though, only up to about an hour and 20 minutes so far. My pain levels pretty minimal, I'm not taking anything for pain any more. Range of motion is about 85% normal. I do have some muscle tightness in the shoulder blade area and some on the right side of my neck, but, it is getting better.
I have a followup with the surgeon in 9 days. I'm hoping to be allowed to start doing some light strength training at that point.
I'm now a month post-op. I started riding (bicycle, not moto) about 16 days post-op, and was quite sore, so, I gave it another week after that. I've been riding every since, though, only up to about an hour and 20 minutes so far. My pain levels pretty minimal, I'm not taking anything for pain any more. Range of motion is about 85% normal. I do have some muscle tightness in the shoulder blade area and some on the right side of my neck, but, it is getting better.
I have a followup with the surgeon in 9 days. I'm hoping to be allowed to start doing some light strength training at that point.