I broke my scapula in 2 places on April 5th in a bike accident (good news, bike is ok). First opinion said to put 2 plates in but 2nd & 3rd opinions said avoid surgery, wear sling and do PT for 6 weeks. I am (was?) training for my first Ironman (Lake Placid) and now it looks like my training is on hold until June 1st. My question is this: when I am allowed back to working out, what should I focus on? I no longer care about time, I just want to finish under 17hours. Is it possible? I am in great shape now. Today, I had my first PT session and it went well, much better than the PT expected from discussing the breaks with my doc. I am eager to do this IM. I have done 16 marathons and all the other distances of tri except IM. Is Lake Placid on July 24th possible?
I would go along with the 2nd and 3rd opinions, and not just because I’m a PT. Surgery should always be the decision you come to after all other attempts have been exhausted, except for emergency situations of course. I have treated several patients with scapula fractures and they all do pretty well. My primary concerns for you would be to restore your full shoulder range of motion and also put a lot of emphasis on scapulothoracic stabilization. More simply put the position of your shoulder blade on your back and the “rhythm” between the scapula and the shoulder joint. It’s very common to develop significant imbalances in the muscles that control your shoulder/shoulder blade after significant injuries like this. If scapulothoracic stabilization is not addressed you are at risk for developing impingement/tendonitis/bursitis…
Once you are cleared to start swimming again, don’t think you’re going to be able to jump right back into your 4k swim sets, or whatever you have been doing. You’re going to have to take it slow. Can you do IMLP, that’s tough to say. I would say barring any set backs it’s certainly a possibility and I wouldn’t count it out at this point.
Would be a great time to get a swim coach if you don’t already have one, because proper form is going to be of the utmost importance for you once you start to get at it again.
Best of luck. Keep us posted.
A good training friend had a bad crash (i was fifty feet behind him) on 40+ mph descent that left him a shattered scapula (4 pieces), massive road rash and a trip into the road side weeds that were full of poison ivy. Surgury was his only option, lots of screws and a couple of plates to fix him up. He had an extensive re-hab, had very limited motion for about 8 months. He stuck it out and completed the 2003 IMOO in 11:55 at age 46 in 90 F temps. I guess I would do the surgury if it were me, it might not ever heal right otherwise.
I’m a chiropractor, but in an earlier life was an orthopaedic technition in a very busy fracture room. From what I remember of these fractures the approach was first to let then heal for 6-8 weeks in a sling and then get some extensive massage/PT/chiro therapy afterwards.
If there is a large seperation then they would surgically pin the scapula fracture but I’m not sure what the latest way to go is. We have a few ortho surgeon guys on the forum who can answer this.
Sh*t happens. Don’t be macho-stupid about this. If there is any doubt about the healing time then forget the race. It’ll still be there next year.
I broke my left scapula 2 winters ago downhill skiing. I only broke it in one place, but I remember it being displaced pretty good and the doctor looking at the X-ray and saying more than once, you must have hit pretty hard. Anyway, the first 2 weeks were pretty tough and i remember thinking it was never going to heal. After 2 weeks though I was able to start doing things again. I started back riding the trainer and cross country skiing (with only 1 pole), I think after 3 weeks or so. I was even back to downhill skiing after about 4 weeks, very carefully, but I am a skier first and triathlete second. I did not get back into swimming until about 3 months after, but not because of my shoulder, it was lack of motivation. I could have and was cleared by the doctor after 2 months. I think I got back into sking a little sooner than the doctor would have liked, but I was careful and knew that I could not fall. I would not rule out IM yet. See how the healing goes and be patient.
Thank you Dan for the heads up about watching the scapulothoric stabilization! And since swimming is my weakest of the disciplines, getting a coach is something that I could use anyway. -Stacy
Macho-stupid… hee, hee. I promise not to be that! I am signing in under my boyfriend’s screen name. But I guess girls can be macho too. I will wait and see how the healing goes and will decide about Lake Placid in July. Oh, here’s a funny thing… I didn’t land in poison ivy like above, but my crash happened in Central Park. And there are horses in the park and guess who went flying through one of their piles…