Broken Collar Bone Recovery Time

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Broken Collar Bone Recovery Time
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flag lblizzard
Posted: Jun 5, 2018 at 12:24 Quote
[Quote="asctlc"]Seeing you guys a few weeks ahead of me is damned helpful! My surgery was this past Wednesday. The day after hurt like a SOB but then right back to pre-surgery level pain (= very manageable with minimum meds).

My doc has warned me to keep using the sling for at least 6 weeks as a reminder not to just start using my arm because it's gonna feel fine quickly. Reading your loosening screw experience hits home pretty good for me as the last thing I want is to loosen screws before the site callouses up good to hold things more stable until grown together good.

My Ortho specializes in sports med so I'm listening intently to his guidance while seeing how it lines up with your experiences as well.

Cheers and quick healing to you guys.


Looks like the doc did a good job...rest, ice and you will be riding soon.
flag asctlc
Posted: Jun 12, 2018 at 5:07 Quote
Nice delawhere!

Just had my 2 week post-op yesterday. So far, so good for me too as far as no plate movement and can't wait to see that bone gap in mine start filling in like yours.
flag asctlc
Posted: Jun 12, 2018 at 11:27 Quote
delawhere, I was reading back and saw your 2 week post-op report. I'm exactly where you were back then. Numbness around incision is only a couple inches out and receding quickly. I asked doc why my neck was so danged tight down to the incision and he said it's where he had to pinch up the skin and meat to close the incision completely. He said it'll stretch out and I can massage it to try to relax it out a little faster.

I had my second PT this morning and they said they were happy to see I've retained great range of motion through this. I don't know I'm 99% but I'm definitely 90%+. I had great range of motion previous to the crash and PT said that is a big help.

4 weeks from now I hope to see a closing gap in my bone like you have.

Q: Did you stay away from Advil as some docs propose and did you take any additional supplements beyond drinking plenty of milk?
flag asctlc
Posted: Jun 13, 2018 at 5:24 Quote
Thanks. I'm taking Calcium w/ Magnesium. Wife and I eat so many vegetables with meals that we get lots of the other vitamins. Probably borderline overdosing on K with all the spinach we eat (I don't really think one can overdose on K like some vitamins).

Found out right after surgery I'm allergic to oxycodone. Had virtually every damned side affect listed for that stuff. Now that was 2 days of a hell on earth thing to go through!

I'd be completely off Tylenol if I could but I've got the 2 broken ribs that torture me trying to sleep on my back at night. And sneezing! Pine pollen is in high gear here in central CO, nothing like crappy timing...
flag dub-up
Posted: Jun 14, 2018 at 14:41 Quote
Today was my 10 week check-up. It had been over 6 weeks since my last xray. I was nervous it wasn't going to look much different (original set of images in my profile and on page 61 of this thread). However, things have improved a great deal from the original injury.

photo

photo

The ortho doc essentially said if he could have had a crystal ball showing him my progress at the first appointment, he would have never recommended surgery at all. So that agony I put myself through deciding if this was the best route for optimal healing was all for naught. I'm glad I made the decision I did obviously.

I started running a couple of weeks ago and today was cleared for some non-aggressive road biking (nothing that would put me at undo risk for falling again). He expects when I go back in 6-8 weeks that it will be my final visit. I sure hope so!

The xrays still look pretty rough in my opinion, but miles better than the original images. Things are definitely healing well, it will just take some time before I'm 100%. He was even more encouraged by my range of motion and lack of pain. As others have indicated in this thread, it takes longer to show healing via xrays than physiologically. The new bone is not easily visible on xrays. It might take another couple of months before my bones actually appear healed via xray, though the improvement from week 1 to now is plainly obvious to the naked eye.

Definitely took a weight off my shoulders to know I made the right call. Surgery is no longer even an option to consider at this point. It's just going to take time before I am cleared for full contact and weight bearing exercises. Hopefully the back pain I'm experiencing will go away when I can start to workout my upper body again.
flag Boyan1984
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 10:32 Quote
I'm at my eight week post injury and feel great. Healed naturally, No pain at all, it's just that my arm is not feeling like the other one.
I mean, I have full range of motion, but the muscles are still stiff, still recovering after the immobilization. When I do certain moves with my arm I hear and feel a popping sound. Docs said this will go away with time. You had the same sensation in your shoulder? I guess that's what they call "frozen shoulder". From time to time I just can feel the muscles. Guess it's the healing process that's going on.
Docs said it will take some time until muscles and tissues are back to normal.
They said I can ride my bike on road, but I still don't feel like I'm ready to do it. I'll wait two more weeks and then will give it a go.
flag Boyan1984
Posted: Jun 17, 2018 at 3:44 Quote
Decided to finally give it a go. Just rode my bike around town - feels great! No pain, no muscle pain or whatever. Don't feel like I had an injury three weeks ago.
Will keep up with the roads, planning to do my first in the woods cycling after a month, when the bone is even stronger.
flag thedad71
Posted: Jun 17, 2018 at 15:19 Quote
Just broke my collarbone on a fairly easy jump. Broke in 2 places and may need surgery to pin it. Question - Do I cancel my morzine trip in 5 weeks? I can reschedule for 8 weeks is that more realistic?
flag lblizzard
Posted: Jun 17, 2018 at 17:19 Quote
dub-up wrote:
Today was my 10 week check-up. It had been over 6 weeks since my last xray. I was nervous it wasn't going to look much different (original set of images in my profile and on page 61 of this thread). However, things have improved a great deal from the original injury.


The ortho doc essentially said if he could have had a crystal ball showing him my progress at the first appointment, he would have never recommended surgery at all. So that agony I put myself through deciding if this was the best route for optimal healing was all for naught. I'm glad I made the decision I did obviously.

I started running a couple of weeks ago and today was cleared for some non-aggressive road biking (nothing that would put me at undo risk for falling again). He expects when I go back in 6-8 weeks that it will be my final visit. I sure hope so!

The xrays still look pretty rough in my opinion, but miles better than the original images. Things are definitely healing well, it will just take some time before I'm 100%. He was even more encouraged by my range of motion and lack of pain. As others have indicated in this thread, it takes longer to show healing via xrays than physiologically. The new bone is not easily visible on xrays. It might take another couple of months before my bones actually appear healed via xray, though the improvement from week 1 to now is plainly obvious to the naked eye.

Definitely took a weight off my shoulders to know I made the right call. Surgery is no longer even an option to consider at this point. It's just going to take time before I am cleared for full contact and weight bearing exercises. Hopefully the back pain I'm experiencing will go away when I can start to workout my upper body again.

WOW!! that's crazy how the bone came back together, glad it did. I would never recommend for anyone to rush into fixing a collar bone, i waited 6 long months and inevitably had to go under the knife
flag lblizzard
Posted: Jun 17, 2018 at 17:35 Quote
thedad71 wrote:
Just broke my collarbone on a fairly easy jump. Broke in 2 places and may need surgery to pin it. Question - Do I cancel my morzine trip in 5 weeks? I can reschedule for 8 weeks is that more realistic?

Always better to wait and let it heal naturally, depending on where exactly the breaks are will dictate how long the recovery is if you have surgery. Distal clavicle fracture is more complicated than a Mid-Shaft break, different plates, different muscles affected, etc, etc
flag thedad71
Posted: Jun 18, 2018 at 1:22 Quote
lblizzard wrote:
thedad71 wrote:
Just broke my collarbone on a fairly easy jump. Broke in 2 places and may need surgery to pin it. Question - Do I cancel my morzine trip in 5 weeks? I can reschedule for 8 weeks is that more realistic?

Always better to wait and let it heal naturally, depending on where exactly the breaks are will dictate how long the recovery is if you have surgery. Distal clavicle fracture is more complicated than a Mid-Shaft break, different plates, different muscles affected, etc, etc
photo
not sure what that means but here is the X-Ray, will it need pinning?
flag lblizzard
Posted: Jun 18, 2018 at 5:12 Quote
thedad71 wrote:
lblizzard wrote:
thedad71 wrote:
Just broke my collarbone on a fairly easy jump. Broke in 2 places and may need surgery to pin it. Question - Do I cancel my morzine trip in 5 weeks? I can reschedule for 8 weeks is that more realistic?

Always better to wait and let it heal naturally, depending on where exactly the breaks are will dictate how long the recovery is if you have surgery. Distal clavicle fracture is more complicated than a Mid-Shaft break, different plates, different muscles affected, etc, etc

[not sure what that means but here is the X-Ray, will it need pinning?

when the bones overlap it's hard to heal properly, and it is a mid-shaft break. Clean break in the middle, thats best case scenario if you end up having surgery, if you want to see worst case look at my collar bone xray on my profile. 5 months and still dealing with pain and range of motion about 90%

Let use know what the doc says, i would put money on plating
flag asctlc
Posted: Jun 18, 2018 at 5:41 Quote
I believe I recall doc saying anything over 2cm overlap is a definite surgery candidate. Yours looks well over 2cm. Find my x-rays a couple pages back and mine is right at the 2cm mark. Yours also looks like a risk of protruding through the skin and that, I believe, is a high influence to have surgery.

I'm just shy of 3 weeks post-op and during my 2 week follow up last week doc said my "very sensitive skin and muscle pain are my nerves waking back up after being cut through. Said it'll take months but it'll get back to normal.

Discussion pre-op consult, doc said a test & study was done and they found a plated bone healed faster. Less gap and the end of the bones that grew were lined up and held steadier so it had less growth to do to begin strengthening.

It's why my ribs still hurt as bad as the day I broke them, the joint is constantly moving with my breathing and core moving. Most typical to read that ribs breaks suck the worst because of this...and I can echo this now that I'm going through it.

If I was assured mine would heal as well as dub-up's I'd not have surgery! But there was no assurance so I elected quickly to get this done and over with.

 


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