[no skid marks]

I have a snapped collar bone, and snapped shoulder blade. Shoulder blade is from one side to the other in two. Collar bone in two also, but seems to be holding itself in position. I was a bit worried hospital hadn't given me enough info, and feedback, as they just gave me a sling and sent me on my way with no handy advice or anything. I was a bit worried as I'm guessing it's sorta serious, and I can't move my arm hardly, so I went and saw a specialist. They said due to the fact both are snapped, my shoulder is not really held in place by anything, and I should get collar bone plated. This operation is booked for thursday. If I hit my collar bone with plate in, it'll snap easier either side of plate. I can get plate removed in a year, but collar bone will be weak until screw holes fill. I really felt the surgeon was drumming up business, and have been advised by a mate to avoid collar bone surgery as his nerves were damaged from it. I already have dodgy nerves on this side from 4 broken arms. Surgery will also cost $1000, and nearly as much to remove plate, not that this is much of a concern. Anyone got any advice for me. Remember, my shoulder seems to be in position, but I'll check in mirror, and feel my collar bone tonight before shower.
View attachment 110734View attachment 110735View attachment 110736

 

[Konabumm]

Hey dude, this is always a difficult thing to ask people on the internet because non of us are train professionals and can only give our opinions. So I'll give you mine - first off my father was an anesthesiologist, not a surgeon by any means but he had been around the block. He told me when I separated my shoulder the first time that getting surgery is a 50 / 50 gamble. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's worse then before.
Second, without question get a second opinion!!!! I live in the boonies when it comes to top medical care - so when I blew my shoulder out the second time the doctor insisted that surgery was necessary. I drove to DC and talked to another specialist. He told me my shoulder would heal just fine and of course it's going to be weaker due to the damage but I could continue to ride as long as I took it easy for a few weeks. He also told me that later in life I would most likely need surgery due to arthritis.

It sounds like your injury is much worse then what I had - so I would get a second opinion for sure then weigh your options.

I hope this helps a little. Good luck and healing vibes

 

[no skid marks]

Cheers mate, good advice. I think I'll cancel the OP, and try get another opinion, or at least X ray.

 

[jonKranked]

Unless the collarbone break was really bad and needed the plate to keep it in place to heal, theres little benefit to it. Keep an eye on it while it heals though.

 

[dan-o]

My collar bones were never plated the 4 times I've broken them, including when my shoulder socket was broken at the same time.

 

[demo9pro]

I work in the medical field, as a doctor, though not a surgeon. In my observations, metal does not usually make the body better, though there are occasions when it is the best option. My advice is to get three opinions: If there's one thing two doctors can agree on, it's that the third one has it all wrong! Best of luck!

 

[Huck Banzai]

Unless the collarbone break was really bad and needed the plate to keep it in place to heal, theres little benefit to it. Keep an eye on it while it heals though.

This sounds like solid advice to me!

Surgery and plates have their place, but if you can do without it, avoid surgery.

But get that 2nd and 3rd opinion before deciding.

Are you in an immobilizer/sling now?

 

[jonKranked]

kinda funny this thread pops up, i'm looking at a potential job for a company that makes these kinds of skeletal products

 

[cecil]

I broke my right collar bone into 3 pieces it healed fine with no plates or surgury I have full range of movement, just a bump you can see with my shirt off

 

[Westy]

Get it gold plated. Bitches love gold.

 

[landcruiser]

I got mine plated last year because the bone fragments were overlapping instead of in-line. Now (nine months later) the plate is causing enough aggravation that I made an appointment for next week to discuss taking the plate out.

If I had to do it over again I would probably still plate it, but it sucks thinking that I'll be back on the sidelines for a little bit despite the fact that I'm "fine" right now...

 

[Ithnu]

I had a pretty large snap on mine 2.5 years ago. I went to the ortho surgeon and asked a ton of questions (I'm an engineer) and he answered them wonderfully. I was concerned about reduced bone strength as the plate will take most of the load. He said this used to be the case with stainless steel. The plate is stiffer than bone so the load goes to the plate, your body adapts and the bone reduces in density as it isn't seeing much load. Then you have a large stiffness difference where the plate starts and the bone can be more prone to snapping. Which is why they used to remove them after a while.

He said with newer plates, titanium, they flex better and work with the bone so it doesn't lose density. They also thread the plate with the bone on every other screw, again to help the 2 work together.

Also if it's a large gap, mine was over an inch, he said that the bone will heal but it may change my shoulder geomerty and lead to range of movement problems or just muscle sorness as they will be stretchy/compressed compared to normal.

So basically if it's a large gap in the bone, get a plate. The only issue I have is a little bone spur that showed up from a splinter piece, which has nothing to do with the plate. I've had mine for 2 years and never notice it. However the surgeon said that if there are issues sometimes the titanium plates still come out. Not in my case though.

 

[buildyourown]

Bones often heal faster and in a better position after being plated vs just sitting in a cast.
I had a LOT of hardware in my leg. Getting it pulled out was quite easy. A week after surgery we moved and I was hauling lots of heavy stuff. Considering how long a poorly healed break can linger, taking a couple weeks off in the winter to get hardware out is cake.

 

[jonKranked]

collar bone isn't somewhere that casts are used.

 

[jonKranked]

also, resorbable plates are starting to come into use; so having plates removed is becoming a moot point

 

[no skid marks]

It's not just my colar bone as mentioned. Well it's just the collar bone to be plated, but with both bones broken there's nothing holding shoulder in place.
However, my collar bone seems to be in line, with the snapped bit sitting maybe 1cm max above the other bit. So I'm guessing it's length is good, just maybe not the straightest. I'll try load the X ray, as I'm desperate to have a better look. I don't think it's a clean break, but more diagonal across bone helping bone sit in place.
I'll try find another specialist now.

 

[jonKranked]

if its properly aligned with no separation or overlap, then immobilization is the best bet, especially given that it would need to be immobilized anyways due to the scapula break.

 

[boomerbaird]

Hey check out cancellara's break and fix.... $1000 for surgery is efffinng cheap!!!!!!!! Had a buddy in denver quoted a plating at $10,000. Of course this is the USA, USA, USA! Removable metal is the wave of the future, from the past, they are finding that it helps to remove that crap down the road after everything is healed and the muscles are strong enough around the problem area.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/04/04/x-ray-images-of-fabian-cancellaras-broken-collarbone/

 

[jonKranked]

boomer - actually there's a push in the medical field to expand the use of resorbable biosynthetic polymers in place of metals for implantables (like internal fixation devices like bone plates), which eliminates the need for removal after they are implanted.

and regarding the use of bone plates, unless there's a clear medical need (not sure that exists in this case) these kinds of operations are generally aren't recommended.

 

[ustemuf]

i just went through this.. broke my clavicle last september. got surgery and i was already hucking 50ft gaps in november. definately get the surgery if the doctor is giving you the option. you will recover much faster.

i have really good health insurance so it was only a $5 option for me

broken:

repaired:

i decided to keep the plate in as well, doesnt bother me much at all and it's stronger with it in. if it breaks, i'd get surgery again anyways so it makes no difference.

 

[jonKranked]

i just went through this.. broke my clavicle last september. got surgery and i was already hucking 50ft gaps in november. definately get the surgery if the doctor is giving you the option. you will recover much faster.

speed of recovery is a moot point here since there's a scapula break as well.

 

[ustemuf]

speed of recovery is a moot point here since there's a scapula break as well.

i read the thread title and posted a reply without reading cause im lazy.

to re-state my advice: get the plate if you have more than 25mm of separation in your bone.. otherwise just let it heal naturally.

 

[RUFUS]

Unnecessary surgery is unnecessary!

 

[no skid marks]

Here's the pics.

 

[landcruiser]

Scapula break aside, that collar bone break looks pretty good (i wouldn't plate it if it was the only thing broken). But stop listening to us. Go talk to some real doctors!

My before and after pics for comparison:

The last week or so, I've been having pain at the innermost end of the plate. Not entirely sure why, but it's not been fun.

 

[DirtMcGirk]

I've got plates in both collar bones from an unplanned dismount.

It sucks. They hurt all the damn time, and when I eat the ground, I really worry that they've blown out on the ends.

If I bust them again, I am getting the Lance Armstrong CF collar bone.

 

[RUFUS]

That collarbone break does not need a plate unless you do something else to it to make it worse. You will have a hump due to the bone sticking up a bit, and due to the growth of new bone around the break, but I would not plate it if I were a doctor or you.

This coming from someone that has broken 181 bones and countless "useless" surgeries.

 

[no skid marks]

That collarbone break does not need a plate unless you do something else to it to make it worse. You will have a hump due to the bone sticking up a bit, and due to the growth of new bone around the break, but I would not plate it if I were a doctor or you.

This coming from someone that has broken 181 bones and countless "useless" surgeries.

Read this http://web.jbjs.org.uk/content/74-B/3/362.full.pdf then tell me what you think.

 

[H8R]

Broke mine, it was shattered into 5 pieces. Healed fine. Little lumpy, but fine.

My buddy broke his. Clean break, right in the middle. Doctor told him it would heal fine on it's own. It didn't, and 6 weeks later he's in surgery getting bone harvested from his femur to patch the collar bone together.


Moral of the story? Get a second opinion, and after a couple weeks, GO IN TO HAVE IT DOUBLE/TRIPLE CHECKED.

 

[norbar]

I have a snapped collar bone, and snapped shoulder blade. Shoulder blade is from one side to the other in two. Collar bone in two also, but seems to be holding itself in position. I was a bit worried hospital hadn't given me enough info, and feedback, as they just gave me a sling and sent me on my way with no handy advice or anything. I was a bit worried as I'm guessing it's sorta serious, and I can't move my arm hardly, so I went and saw a specialist. They said due to the fact both are snapped, my shoulder is not really held in place by anything, and I should get collar bone plated. This operation is booked for thursday. If I hit my collar bone with plate in, it'll snap easier either side of plate. I can get plate removed in a year, but collar bone will be weak until screw holes fill. I really felt the surgeon was drumming up business, and have been advised by a mate to avoid collar bone surgery as his nerves were damaged from it. I already have dodgy nerves on this side from 4 broken arms. Surgery will also cost $1000, and nearly as much to remove plate, not that this is much of a concern. Anyone got any advice for me. Remember, my shoulder seems to be in position, but I'll check in mirror, and feel my collar bone tonight before shower.
View attachment 110734View attachment 110735View attachment 110736

Wow 1k$ ? That's really cheap. I live in a cheap country and it was 2500$. It is also strange that they say your shoulder will be weaker, my said it is stronger after plating and I have no intention of removing it. Sometimes my arm feels funny but surgeries are not the healthiest things you can do to your body.

Double check your surgeon skills. With top doctors there should be no damage. I was feeling fine 2 days after the surgery, now I'm riding snowboard and dirt jump, the weather still doesn't allow for dh riding but I crashed enough times on my board. In some cases going without the surgery may severely weaken your bone and/or reduce mobility. It all depends how your bones align. If there is overlap there will be a lump on the bone and it will can mean what I mentioned above but I had my collarbone broken in 4 places.

The 3 doctors are a good idea. Try to find SPORTS doctors as in my experience they think very different from regular ones. They want you back to full recovery asap, not some recovery sometime in the future.


btw. If we are at posting photos:

Sorry for crappy quality the first one was from a ****ty mountain clinic. Almost killed a doctor there, waited 6h for a visit.

nsfw for surgery photos

NSFW

 

[HardtailHack]

My fist one was similar to your break, I was riding within 6 weeks with no plate but I wondered why it hurt after lifting anything heavy or manualling the DH bike a few times. About a year later I had to go for full body bone scans for something else and they told me my collarbone had abnormal blood flow and still hadn't healed properly.
Seems to be fine now but it did take a while, my right one seems to be the same, any heavy weights and the bone aches for a while. I ended up going to C-Scan to get an ultrasound and some follow up X-rays and they were amazing, multiple angles and super clear images, if you can find a C-Scan near you I recommend them and they bulk bill.
After using the Australian public system I will never have private insurance it is really good, but from what I have learned(from experience and from nurse/doctor friends) you have to make demands if you get an Indian doctor. I know that will seem racist but Indian doctors are the only ones that have messed me around, everyone else has been pretty good.

 

[RUFUS]

Read this http://web.jbjs.org.uk/content/74-B/3/362.full.pdf then tell me what you think.

Your point?

You do know that this is from the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery right? Of course they will treat a major fracture with a surgical option.

I also agree with most here to get a second opinion and if told no surgery really needed, wait 3 weeks and go back for x-rays and another opinion.

 

[cableguy]

Get a pin like Cancellara?

PRESS RELEASE: Fabian Cancellara spoke with the press today in the Crossklinik in Basel, Switzerland, where he underwent surgical treatment following his crash in the Tour of Flanders last Sunday.

At the start of the press conference, team doctor Andreas Gösele explained to the press how the four-part fracture of Cancellara’s right collarbone (picture above) was treated and what the next steps are. Gösele: “My colleague, doctor Farkas, used a clavicle pin to put the bone together. It’s a procedure where we insert a pin in the clavicle itself, instead of using a plate and a lot of screws to keep the bone together. This procedure is a lot more natural and doesn’t affect the strength of the bone once the device is removed. The pin will be removed once the fracture is completely healed, at the very earliest in six weeks time. But this is really a small routine operation.”

 

[norbar]

Strange, pins are a much older tech and from what I've seen in friends there is a much higher risk of complications.



btw. For those who speak of lumps on bones as if it's nothing - from what I've been told a lumpy bone will be easier to break in the future.

 

[cableguy]

Strange, pins are a much older tech and from what I've seen in friends there is a much higher risk of complications.

That's what I thought but I would think Cancellara would get the best medical care/surgery given his situation. I am going to ask about the pin vs. plates in collarbone when I see my surgeon.

 

[Tmeyer]

I snapped my left clavicle last year in May. It broke in the center and then overlapped a 1/2 inch or so. I was in the same boat, saw 4 doctors and they all pretty much told me to go under the knife if I don't want a bump or a shoulder that sits a little further forward. I also had an AC separation, grade 2. I have never been cut open and was 29 at the time. I opted out of the surgery. 1 year later and it's probably 90-95% good. I have a big bump and my shoulder sits a little lower but my ROM is 100%. I DEFINITELY had mega muscle soreness for the first 2 months but now it feels fine. Def more clicks and pops then before (not everyday) but that could be due to my AC separation as well. I was very conservative in my healing and I started riding XC on the 4th of July and was pinning by August 1st. The Healing time is longer w/out surgery for sure, but no risk of nerve damage, infections and hardware removal down the road. I have a pretty large mass of bone where the break was and it provides a good story in the Summer. I'll add that I had good insurance at the time and it would have cost me about $2500 out of pocket for a $11,000 procedure.

Good luck but judging from your Xray (which looks better than mine) I would let it heal. It's the second most commonly broken bone and plates were barely an option 10 years ago.

 

[norbar]

it would have cost me about $2500 out of pocket for a $11,000 procedure.

Good luck but judging from your Xray (which looks better than mine) I would let it heal. It's the second most commonly broken bone and plates were barely an option 10 years ago.

Medical turism. From what I know from my US friends some insurance companies support it and you can get the procedure MUCH cheaper.

 

[jonKranked]

Medical turism. From what I gather some US insurance companies support it and you can get the procedure MUCH cheaper.

generally no. if they did support it, it'd be very ironic, since health insurance is one of the mains reasons everything (medical procedures, prescriptions, etc) costs so much in the first place.

 

[norbar]

generally no. if they did support it, it'd be very ironic, since health insurance is one of the mains reasons everything (medical procedures, prescriptions, etc) costs so much in the first place.

in most cases it's still cheaper though NSM price it makes no sense. 1k is an amazing price even for a crappy surgery.

 

[Pesqueeb]

FWIW, I had a broken collar bone and shoulder blade in 2 places. No plates were installed since I was in an induced coma at the time. My right shoulder is noticeably lower than my left now and I have constant shoulder and neck pain. In retrospect I kind of wish someone had looked into plating my collar bone/shoulder, I can't help but wonder if it would have made a difference for me.