Broken clavicle healing

[patchb]

I broke my collarbone skiing on 9th January. It's a nice clean break pretty much in the middle.

I just wanted to know in people's experiences how long it's taken for the pieces of bone to stop moving about? I wake up and every morning the break feels more stable but by the end of the day it goes back to how it was the night before.

I'm wearing the figure 8 brace that they gave me in France, the French doctor told me to keep it on constantly for 4 weeks but my GP said take it off for a shower and to sleep if I want so that's what I've been doing. My GP advised me to take 3 weeks off work from when I saw him but said I wouldn't need any more X-rays or to go back to the doctor.

I've got pretty good mobility in my arm and no pain at all really I just want the bits of bone to unite and stop moving around.

I know I should see my GP really but I'm just after other people's experiences and I know it differs for everyone.

[captain jack]

I did mine mountain biking several years ago. I was in a sling for all but shower/bathtime 6 weeks and had to report back to the fracture clinic every 2 weeks. Had to sleep on my back until out of the sling - which meant the sofa as I couldn't be allowed to roll onto the shoulder. After 6 weeks I was out of the sling and doing some basic physiotherapy and weight bearing. Probably after 10 weeks I was ok with pretty much normal movement - back on the bike, etc. I cracked 4 ribs too - the pain of those took the sting out of breaking the clavicle - at least for the first 2 or 3 weeks!

[Freakuk]

I broke my right CB when I used to race motorcycles, it was a bad break 2 fractures... NHS attitude was wear a sling and come back in x weeks. Like you the joint felt like it was healing one minute then not the next.

I ended up finding a recommended specialist privately he took some X-rays and said if I follow the NHS advice I had a 25% chance of healing in 6 months!!! I opted for surgery and I was in/out of hospital the same day and it was an instant fix, Physio immediately and back on a bike racing in 6 weeks, albeit weaker and in some pain.

[Tony Angelino]

Did mine when 13 playing rugby league, just about the most painful of my long list of breaks. Remember having to sleep in the reclining chair for a couple of weeks as it was the only position I could get comfy in. The old figure of 8 really stunk under my pits too I recall!

[Peanut Gallery]

Did mine coming off a pedal bike on a straight road with no cars / potholes / anything around. The two ends had slipped past each other, so the bone was a good inch shorter that side, just wore a triangular bandage sling for a month or so while it started to bond. I was surprised at how fast the bone grew in length, still have a lumpy bit of bone there, same length both sides. I was 16 or so when I did it...

Bonus was I could not write any homework!

[Du1point8]

was pushed down some concrete stairs and took the last one to the shoulder, bit of a messy break.

Didnt hurt just ached, had full movement of the arm even with the break and just annoyed me when I could feel the bones grind against each other.

Just a sling, 4 weeks sleeping on my back and a very pretty physio helping me get movement... never did any exercises as from day one even with the break I could lift arm above my head with little pain which the Docs couldnt understand.

Maybe Im just a freak, only noticing remains is a lump on the bone.

[patchb]

Feels a bit more solid today, decided to just chill out today and I wore the brace to sleep last night. Last couple of days I've been rebuilding the carbs on one of my motorbikes which involved lifting the tank off which I filled up last time I rode it, probably not helping it heal! Been taking calcium supplements to try and help it along, but because I haven't got any pain I just want to get on with life but don't want to slow the healing.

[Philplop]

I can't remember being in a sling for very long at all, and I was still working without having much pain. Even a few years afterwards it would sometimes feel like the bones moved though.