Broken Collar Bone - Tips For Survival?!
Discussion
I had a bit of a moment of stupidity on Monday evening, distracted by my HT strap/cycling computer I managed to ride straight into an immovable object, sending myself over the handlebars, object and ending up in a heap on the floor...
After getting home and then passing out we spent a good 4 and a bit hours in A&E, x-ray showed no breaks and a CT scan revealed I had a brain and it was anatomically normal!
Believing I was on the road to recovery and that my bone were not broken I started to push my luck...
Fruiting about in the mirror after showering this morning having a bit of a poke, a prod and a stretch I heard a loud 'snap' and felt an insane amount of pain having basically snapped my collar bone there and then! Muppet!
A trip back to A&E confirmed the worst, my collar bone must have had a crack in it and I finished it off today! (I've seen the x-rays from Monday, there's no visible fractures - it must off been a hair-line or well hidden!)
Out of action and off the bike for at least six weeks I guess?! Gutted!
So pissed off at myself, six months of training gone to waste without a race and all for a moments distraction!
I'm really struggling to get comfortable tonight and fully paranoid about doing more damage, what are the top tips from the peeps who have been through this? And is there a light at the end of the tunnel?! - what's your healing time been like? (be gentle please!)
After getting home and then passing out we spent a good 4 and a bit hours in A&E, x-ray showed no breaks and a CT scan revealed I had a brain and it was anatomically normal!
Believing I was on the road to recovery and that my bone were not broken I started to push my luck...
Fruiting about in the mirror after showering this morning having a bit of a poke, a prod and a stretch I heard a loud 'snap' and felt an insane amount of pain having basically snapped my collar bone there and then! Muppet!
A trip back to A&E confirmed the worst, my collar bone must have had a crack in it and I finished it off today! (I've seen the x-rays from Monday, there's no visible fractures - it must off been a hair-line or well hidden!)
Out of action and off the bike for at least six weeks I guess?! Gutted!
So pissed off at myself, six months of training gone to waste without a race and all for a moments distraction!
I'm really struggling to get comfortable tonight and fully paranoid about doing more damage, what are the top tips from the peeps who have been through this? And is there a light at the end of the tunnel?! - what's your healing time been like? (be gentle please!)
Edited by Banana Boy on Monday 9th April 20:32
Make sure it's in the right place as it heals. I broke a collarbone when I was in my teens; the broken bit had moved out of position but I was advised my the hospital that there was no point resetting it, as it would sort itself out. It didn't, and twenty years later, I still get grief from it.
Thanks for the replies, my biggest fear is disjointed setting and potentially poor strength in the future!
The noise it made and the screaming pain I experienced yesterday will haunt me for the rest of my life and is currently motivating me to keep it as still as possible!
Sadly I think any further treatment from today's NHS will be beyond minimal!
I was told yesterday by an orthopedic surgeon that they won't touch it and that my fracture clinic appointment will be to monitor it... the last thng I want is to drag this out with late decisions on surgery!
The noise it made and the screaming pain I experienced yesterday will haunt me for the rest of my life and is currently motivating me to keep it as still as possible!
Sadly I think any further treatment from today's NHS will be beyond minimal!
I was told yesterday by an orthopedic surgeon that they won't touch it and that my fracture clinic appointment will be to monitor it... the last thng I want is to drag this out with late decisions on surgery!
When I did mine I was at home for 2 days before I got bored so went camping in the woods for a few days then back to work as a builder and biking after 2 weeks.
Don't do as I did, I get numbness in my left hand and my fingers are weak. I'm pretty sure this is down to the collar bone. I also have a lovely 1.5" bump where the joint is so in fairness it may be down to the shape of the thing rather than the lack of resting.
Don't do as I did, I get numbness in my left hand and my fingers are weak. I'm pretty sure this is down to the collar bone. I also have a lovely 1.5" bump where the joint is so in fairness it may be down to the shape of the thing rather than the lack of resting.
inabox said:
When I did mine I was at home for 2 days before I got bored so went camping in the woods for a few days then back to work as a builder and biking after 2 weeks.
Don't do as I did, I get numbness in my left hand and my fingers are weak. I'm pretty sure this is down to the collar bone. I also have a lovely 1.5" bump where the joint is so it may be down to that rather than the lack of resting.
OMG I won't be doing that!!!Don't do as I did, I get numbness in my left hand and my fingers are weak. I'm pretty sure this is down to the collar bone. I also have a lovely 1.5" bump where the joint is so it may be down to that rather than the lack of resting.
Luckily I had already booked next week off work which is a desk job as well. Plus my wife is a nurse so she is being pretty insistant on me resting!
To be fair, the pain has mostly subsided (when still...) and the step in the break has reduced a fair amount but is still there.
Banana Boy said:
The noise it made and the screaming pain I experienced yesterday will haunt me for the rest of my life and is currently motivating me to keep it as still as possible!
I was 3 when I did mine the first time. Well, my older brother did mine by rugby tackling me to the ground. I remember every second like it was yesterday. I was in so much pain but thought I was going to get in trouble so ran away and hid in the back garden.The whole idea of not being able to cast it means that you are hoping two independent swinging pieces are going to somehow get back together perfectly. Mine didn’t.
3 years later it broke again at school. This time a lot less pain. I told my teacher what had happened and told her to call my father so we could get it fixed. All calm with no tears. I think in the 80’s the Test for broken bones was if the joint moves it’s not broken. Bizarre She decided to test the movement by raising it fully. That brought back the pain of the first break. I told her if she did that again I would kick her. She did it again...... I kicked her the hardest I possibly could. My father arrived at that moment and asked what the F she was doing.
Second break did heal correctly and I have no issues with it today. That may be luck or maybe helped by it being my non-dominant left side so I was able to let it rest.
h0b0 said:
...
Second break did heal correctly and I have no issues with it today. That may be luck or maybe helped by it being my non-dominant left side so I was able to let it rest.
My god the treatment by your teacher sounds horrific!Second break did heal correctly and I have no issues with it today. That may be luck or maybe helped by it being my non-dominant left side so I was able to let it rest.
Luckily this is my left side, I'm left handed... which will be fun.
I'm going with the super-paranoid-keep-it-still-at-all-costs approach at the moment. Which is bloody frustrating for someone who rarely sits (other than work, but I'm busy then), let alone sits still!
When it moves it sends a shiver down my whole body and when I'm moving about the house with my right hand over it I can feel it 'flexing'... bluergh! It's freaky as f
k! 
How old you are will have a bearing on how quickly it heals.
I badly broke mine in my mid 20's - into 4 pieces, due to a high impact. I had my arm in a sling for around 3 weeks from memory and just took everything nice and slow... very easy for me as I am not a fitness person.
Never had a problem with it since. Even to the extent of dislocating my shoulder on the same side a couple of years ago - collar bone stayed where it should be.
Just take it easy.
I badly broke mine in my mid 20's - into 4 pieces, due to a high impact. I had my arm in a sling for around 3 weeks from memory and just took everything nice and slow... very easy for me as I am not a fitness person.
Never had a problem with it since. Even to the extent of dislocating my shoulder on the same side a couple of years ago - collar bone stayed where it should be.
Just take it easy.
Go and see the bone doctor.
https://www.physioclinic.net/
Sod the NHS, he'll have you back on the bike soonest.
https://www.physioclinic.net/
Sod the NHS, he'll have you back on the bike soonest.
Try an ultrasound device. They can be bought cheaply on eBay apparently. My wife is a doctor and when our dog broke his leg, we borrowed one from another NHS consultant who’d used it to speed the healing on his broken collar bone.
Allegedly the reason you can buy them cheaply is that they are commonly used in the US and paid for by insurance. Once the bone is healed, you can flog it.
Exogen is one brand.
Allegedly the reason you can buy them cheaply is that they are commonly used in the US and paid for by insurance. Once the bone is healed, you can flog it.
Exogen is one brand.
Edited by AstonZagato on Saturday 31st March 17:38
I received contrary advice to some of what is being mentioned here. Snapped my collar bone into 3 bits 14 months ago while mountain biking. They wanted to avoid surgery and plating it at all costs even though it looked more like a “z” than an “I” if you get what I mean. Surgery brings risks of loss of feeling across that side if your chest plus there’s some pretty important artery’s in that area, from what I was told. I had regular X-rays to ensure the bone was knitting together properly and I did take it pretty easy to be honest. After 4months i could do my normal local rides and after 6 months I was able to go on a weeks mountain bike in Italy, riding every day without issue. It’s now totally fine and I have no issues apart from a weird looking bone. I’m 40 years old so still kinda young which helps.
I'm still 'only' 36 ('only' 37 tomorrow! - I say 'only' as a little joke when people talk about getting old...)
Glad to see a mention of physio - luckily my wife's a nurse at a private surgical hospital that does loads with joints etc. so my pain management is well sorted!
I had been thinking about physio in a few weeks, trying not to get ahead of myself though!
Glad to see a mention of physio - luckily my wife's a nurse at a private surgical hospital that does loads with joints etc. so my pain management is well sorted!
I had been thinking about physio in a few weeks, trying not to get ahead of myself though!
Cblair246 said:
I received contrary advice to some of what is being mentioned here. Snapped my collar bone into 3 bits 14 months ago while mountain biking. They wanted to avoid surgery and plating it at all costs even though it looked more like a “z” than an “I” if you get what I mean. Surgery brings risks of loss of feeling across that side if your chest plus there’s some pretty important artery’s in that area, from what I was told. I had regular X-rays to ensure the bone was knitting together properly and I did take it pretty easy to be honest. After 4months i could do my normal local rides and after 6 months I was able to go on a weeks mountain bike in Italy, riding every day without issue. It’s now totally fine and I have no issues apart from a weird looking bone. I’m 40 years old so still kinda young which helps.
Although the timescale is longer than I want, I like this post and find it quite reassuring. Thank you! Broke mine at the end of November, bloody hurt, although I've had far (FAR) worse days! I was back on the TT after around 3-4 weeks and I'm riding outdoors absolutely fine now. Still gives me a little jip at work (chiropractor....not an ideal profession if your shoulder isn't great!) but on the whole it's not too bad.
Edited by E65Ross on Saturday 31st March 19:15
Banana Boy said:
Cblair246 said:
I received contrary advice to some of what is being mentioned here. Snapped my collar bone into 3 bits 14 months ago while mountain biking. They wanted to avoid surgery and plating it at all costs even though it looked more like a “z” than an “I” if you get what I mean. Surgery brings risks of loss of feeling across that side if your chest plus there’s some pretty important artery’s in that area, from what I was told. I had regular X-rays to ensure the bone was knitting together properly and I did take it pretty easy to be honest. After 4months i could do my normal local rides and after 6 months I was able to go on a weeks mountain bike in Italy, riding every day without issue. It’s now totally fine and I have no issues apart from a weird looking bone. I’m 40 years old so still kinda young which helps.
Although the timescale is longer than I want, I like this post and find it quite reassuring. Thank you! All the best and hope it heals is double time.
I did mine playing rugby when 14 - I feel your pain brother. I have endured a long list of breaks as I appear to be made of biscuit and this was the most painful.
I had a 'figure of 8' bandage straightening it all out for around 5 weeks - a right laugh!
Sleeping in the reclining arm chair was the only way I could get any sleep. Much less chance of tossing or turning onto it than in bed.
I had a 'figure of 8' bandage straightening it all out for around 5 weeks - a right laugh!
Sleeping in the reclining arm chair was the only way I could get any sleep. Much less chance of tossing or turning onto it than in bed.
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