Hey all

I broke my collarbone recently, seems to be healing fairly well but the overriding problem is some slight weakness in the ligaments/muscles. I have been looking into whether there are any suitable shoulder braces which may offer support when riding and found this one: http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/2011-evs-sb03-shoulder-brace-p-262.html.

Seems that this brace is more for rotar cuff injuries but thought it still may provide some support. I’ve seen some reviews and they mention that the brace pulls the collarbone down so wouldnt want to be wearing anything which would hinder my healing at this stage.

Anyone got any thoughts or suggestions?

Get professional advice

Yep, I’ve emailed the physio clinic with a link to the brace to see what they think

thats more for dislocation/rotator cuff injuries.

how long ago did you break you collar bone? getting mine pinned tuesday and wondered how long i will need to recover before riding again.

@ianv – I broke it 5 weeks ago tomorrow, opted for natural healing with some laser treatment which has helped the process. The NHS consultant advised me not to return to full mtbing til end of june/early july which will be 12 weeks since the break. hope your treatment/healing goes well.

“hope your treatment/healing goes well” cheers for that. me too, i was heading to the alps in july for the whole summer, this has put a bit of a damper on my plans.

one thing i read about that might be worth a go is a figure of eight brace that goes over each shoulder and crosses behind your back. bit like a rucksac pulling shoulders back. this is sometimes used as an alternative to a sling and should do what you are trying to achieve.

@nsbikescore1 Did you get the laser treatment on the NHS? I did mine 7ish weeks ago and it’s going well, but I’d like to know more about options should it happen again. (This is my 2nd time so far)

@ianv I wondered about the fig of 8 – by my internet research they seem to have fallen out of fashion.

@ianv, thats gutting about the alps…hopefully you’ll be able to go for part of the time at least. I went for laser treatment 10 days after the accident and the physios said that because the bones had already started the process of fixing, a fig 8 brace wouldnt be of any further use and hopefully by now they are well on the way to joining fully anyway so I’m not wearing any form of sling. Its more something to ride in I’m after that will just help the jolting etc.

@Rob, I went here for the laser and magnetic treatment: http://www.physioclinic.net/.

Before the tretament I only had slight movement at the elbow and had been in a sling for ten days, after the treatment, I could move my arm to ninety degrees and did not require the use of a sling. since this time, i’ve slowly been increasing the movement and strength in my arm/shoulder and at the four week stage, the bones had fused enough to allow for me to start putting my arm above my head. The hospital said that I do not need any formal physio which is good.

Theres alot thats said on the web about this treatment and how it significantly reduces the healing time and there are stories of people riding normally again within 2-3 weeks. Personally, 5 weeks on I have not ridden quite yet as I want to be sure its fixed and usually this seems to be around the 8-12 week mark. But in my opinion the laser treatment has avoided the degeneration of the muslces that would have occurred if I had left my arm in a sling for six weeks which is what the hospital recommended.

How close are you to riding rob?

That looks good – will have to try one of those…………

Did mine 8 weeks ago, did my first ‘proper’ sort of ride Thursday night

Hurting like a bitch today, must have slept funny.

Collar bone had no treatment – healing OK – but everything out of line!

But did have broken hand – needed pins and crush type injuries to my wrist

@ gator, out of interest, how long did the hospital advise that you stay off the bike? I know it differs from person to person but I’ve really struggled to know what advice to follow. Ive spoken to my GP, fracture clinic, laser physio and normal physio and all have given slighty varying advice

does anyone else offer this laser stuff. suffolk is miles away from west yorkshire, especially when you cant drive.

@nsbikescore1 That sounds pretty amazing! Shame I didn’t know earlier – ho-hum. I’ll have a good read up on it all later.

I reckon I’m a week away from a bit of tentative road riding – still got green bruises and it’s not that great sticking my arm up straight, but at least my shoulder doesn’t crack anymore! Think it’ll be another 3 weeks before I venture off road due to the necessity to pull on the bars.

3 months – off bike (managed 6 weeks)

6 months for contact sports

Riding is only a contact sport if you fall off 🙄

It was 5 weeks before doctor said he didn’t want to operate !

RE: Medical advice. Everyone keeps telling me to do it as I feel & which is a bit un-nerving, but things like range of movement have come on suprisingly quickly so I’ve been pushing myself to do it til it hurts a bit and then have another go later in the day the same.

It was 5 weeks before doctor said he didn’t want to operate !

That’s pretty normal, they like to see if it can progress on its own before spending the cash/exposing you to the downsides of surgery.

Personally I’d rather have gone under the knife straight away even though I know 1st hand how freaking painful it is when you come round 🙂

This laser stuff sounds magic!

@Ianv – I think there may be a place in conventry that does similar treatment, I seem to remember seeing something when I was doing my research.

@Rob – its difficult to know when to start riding isnt it? I’d be gutted if I damaged it again. I’m hoping to be on a tow path in the next week or so-we are due to go to the lakes on the may bank hol but it may just be the blue route at winlatter for me. i’m back at the fracture clinic on 6.6 and hoping its improved enough to ride normally in wales for a week mid june

I was supposed to have double operations the day I did it

Got prep’d for surgery

Hand was plastic surgeon

Shoulder was Orthopaedic

Somewhere between doctors and me sent to a ward – they lost my notes

5 hours later – told theater was closed

Come back tomorrow

Went back – told hand was too swollen to do, come back in a week!!

Not too impressed 😕

“even though I know 1st hand how freaking painful it is when you come round” ohshit! 😥

so, should i actually be trying to move my arm yet, 10 day old break, or should i be leaving it immobilised?

“That’s pretty normal, they like to see if it can progress on its own before spending the cash/exposing you to the downsides of surgery.

Personally I’d rather have gone under the knife straight away even though I know 1st hand how freaking painful it is when you come round”

I felt that my consultant was really trying to get me to have surgery despite him telling me that there was only a further 5% chance of it healing completely (he said I already had an 80 – 90% chance!). The hospital even rang me the day after seeing the consultant to see if i wanted to have the surgey within 2 days. After having the laser treatment i was so glad i didnt have the surgery.

Just ordered brace

Anything to help or even a confidence booster (knowing that it’s supported)

Alps in July so need to start building strength up

@ gator, youll have to let me know how you get on with the brace. I’m just a bit concerned that it may pull/yank on my collarbone and make it out of place so may wait til I’m at the 6-8 week stage before wearing it. It’ll be good even if all it does do is give confidence cos at least you will be more relaxed then.

personally i dont think the brace will work. i got one last year when i dislocated my shoulder and it does not give a great deal of support.

Yeah – I’ll let you know

Did mine last year, went for both laser and pulse (both in same session) Fitted with figure 8 brace. I arrived wearing a similar neoprene brace and he went berko at me. It does nothing to hold the bones in alignment during the osteoblast phase, in fact more chance of bad alignment / dropped shoulder.

Figure 8 is out of favour with nhs as it costs more than the triangle bandage, and its about the most uncomfortable thing on the planet to wear so the average jo wont wear it.

If ur going surgery then ask for the dual-trak screw not plates.

I was off bike for six weeks, did get on indoor trainer after 3 to keep fitness but rode with arm strapped against side and sat upright. And start doing the motion range excersise as soon as u can (finger walks up wall etc).

Other thing to start using is comfrey cream… age old remedy for broken bones.

Also invested in one of these

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Sixsixone%20661-Sub-Gear-Body-Armour_40906.htm

Like wrestling a horny octopus to get on and off but does help support and protect, there’s a similar more expensive range (body armor I think) but haven’t seen in the flesh.

I bought that Evs brace thinking it looked slightly better than the similair 661 one from Crc, when I got it it was exactly the same as the 661 one I bought for half the price. Bit hot and the strapping system was a bit awkward, you will need some help to get it on and tight.

I also have the subgear vests, pretty good but I cut the sternum padding out.

Hey turnerguy, what do you think to the support that the Evs brace gives and what injury did you wear it for?

Sorry to hear of your injury and get the right advice
But thanks for the brace link I busted my right rotor cuff
again 6 weeks back so will be buying one of these tonight.

Broken collarbone for which I had a hooked plate in for 6 months – came out 5 weeks ago and will start riding next weekend.

It is a bit hot and tight to pita on – the direction that the Velcro straps go isn’t always the best. I got the 661 for about 20 quid but don’t wear it much – it was for when my muscles were hosed after the first operation.

That laser/magnet is something I had no mention of when I did mine last year, maybe I should have gone BUPA rather than NHS. One thing I would say is it sounded to me from the docs that the worst thing you can do is overdo it and stop union from happening or reseperate the break as you’ll end up heading down a complicated route of surgery.

I didn’t have any option of riding a bike soon after anyway as I was on crutches and generally immobile from other injuries for over a month, but I also didn’t get physio in time and ended up with a frozen shoulder, which took about 6 months to get my arm going above my shoulder, very sucky. For some reason the doctor told my physio not to start anything on my shoulder for about 6-7 weeks which was a mistake.

So I guess its a balance of keeping it moving but not overdoing it at first.

I had a hooked plate fitted – arm was a bit of a mess afterwards musclewise, but after 2 weeks I was walking 50 mins to work and swinging my arm as I walked whilst trying to keep the shoulders level.

That must have helped as my movement increased quickly and I have full movement now (like nothing happened) and I haven’t had any physio other than the initial advise to rotate the arm around whilst hanging vertical.