Last Thursday to be exact, right under the shoulder joint. I will be getting screws fitted on Friday.
I haven’t had the chance to discuss recovery with the docs yet, but what are the timelines before I can start physio, driving, road riding and then mild off-road stuff?

That’s not funny 🙂

Currently sitting at home missing summer with a broken wrist, recently with added titanium.
Not the first time I’ve been plated, previously my collarbone. My advice would be just take it easy and don’t rush. Don’t focus on what you’re missing, focus on resting and recovery. 100% recovery of your muscles and strength and flexibility/extent of movement for the rest of your life are more important than rushing back right now…

My op was 2 weeks ago and been told 4 weeks to fully fixed bone and then physio and not to expect to be riding for 3 months after physio starts…

Don’t be too shocked about how much muscle you lose and how much strength and flexibility you lose, it comes back with physio. Be very disciplined with your physio, it pays dividends in the future. I paid for a sports physio rather than NHS as I wanted someone who’d understand my desire to get 100% strength and movement back… well worth the ££ IMO.

I would find other sports to do whilst you recover to keep yourself fit and sane. Maybe swimming?

Just be patient and give yourself time to recover…

It’s not all bad, my physio got me doing loads of core strength exercises just to keep me busy and it kind of changed my life, a strong core makes you feel better just day to day and gives you a lot more power and strength on the bike… I wouldn’t have learnt that otherwise

Ouch, I had a commutated fracture high up that they told me they couldn’t pin without making things worse.

Based on my experience you’ll be in a poly sling for 6-8 weeks, you’ll get hydro therapy for 4 weeks (started about 4 or 6 weeks in) then 6-8 weeks physiotherapy. Hydro therapy was ace, it was like getting my arm back 😀 Oh they had me doing light arm exercises after the first week (straightening it by dangling then slight circular motions to stop things seizing up)

I couldn’t (and wasn’t allowed to) even drive for 3 months…

You’ll start gradual then build up.

I’d say 6 months to off road. Depends on how you feel and what you’re happy to ‘chance’. I found it took another six months before I was comfortable (and road riding was worse due to reduced shoulder movement, took a couple of years before I could ride on the drops).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news…

Don’t be too shocked about how much muscle you lose and how much strength and flexibility you lose, it comes back with physio. Be very disciplined with your physio, it pays dividends in the future. I paid for a sports physio rather than NHS as I wanted someone who’d understand my desire to get 100% strength and movement back… well worth the ££ IMO.

I’d agree with this. NHS physios were great at getting you back moving but once you could do that they considered their work done. Do whatever they say, it hurts but it’s doing you good in the longer term.

Ouch, I had a commutated fracture

You mean ‘comminuted’.

Commutate is summink do do with lectric. (alternators or dyanamos/motors mebbe)

Get well soon though!

You mean ‘comminuted’.

Err, that pesky autocorrect….. 😳

Get well soon +1

That’s no laughing matter!

I feel your pain chum
I nearly shattered my shoulder blade last year…….lucky the Dr said it will heal natural and I will regain 95% strength back….4months I was off work/ bikes…..

The pain I can deal with ….the boredom….that’s the killer

Get well soon chum

Snapped my left humerus about 3 years ago falling off whilst (newly) clipped in. Had it plated after a couple of weeks as i couldn’t wait “up to weeks” for it too heal naturally with 3 kids under 6. After the plate was in it took about 3 months of physio to get back on the bike. I feel your pain!

How come mine wasnt plated? Horrible feeling it for the first week or so.

Heel well OP.

His foot is fine. It’s his arm that’s busted.

I’ve committed a spelling traversity. Time for ritual Seppuku.

Is that the thing with the numbers in squares?

Broke mine on October 5th. I know this because it was three weeks after the birth of my second son. I was not popular.

I did nothing for remainder of the year and then was only on the turbo in Jan the following year. Rode the bike on the road second week in Feb but it was another month before I went back on the MTB.

I was told, that if I fell off again before about six months the whole thing would likely fall apart and I would then be seriously screwed. Just not worth the risk.

That was three years ago. It still aches now after about four hours on the bike.

I’ve committed a spelling traversity. Time for ritual Seppuku a new bike

😛

I snapped the top off my humerous just over a year ago in France. There’s a thread about it here.

French surgeons pinned it the next day. I was able to hold stuff almost straight away, although was advised not to. I ensured it was out the sling as much as possible after day 4 and moved it around to avoid stiffness for the first month. Can’t exactly remember when physio started, but I only used the nhs which was pretty good. Possibly helped that the girl was a keen mtb rider. All medical staff were impressed with the speed and extent of my recovery, so your experience might be different. I think the fact that I’d been doing a lot of sustained strength work for the previous 18 months helped me in that respect.

Garmin connect tells me I broke it on 13 July, first road ride was 6th september (although it was quite painful so I cut it short) and first mtb was 26th Oct (although I hadn’t rushed as the weather had been shit). I endured the turbo for a bit prior to either, but that didn’t require much pressure on the shoulder. Helped keep my fitness up but boring as ****.
Skied at Xmas without issue and rode plenty in the new year. Have already done one week in the Alps and am currently on another 2 week trip with no physical problems (only psychological as the crash was at high speed and still struggle with this). I do pull-ups and push-ups every night to keep the surrounding muscle strong.
Good luck, make sure you do what the physio tells you!

Did mine two years ago, wasn’t pinned though – just healed naturally.

Keep up the physio. My frozen shoulder might have been down to not being aggressive enough with the exercises (or might not).

I got a turbo trainer after a week or two, it was a lifesaver. Highly recommended.

Can’t remember about driving and stuff sorry. Took me about 18 months to not notice the difference any more though (including complications from that frozen shoulder)

Healing vibes!

From memory (I might be wrong as it was 12yrs ago). My Physio had me doing pressups after 6weeks which I thought was crackers.

i feel your pain ive broken my houmous as well

Get well soon order a turbo.

Location Far away from you

OP- if you are localish to me you can borrow my turbo trainer if you fancy that route (DONT buy one – they are hideously dull things) – I can drop it off. Manchester/towards WYorks.

Mine wasn’t pinned (as the fancy/expensive doc fella said that they heal much better long term if you can let them do it naturally)

If possible I’d definitely get private health care to sort out physio, my NHS physio was a joke and after the 2nd appointment I switched to private.

The pain from not having it pinned was a real bitch until it started to knit together so you’re lucky in that respect.

I think I was about 3 months until I felt like I could use it, and then another month before I actually put it under any real stress (slamming skateboarding which wasn’t ideal but at least proved it was ok)

Mine wasn’t pinned (as the fancy/expensive doc fella said that they heal much better long term if you can let them do it naturally)

Yes- that reminded me- I landed hard on that arm again a few years back. So hard that the arm went green/blue bruising. Yet it didn’t re-break.

Anyone had that thick pool of blood at the base of the arm (haematoma)

You can borrow my turbo if near Keswick. Much underused…..

I thought ‘commutation’ meant late medieval servile labour becoming paid/day labour. GWS!

Hmmm. Turns out that I broke my shoulder joint in half, ripped off my rotor cuff bone which means at least 3 months until I can drive or get on the bike. With 9 screws now holding me together it seems this is going to take a long time to sort out 😡

I did mine about 11 years ago, playing football. Bloke just went straight through the back of me as I chased on to a ball, my arm was in front of my body as I hit the ground and it took the full force of my body. Stood up straight away knowing something wasn’t right, but wasn’t sure what when another player said “erggghhh look at your arm”.

No surgery for me, surgeon said it wasn’t worth the risk as it’s not guaranteed to work and there was too much that could go wrong. I had a brace made up and spent 3 months with it on and my arm strapped to my body to help support it. The brace at least meant that I could remove it and wash – with great pain.

The bone knitted together, but not straight. The arm has a bend in it – which was visible when there was no muscle. Stupidly as soon as I was given the ok to remove the brace I jumped in the car and drove the 100 miles to see my parents. I soon realised that I wasn’t strong enough to actually lift my arm to move the steering wheel properly. It took a few days to get enough strength to be able to do that safely.

I had no physio and was just left to get on with it. I wasn’t riding my bike much then, so can’t say how long it would be to be strong enough to ride.

Longer term I have had very few issues. I have on occasion banged my arm right where the bone healed (on the bend!) and it does hurt a bit more than a normal knock would.

**** hell!!
That sounds v nasty, v sore and inconvenient.

That’s going to take some serious physio to sort out.
Get on the list now 🙂

Luckily there are quite a few physios around.