[Closed] Broken Collar Bone Question

Six weeks to get back on the trails for me, and a lot longer to ride with any confidence...

Bad luck, heal fast!

2 operations, just under a year off bike, never had the verve I had before.

Just look at videos of Tyler Hamilton at the TDF after he rode practically the whole tour with a broken collar bone. MTFU get back on the bike and inject loads of EPO! Or as in my case I was back on the bike after a week or so but just one handed.

Simple front wheel washout last October, shoulder reconstruction end of November. Still very limited movement and full of pain.

My mate drunkenly cycled home from an impromptu night out after work and smashed into a bollard. I think he ended up with a huge plate and at least 4 screws.

He got back on his mountain bike after maybe 4 months - he was meant to go back in to have it all taken out but that would give him a further lay off from the bike so they’re still all in a few years later. Looks gross as you can actually see the screw heads under the skin from certain angles and it can rub backpack straps!

That was a particularly bad case where he ended up with floating bone as it snapped in 2 places.

So if you’ve got a single / clean break then you should be back quicker than that.

Is the bike okay

Confinence is definitely not knocked.
Easy trail, not paying attention, always the way.
Just shit that happens.
Where do I get the good drugs?
Bike is fine. Saved it with my face.

Notorious for not knitting together straight away due to the location, so times to heal can vary wildly, if you haven't broken a collarbone you're not a proper mountain biker , now I'll sit back and wait for the easily triggered humourless types to comment.

Ouch. Heal quick mate, might take a while and echo what some others have said about the confidence thing too.
All the best.

easily triggered humourless types to comment.

Are there many of them on here?
I've never noticed.

3 months for me before light road riding. 4 months for mtb. Still feel it when I hit rocky trails now 9 months on, and can't fully extended upwards. Think it's strong enough, but I do worry about going down on it again, but try not to let it hold me back.

3cm overlap, plate with 8 screws, 6 weeks of no driving, 12 weeks off the bike.

You need a proper sling,I got one like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/HEALIFTY-Arm-Sling-Immobilizer-Dislocation/dp/B07F1DWTL6/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=shoulder+sling&qid=1593812124&sr=8-5 from Amazon,back on the bike after 4 weeks (flat paths only) and do the physio properly,I was 59 when I did mine.

I dislocated mine at same time though and think it was the ligament damage that took that time to heal.

Did mine almost a year ago, similar to Iain, front wheel washout on an easy trail, on the final run back to the car park at silly speed and little attention, also dislocated the shoulder and put a hole in my knee to the kneecap that appeared to sever half the nerves in that area!

Was back on the bike after 4 or 5 weeks, doing simple runs and keeping fitness, but no strength in the shoulder to really do off-road, think that started after about 8 weeks, weirdly had an OTB on my first off-road that shook me up, got back up, took a few more goes to get confidence back.

Reality is if you've been sent home with a strap and some codeine then they're hoping it'll knit, just take it easy over the next 4 weeks and get back to the fracture clinic and see what they say.

All the best over the next couple of weeks, horrible feeling not being able to use one arm, i hope it's not the side you wipe with either ;o), buy lots of button up short sleeve shirts as well, and if you have young children remind them not to jump on you, that's the main bits of advice i followed!

Got blown off my bike in January in Norway on black ice, an instant "Christ that's like concrete!"

Back on the turbo in ten days, first outdoor ride in five weeks.Got signed off/discharged two weeks after that and told "take it easy for twelve weeks or so", yeah right! Then ten days later lockdown started.

Dont think there's any shoulder damage.
Think it was broken from a direct impact to it from the stump rather than an upward motion from the elbow.
There's a graze/cut where it hit the stump.
Managed to ride back to the car then drive home.

She'll be right.
Thanks for the kind words though.

That sling as above I do not think will do the job properly as its taking the weight of the arm and you need the weight of the arm to pull the bones into alignment

My preference is for a figure of eight strap that pulls your shoulders back - I believe you get better alignment that way - but note I am a dementia care specialist not a orthopeadic surgeon! simple collar and cuff is the most common sling used in the UK

Evidence base for plating, collar and cuff or figure of eight is not good

Best results may come from a full shoulder spica - I saw one put on an american motorcyclist in russia for a collar bone break ( but yo would have months of rehab)

humourless types

I’ve never broken a collar bone but I did snap the end off my elbow

Did mine in a RR end of march last year. Right at the shoulder joint, close to being an open fracture. Plate, seven screws, back racing in June. I was more worried about muscle and ligament damage etc but none of that. Got full mobility now but struggle to sleep on that side.

Broken three here, well one side once and other side twice. I’m nearly two and half inches narrower across the shoulders now. Find push ups and rolling a kayak hard and can’t sleep on my Rh side. Not saying this for sympathy but to encourage you to get it fixed properly. The U.K. is notorious in Europe for bad collar bone fixes.
As TJ above says, get a figure of eight bandage so that it is set properly. Or ask them to plate it. In the U.K. most docs leave them to knit together overlapped, this brings the shoulder in and can make it out of line, neither flipping helpful if you live a full and active life style.

My son did his on the black at Grizedale. Shattered in 12 pieces. 4 months later riding again. Still hurts him at times 2 years on. But he’s still bloody fast!! Turbo trainer is a good way to recover and gain strength.

I feel your pain! Broke mine into 5 pieces in Sept last year going over the bars at speed on a flat section when a pedal hit something solid - the bike just stopped and I went flying. One of the broken bits of bone punctured my lung and I also broke 4 ribs. The inboard end of the collarbone was floating and tenting (pressing on the skin) so had to have it plated and screwed back together.

Had the op on Sep 25th and was back on the MTB on Jan 4th. I did the physio religiously every day and took calcium supplements to help the plated bits of bone knit back together. Doing the physio properly is the key to speedy recovery, I lost 4 kg in the time I was recovering but have regained that and more. The shoulder will never be 100% but I reckon its at least 95%. I have full range of movement with some minor restriction when doing weighted overhead presses (can't quite get full extension). I don't notice it on the bike though and I hadn't lost as much confidence as I thought when I got back on the bike.

Good luck!

Riding the Bavarian alps in mid Jan. Came steaming out of the woods onto a meadow/grassy opening trying to jump the moguls and hit a patch of ice and lost the bike completely. Slide several meters down the hill until I hit a barbed wire fence.

Pain was immense. Mate gave me a doobie to ease the pain. Rolled down to the train station. Got home, showered. Went to the emergency doc.

X-ray. Bloke said it looked like a torn tendon... 4-6 weeks. Bugger said I. Why said he. I'm self employed said I. Oh, two weeks then, said he.

Five weeks later i was still sleeping on the living room floor as each movement the GF made in bed cause me pain.
Eventually went to the sports doc. MRI scan. Guy asked why I hadn't come straight away. Stupid German health system being closed on Bank Holidays and Sundays said I.

I had missed the window of surgery as the bone had begun to heal again.

Ended up seeing a friend who was a student physio as well as provider of herbal therapy.

I was lucky. Have full use of my shoulder. A little lump, but otherwise good.

3 months downtime.

3 to 4 months, would have been longer if I’d have listened to my consultant...was a bit complicated though as I snapped the end off so the fix was a bit delicate.

All fine now though and don’t get any problems.

Get well soon mate, maybe a few road miles will help in the short term!

Road miles

Broke mine more years ago than I care to remember. Had a plate in in but as the break was towards the outside which has a poor blood supply it’s not healed. So mine’s a permanent break, non-union heal - not in any pain or discomfort and no loss of strength.

Broke mine good Friday 3 years ago (might have been 2). Plated and pinned, infected, infection to the bone, plates and pins removed, re-broke putting t-shirt on in recovery ward.

Was about 3 months before turbo riding and a good 8/9 months before proper trail riding.

Good luck!

Done both of mine - weirdly an almost identical break each side although the recent one was more minor than the first one. Basically chipped the end of the collarbone, it wasn't a break or crack through the middle. Both times caused by falling directly onto the edge of my shoulder.

Didn't need surgery on either of them. First one I was back on the bike doing steady easy gravel miles (disused railway type trails to avoid traffic) within 10 days although it took about 3 weeks to get back to normal feeling.

Second one (more minor) I think I had about 5 days off and was then riding more or less as normal.

It's incredibly variable - same break on different people could be two completely different outcomes.

Clipped a tree the day before lock down. Doc 2 days ago (15weeks) says the bone is now 30% healed, was offered surgery or wait 6 more weeks to see if it heals.
So I have an appointment with the upper limb consultant in 3 weeks time, who I hope will get me on the operating table, but that'll be 18 weeks already.
I got 2 figure of eight bandages, but they were too uncomfortable to wear for 12 hours, let alone 6 weeks, and theyre supposed to be worn from day one. Its also hard to get info etc on them from NHS.
Laser surgery wasnt an option due to COVID

I’ll lend you a bike

I broke mine 24 years ago. My shoulder joint was left unstable and it still bothers me to this day.

In my case, I was still growing when it broke and the collar bone shortened as a result of the break which impacts on the movement of the joint.

I find weight training helps (shoulder and back especially) but I'm limited with the amount of weight I can lift by the instability of the joint.

I went to see a specialist at hospital a few years ago who could only offer rebreaking and plating it but he advised against this as it would limit mobility.

A nice off Haze.
But I think I'll pass on that one.

Got a fair old bruise coming out now.
Also got to go to the fracture clinic in a bit to see what they're going to do with it.
Wish me luck.

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Ouch, for me it was 16 months before I felt confidant enough to get out with the guys. It took me 8 months to gain the courage to get back on my bike.

I think I went down under similar circumstances, over confidant, not paying attention & too fast (for me), I went down so hard that I'd also bruised my hips and couldn't walk for two weeks.

I got to see a consultant after about a couple of weeks (once I could walk), he said that once the swelling had gone down they would appraise it to see if it required surgery or not. I never had the surgery because by the time I actually got to see him again I was up and about with quite a bit of movement in the shoulder. I'd been seeing a physio and was religiously doing the exercises.

Once I was given the go ahead by the consultant I joined a gym to gain some strength and protection.

I will tell you now, don't expect it to be like new once healed. 4 years on and I still have a dull ache in that shoulder. But it doesn't stop me from riding.

You just have to take it easy one step at a time and you'll be right back on the bike.

16 months before I felt confidant enough to get out with the guys.

I just don't really get stuff like this.
I've been either racing and riding off road on motorbikes and pushbikes since the age of five.
I'm now 52 so as you can imagine I've plenty of experience in crashing.
I know exactly what I did and how it went wrong so can't possibly see how it'll affect me in that way.It never has before so I don't see whats different now.
I'll not be hitting that plank at that speed again at a wonky angle when it's wet.
Well until I'm chasing a mate from BITD anyway.

I’m now 52

Same age, came from XC background so not used to crashing too heavily.

In the limited experience I have had crashing and hurting myself the loss of confidence never came from not understanding what went wrong but for me it took ages before I could fully trust my once injured and now fully healed knee to react and respond normally.

I don't know if the same can be translated over to broken bones or not as I have only ever broken a metacarpal and at the time I was not into biking.

Broke it Saturday, sent home by A+E with some Ibuprofen
Fracture clinic Monday, assessed as needing surgery
Operated on Wednesday, plated, screwed and an artificial ligament fitted
On the turbo trainer Sunday
Tentatively on the road (riding the MTB for comfort) another week later
Back racing after ten weeks
Won a race after thirteen weeks

I feel for you.
6-7 weeks,
I was offered a pinned plate by a surgeon who worked with jockeys and had them back on the horse in a week. and I would take that if it happened again. I had work healthcare at that time.
6 weeks of pain was too much for me.
I broke it in '87 when the wheel turned on a rock and the bars stayed straight, thanks bike UK.
I was still riding too far back on the bike timidly until maybe 6 years ago. Training with Chris Ball helped that, plus a shift 5 years back to a proper long XL Geoemtron G1.

Good luck, the time will drag but looking back on it, it'll soon be over.

Just MAKE SURE your sling isn't too tight, get a second opinion
- mine was too tight - the hospital one got dirty and frayed and a pal gave me neat one with an adjustable strap he'd bough in the US. I should have gone back to the doc.
I found out my shoulder was stitting too high from an orthopaedic surgeon I ran into whilst still wearing it at 5 weeks in (too late) and over 30 years later my right shoulder sits high as the bone healed that way.

neilB

It's customary to post up your x-rays so us armchair physicians can offer our expert prognosis (they should let you take photos with your phone).

Mine was a clean break, straight into surgery with no deliberation, 48 hrs to get over the surgery and that was it really, I was on a plane to Spain a few days later. i stayed off the bike for six weeks or more to be sensible and then a couple more months where MTB I was more passenger than pilot as hoofing the bars was painful thru the shoulder.

I broke mine a week ago, my fourth time in total. Went to see these guys yesterday - physioclinic.net for the third time. It's miles from me as I'm Sheffield and they are Ipswich but no one else does the stuff they do. It sounds a little witchcraft but I've no doubt it works and know many others who've been there and say the same. 24 hours after treatment no support needed, no pain and more movement.
Last time I went the consultant commented at how far progressed recovery was when I went back for the 6 week check, much more than they expected. Used by pro moto gp, motocross, moountain bikers etc.
Drop me a pm if you've any questions but I've no doubt it helps and is worth the money and hassle to get there.

steveh.
Just spoken to an ex pro roady I know who was also telling me about someone in Ipswich he went to see.
Sounds promising, I've just emailed them.

Healing vibes OP.

humourless types

This is about a broken collarbone, not humerus.

Give them a call and get down there ASAP!

Ouch. Hope it heals well. Broke mine last summer in the Alps. Had it plated and screwed within 20 hours. I was back on the bike in 20 days but taking it easy obviously as I did not want to jar it and also my ribs hurt like hell. Luckily my shoulder fixed very quickly so I could go on a pre-planned ride across Iceland only 5 weeks after the accident. In hindsight having it plated worked wonders and I am glad it happen in France and not the UK as they would have just left it to heal here. The ribs however were a different matter, they took about 3 months to stop hurting!!

If your taking strong painkillers then don't forget the all-bran in the morning, otherwise you will have a sore arse to match the shoulder.
*concrete shit.

When i broke mine and dislocated my shoulder they were barely wanting to issue me more than paracetamol for painkillers, i keep reading about folk getting the good stuff as well, i could have done with it as i had a hyperactive 3 year old at the time who loved jumping on me!

I wasn't give any painkillers either.
Just been taking ibuprofen.
Not even eating concrete could stop me shitting in a morning.

If you do just one thing make it going to a good sports physio now.

You may get an NHS physio appointment but that will be for N weeks time.

The private physio will give you micro exercises to do now and they are vital.