Broken Clavicle Non Union

Hi , as the title says i have a broken clavicle(collarbone) right side. probably get this one a lot , but i like to think mines a bit different i broke my clavice 1 year and 3 months ago and obliviously its still broke and if your thinking if im in pain im not just get bit of aching now and again and being weak muscle in that area i feel the skin or muscle stretch or something when i lift something a bit quick but other than that pain free and if your just wondering what i do for a living im a postman lol and am 21. so lets get to my question basically i want to know , does anyone think its a good idea to start doing weights? , before i broke it i was regulary doing weights quite heavey at that. the other question i got is should i take surgery or leave if i aint suffering? bit of a long one and bit of a puzzle but thought i should ask the web.

Oops.. sorry to hear about your collarbone. Although it is pretty common… especially amongst MTBers!

If your collarbone is still broken after 1 year, I would suggest you see your doctor – it may be you need surgery to re-break and re-align the bone.

You are a bit late in terms of physio for your shoulder, but I would speak to a physio and see what they recommend.

I’m sure there are plenty of other people on here with collarbone injuries who can give you some more advice.

If it was me I’d be wanting surgery to get the bones to join. I wouldnt be going for some surgery that I heard of recently for non-union of a clavicle – they took the clavicle out completely.

Different bone, but I have a non-union scaphoid fracture in my wrist (it didn’t heal properly after breaking it for a second time, about 10 years ago).

Generally doesn’t bother me though it can feel vulnerable under certain movements (generally fine on the MTB, but aches a bit on the road bike). Consultant told me at the time it would probably be OK in the short to medium term but may need surgery to fuse bones in the longer term if I start to suffer arthritic-type problems with it. Sadly, I’m not getting any younger…

My opinion is, get it sorted now if you can because you may be storing up problems for later.

You need medical opinion. are you sure its nonunion?

Non union after 15months needs surgery.

I’d quite like to help, but to be honest, I really can’t understand much of what you’ve written. 😐
However, your doctor is the best person to talk to about this.

i did break it mtbikng/downhilling hell of a jump it was too shame about the landing lol. yep its defo non union , had ct scans and xrays pretty ugly to look at , tbh the doctors were the ones that left me like this in my opinion it was because i was jobless at the time i broke it , so no need to rush in their eyes. i have had every 3 month check ups , all pointless just say same thing and the risks with having a hip graft for bone filling the gap in the break and infection the lot basically.

i will say it confused the hell out a student doctor , he just couldnt understand why i was not in any pain.

Sounds like you have been offered surgery but not been keen due to minor risk of complications. You need to weigh up the risks against how limited you are. Maybe talk it over again with the orthopod at your next review?

Bone graft harvest site (hip) will be a bit sore for a while.

I had exactly the same and after 6+months i couldn’t stand it any more! I just couldn’t build any strength in the shoulder, I was riding again but the shoulder just felt….. floaty !!! if that makes sense! I couldn’t work properly (mechanic/recovery driver) I couldn’t ride properly and I felt nervy about crashing and doing more damage ? Ohh and I’m 42 🙂
So opted to be cut up and after 3 months all was good, Only down side is I can feel the plates/screws that can get annoying when wearing a camelbak however I do have the option of having the plates removed at a later date if I want to! +cool scars and x-ray pics lol
Tip if they recommend a bone graft as I had look into donor bone as the pain from my hip where they took my bone from was the most painful thing ever and I’ve had my fair share of knocks ect it took me longer to recover from that than anything else !

They don’t need to harvest from you, it’s just custom and practise to do so. When I had mine plated I refused the hip offer and the follow up rib alternative. They used ‘donated bone’; leftovers from hip replacement surgery (someone elses obviously).

Had I not pushed it, I would have had a sore hip as well as a sore shoulder. Not NHS BTW but still needed to push.

If it’s not mended naturally by now it’ll need plating. They don’t do it routinely as it’s cheaper to send you home with a triangular bandage.

I got some pictures of the stitching after the opp if you really want me to put you off lol

Jeez I don’t know how you can do anything with it still being broken! Having mine in 2 bits was a really nasty feeling. I’d push to get it stuck back together.

I broke my mine and its still broke but Im not in pain. Its a common decision not to operate. I have a rather ugly bulge on my shoulder but thats it. No need for a op if you dont want it and sometimes ops make things worse not better. And a bone graft is not very pleasant and involves major surgery.

I had a non union break in my clavicle. I had surgery which didn’t go to plan, no pins or plates were possible so it was wedged with bone graft and I had my arm in a sling for 8 weeks. Happily it is now set but at one point it didn’t look like it had worked. Yes, a bone graft is very not pleasant.
I rode OK with the break but it was painful at times. An MRI scan showed that I had managed to get some muscle in the break.
The Senior Registrar advised me not to have surgery. This is a common thing for rugbyists apparently. You need a medical opinion but don’t be surprised if they tell you that as you’re fine, to leave well alone.

As TJ says seek medical advice asap, I had a severe displaced clavicle, almost compound, I had a plate and hook fitted for 6 months, pretty painful but fine now it’s been removed. Non unions don’t sound good, wouldn’t the bone just die after time? I also had a non union scaphoid which is now grafted and screwed.

Luckily I was covered by a work private health plan,

I have a non-union fracture in my fibula. Its 18 months on now.

I had (and still have – I have an open invitation to return at any point) the option to have a bone graft and plates put in. My opinion, and that of the two consultants I have seen (I went for a second opinion at a private hosp) is that as I can manage OK, its best to leave it alone. Having the surgery may result in success, but may also result in it being worse than it is now, or infections, and definitely a nasty scar.

By the time the hospital had worked out it was a non-union (9 months of monthly X-rays) I had got sick of sitting at home and got on with my biking life. I can’t do fell running any more and there are some movements that are impossible but I can do little runs and as much cycling as I want. So I’m happy. Lucky to be here.

I still love the thought that if I went for an Xray now I would appear to have a totally broken leg!