Collarbone – Sternum dislocation – Have you had one ? or are you a doctor ?

Long story cut short (ish) you might wanna grab a cuppa before reading on !

8 months ago:
Mrs Adi66 had our 4 yr old son jump on her head / neck causing her to hit her chin on her shoulder.
Lots of pain, and a trip to A&E and we where told she had “whiplash” no treatment was offered only pain killers.

7 Months ago:
Still in pain Mrs Adi66 went to GP and complained of the pain, and mentioned that she had numb fingers sometimes in both hands, and “shooting pain” in her collar bone / lower neck area. GP actually smiled at her and said its still inflamed and sore, but if you’d damaged your collar bone you’d know about it! Course of Naproxen & Codine Phospahte prescribed, and sent on her way.

5 Months ago:
Still in pain Mrs Adi66 returned to GP, and complained about the pain, again mentioning her collar bone. GP suggested a trip to see a specialist at out local hospital.

3 Months ago:
Visits “specialist” and he told her that she had a “frozen Shoulder” joint, and she required a steroid injection to cure it…. and appointment was set for next week (in June this year!!) and some more pain killers given.

Fast forward to last week:

Mrs Adi66 still in lots of pain decided to see a highly recommended local osteopath to get a second opinion… without touching her or asking her symptoms he immediately said, “you’ve dislocated your collar bone from your sternum” I can pop that back in for you…. HOW HAD WE AND THE NHS GP’S AND SPECIALISTS NOT SEEN THE BIG BULGE ON HER CHEST!!

So, Mrs Adi66 lay down and the osteopath manipulated it back into place and hey presto immediate relief after 8 months.

1 week later (last night) it popped out again, Mrs Adi66 is again in agony, so armed with our new found knowledge we went down to A&E to see if they could re set it or offer another fix… A&E didnt know what they where on about, and simply fobbed us of to the fracture clinic tomorrow.

SO after all that here’s the question:

Can anything be done for a dislocation between the clavical (collar bone) and the sternum (breastbone) to either make it stay in place, or ease her pain ?

Or if your a doctor how would you treat it, does the above sound like a decent service from the NHS ?

Cheers,

Adi

Mine popped straight back in following a car crash and seemed to heal okay, repeated dislocation tends to suggest that the only way of it being kept in place is an op -I think but cant confirm that they used to wire them back in place many years ago.

Cheers Sugsey, we have heard of that from the student that initially saw us today.

Its more of the fact that A&E x rayed her, and said its not broken and we don’t know what to do so we’ll book you and appointment at the fracture clinic ?!

I just wanna get her better sooner rather than later… I don’t like seeing my beloved in pain 🙁

I too have had a serniclavicular dislocation, moving a fridge freezer of all things. Lots of physio and a lump later all is well, it did take around 6 months though. No op so it must have popped back in, as Suggsy says it looks like an op is needed.

here’s what it lookes like… its HER RHS thats affected.

I guess its pretty painfull ?

Know it sounds obvious but she is sleeping flat on her back or at least laying on her left side so her bodyweight isnt pushing on it!
I sometimes find with my wonky ribs (playing rugby sprung them all on one side of my sternum so they tend to move about a bit sometimes) that flexing my arms back behind my back helps stuff to wiggle back into place-it may help your misses but do it slowly!!!

Yeah the only way she can sleep is on her back, or LHS side with a V pillow supporting her Right arm.

she’s been told by the Osteopath that if its sore to use her Left hand to GENTLY pull the shoulder forward I.E reach across her chest with her LH and pull the Rh shoulder forward.

… Nothing seems to help.

When you did your’s did your hand go very clammy and have opins and needles ?

Ta Adi

Can be fixed but anterior dislocations usually left. Posterior ones are stabilised as posterior ones can have serious complications.

Surgery carries some small but fairly monumental complications if things go wrong – there’s a whole lot of pulsatile things not far from there….

There is a big nerve runs down that way that will be causing the pain issues and the pins and needles. Unfortunately it probably a case of pain killers till the appoiuntment however if the nerve issue ie pins and needles is getting worse go back to A&E and be insistent using the words’ I cant bear the pain any more please help me’. My mates swear by this saying for speeding things up.

cheers all… 🙂