Broke mine in April in an unplanned dismount from my bike – had the op the next day and had a plate put in. Mine was quite severley displaced – very tented, to the point of almost breaking through the skin.
36 hours after the break, I was discharged from the hospital with what felt like complete use of my arm. Able to drive, felt like I would’ve been ok to cycle (didn’t risk it though), it was as if the injury had never happened. So from that point of view, it’s excellent – meant the break had minimal impact on my day to day life.
However, it can now be a little uncomfortable when wearing a rucksack, for example. Rubs on the thin skin over the plate and causes an admittedly small degree of discomfort. However, without having the plate put in, I doubt I’d be wearing a rucksack at all yet!
So if they’re on the fence, I’d personally be pushing for the operation