clavicle surgery

efward · 05-31-2005, 06:06 PM

Anyhone here ever have surgery to repair a broken collarbone?
Feedback?
Would you do it again?
Anything you'd do differently?
Going to see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow.
thx

G-force Junkie · 05-31-2005, 07:52 PM

Yup

For me it wasnt an option, it was so broken up and displaced it would have never healed. For a simple break that goes back into place, just let it heal naturaly. If its still moving around in 4-6 weeks, get it pinned. The surgery is 3 times worse than breaking it, and do this day, 2 years later, it still hurts because the plate is so close to the surface of the skin. I'm eventualy going to have it take out someday. Hit me up if you have any other questions.

Mike

efward · 05-31-2005, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the info.
My x-ray looks similar to yours. One side pointing up. One side pointing down, and a chunk in the middle that was supposed to go between them.
I'll post it if I can figure out how to take a legible picture of it. ;]
Apparently when the bones are that far apart they prefer to do the surgery to get them to line up.
I don't like hearing about the pain from the plate but I've also heard some pretty scary stories about bad breaks left to heal alone and ending up pretty funky looking and very painful or severely limiting motion.

ca249 · 05-31-2005, 08:57 PM

efward, I was right behind you when you went down. As I told you at the track I've broken mine five times, two on one side three on the other. They were spread out from five years old to 45.

I never had surgery, but from what I understand if you do, it will heal super quick. My last one took a week just to start knitting. Until then I could every once in while feel the ends bumping together.

The one when I was five was a "green stick" break, not all the way through. At a checkup a week after going to the doctor, he said it was not setting properly. Two big guys in white coats held me down while the doctor broke it in two with his thumbs. My mother was real pissed and I wasn't too happy either. It took me many years to get the to point that I thought doctors were good people.

Good luck,

Ray

efward · 05-31-2005, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca249

efward, I was right behind you when you went down. As I told you at the track I've broken mine five times, two on one side three on the other. They were spread out from five years old to 45.

I never had surgery, but from what I understand if you do, it will heal super quick. My last one took a week just to start knitting. Until then I could every once in while feel the ends bumping together.

The one when I was five was a "green stick" break, not all the way through. At a checkup a week after going to the doctor, he said it was not setting properly. Two big guys in white coats held me down while the doctor broke it in two with his thumbs. My mother was real pissed and I wasn't too happy either. It took me many years to get the to point that I thought doctors were good people.

Good luck,

Ray

Dude. That is a horrible story! Two big guys in white coats. Jesus.
I've officially decided to not ever go to a doctor ever again. ;]
thx
Nice meeting you by the way. Sorry I never got you and Mike your Hamms Lights. Some other time. :thumbup

Bushido69 · 06-01-2005, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-force Junkie

Yup

For me it wasnt an option, it was so broken up and displaced it would have never healed. For a simple break that goes back into place, just let it heal naturaly. If its still moving around in 4-6 weeks, get it pinned. The surgery is 3 times worse than breaking it, and do this day, 2 years later, it still hurts because the plate is so close to the surface of the skin. I'm eventualy going to have it take out someday. Hit me up if you have any other questions.

Mike

Too true. And if you do need surgery with some form of stabilization, see if it can be done without having too much metal placed into you. Though in a different location, I had pins and fixating wires twisted into my kneecap when it was broken in two. The wire ended up abrading against the the inside of my epidermis and partially poking a hole through my skin (OUCH!!!). It made it very difficult to wear leathers - or bend my knee for that matter! I ended up removing most of the wire and two of the pins about three years after the initial surgery, because it was affecting my riding technique too much. :laughing

efward · 06-01-2005, 06:47 PM

OK.
So the latest orthoedic surgeon seems to think that the break is best left to heal without surgery.
According to this guy, even though it looks bad, like it would never line up enough to heal - it just will somehow.
Very encouraging.
I will consult the percocet and make a decision.

Freakshow999 · 06-01-2005, 06:59 PM

Good luck with this I hope you don't need surgery even if it does take longer to heal up. I had a bad experience with a staff infection nearly a year post op after my 2nd knee surgery.

05-31-2005, 06:06 PM	#1
efward Know It All Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: San Diego Posts: 385 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	clavicle surgery Anyhone here ever have surgery to repair a broken collarbone? Feedback? Would you do it again? Anything you'd do differently? Going to see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. thx __________________ WSMC #619

05-31-2005, 08:03 PM	#3
efward Know It All Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: San Diego Posts: 385 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	Thanks for the info. My x-ray looks similar to yours. One side pointing up. One side pointing down, and a chunk in the middle that was supposed to go between them. I'll post it if I can figure out how to take a legible picture of it. ;] Apparently when the bones are that far apart they prefer to do the surgery to get them to line up. I don't like hearing about the pain from the plate but I've also heard some pretty scary stories about bad breaks left to heal alone and ending up pretty funky looking and very painful or severely limiting motion. __________________ WSMC #619

06-01-2005, 06:47 PM	#7
efward Know It All Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: San Diego Posts: 385 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	OK. So the latest orthoedic surgeon seems to think that the break is best left to heal without surgery. According to this guy, even though it looks bad, like it would never line up enough to heal - it just will somehow. Very encouraging. I will consult the percocet and make a decision. __________________ WSMC #619

06-01-2005, 06:59 PM	#8
Freakshow999 Canyon Carver Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Newport Beach Posts: 571 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	Good luck with this I hope you don't need surgery even if it does take longer to heal up. I had a bad experience with a staff infection nearly a year post op after my 2nd knee surgery. __________________

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05-31-2005, 07:52 PM	#2
G-force Junkie Newbie Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 65 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	Yup For me it wasnt an option, it was so broken up and displaced it would have never healed. For a simple break that goes back into place, just let it heal naturaly. If its still moving around in 4-6 weeks, get it pinned. The surgery is 3 times worse than breaking it, and do this day, 2 years later, it still hurts because the plate is so close to the surface of the skin. I'm eventualy going to have it take out someday. Hit me up if you have any other questions. Mike

05-31-2005, 08:57 PM	#4
ca249 Squid Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Baja Fontana Posts: 116 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	efward, I was right behind you when you went down. As I told you at the track I've broken mine five times, two on one side three on the other. They were spread out from five years old to 45. I never had surgery, but from what I understand if you do, it will heal super quick. My last one took a week just to start knitting. Until then I could every once in while feel the ends bumping together. The one when I was five was a "green stick" break, not all the way through. At a checkup a week after going to the doctor, he said it was not setting properly. Two big guys in white coats held me down while the doctor broke it in two with his thumbs. My mother was real pissed and I wasn't too happy either. It took me many years to get the to point that I thought doctors were good people. Good luck, Ray