Fitness Buddy 1,209 Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Have a broken collarbone after bike accident last sunday. Would like to know what you did training wise, was surgery required aand any other information. Link to post Share on other sites
FatPom 5,413 Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Yeah, smashed mine into 3 pieces in April 09 (along with some busted ribs and a knackered lung). I had some problems, mainly because the Drs thought it might fuse, but after 6 wks it hadn't, so they plated and screwed it (6 screws). Biggest issue I had was being given dud advice in hospital and was advised to keep my arm still. This resulted in frozen shoulder and took a lot of physio to get sorted, and a few mths. My return to cycling was hampered by my ribs and hip not healing well. Had it been just the collarbone I probably would have made better progress. Swimming was good for recovery (after a while) and the resistance physio bands were great, coupled with the prescribed exercises. Been 3yrs now, generally ok, but has really been giving me gip for a few mths, especially when sleeping. Saw a specialist just over a year ago who said the plate didn't need to come out at that point, but I'm pretty sure it does at the end of this year as I can't sleep on my right hand side without pain. I've had enough surgery for a while though, so it's a job for Xmas time. My shoulder area, particularly the side of my upper bicep is still quite numb and I've given up hope of full feeling returnin. I can't get my right arm as far up my back as my left, by some margin, but generally can do all the regular things ok again now. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites
Mjainoz 1,039 Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Broke mine 25+ years ago. wasn't set, still having issues now due to shorter clavicle, rotated shoulder etc Re bike.. great time to love your trainer. Sit on bike on trainer, support arm in a sling suspended from ceiling ie ropes . ride. Link to post Share on other sites
rod2day86 67 Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Pretty much did nothing medical wise Training was wind trainer after a couple of weeks Could swim after abot two weeks swim not swim train but left it alone has it wasn't fusing properly Let it heal Push ups when you can then go frm there Check with doctor and you'll know what you can do No rush Link to post Share on other sites
hanging lake 119 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Broke mine when living in Darwin a few years back. Within two days i started walking in the pool and quickly progressed to paddling slowly on my back with fins on (broken wing held across chest as you would with sling on). Found i could do this comfortably and graduated into lots of laps of backstroke kick with and without fins. As wing improved started one arm F/S laps. By that time could put togther a good solid session of mixed kick/drills.I was doing 15km a week of this stuff and managed to stay reasonably fit. Heaps of walking. By week 4 took on a 5k run race. Most of the pain was in my lungs. Felt shocking. Arm ached a bit that night but settled. Returning to the bike mostly a confidence thing. Good luck Link to post Share on other sites
chris 125 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Wife busted hers last year, 5 weeks no pin back on bike. Link to post Share on other sites
Fitness Buddy 1,209 Posted April 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 What about running Link to post Share on other sites
The Customer 2,194 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Don't run. Worst thing you could do is trip and make it worse. Just wear a sling. Have a rest for 6 weeks then get back into it. Good time to sit on the wind trainer. Link to post Share on other sites
hanging lake 119 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Don't run. Worst thing you could do is trip and make it worse. Just wear a sling. Have a rest for 6 weeks then get back into it. Good time to sit on the wind trainer. Running is impossible for first few weeks. Even if there is no pain from jarring during the run you will pay later with very achey shoulder. Link to post Share on other sites
miners 71 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Don't run. Worst thing you could do is trip and make it worse. Just wear a sling. Have a rest for 6 weeks then get back into it. Good time to sit on the wind trainer. Don't run. Worst thing you could do is trip and make it worse. Just wear a sling. Have a rest for 6 weeks then get back into it. Good time to sit on the wind trainer. +1 yeah, I did my right clavicle in Sept last year and while I felt OK to run in a couple weeks, I wouldn't dare for risk of tripping (I'd also smashed my left hand - so neither side was safe to fall on). This might not help your circumstances, however I was lucky in getting surgery immediately and had it plated and screwed within 24 hours. Within 2 weeks I almost had full extension, and was OK to swim and surf within 6 weeks. Wind trainer was hard for the first 4-5 weeks as pulling on the hoods still caused pain. Was out riding on the roads again after 7-8 weeks. Still has an ache and light pain on occasion, though it's now at 95% use 6 months later Link to post Share on other sites
Little Bear 10 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 I've broken mine and if I had my time over I'd have it plated... Doctors didn't want to as it wasn't necessary but now it's a bit shorter and gets sore when swimming. Pros and cons for both I guess... I'd plate it and get back in the pool as above. Good luck Link to post Share on other sites
Pete 456 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) This may sound like a [insert politically correct version of expression "old wives tale" here] but there was this stuff I used called comfrey - it's a paste that you rub on the skin over the bone and it is said to dramatically increase recovery of broken bones. I did a bit of digging and there is quite a bit of information around to back up its claims. It is quite a powerful drug derived from some plant or other. If you can get your hand on a small tub of this stuff and rub it into the skin over the broken clavical I reckon it will do you some good. I had some left over and gave it to mate who broke his collarbone and he also believed his recovery was remarkably quick. from wiki One of the country names for comfrey was ‘knitbone’, a reminder of its traditional use in healing bone fractures. Modern science confirms that comfrey can influence the course of bone ailments. And if you think that this is some kind of wimpy herbal remedy with no punch - Scientists and medical doctors agree that the use of Comfrey should be restricted to topical use, and should never be ingested, as it contains dangerous amounts of ]hepatotoxic]pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Use of comfrey can, because of these PAs, lead to veno-occlusive disease (VOD). VOD can in turn lead to failure, and comfrey has been implicated in at least one death. Don't eat it!!! Edited April 14, 2012 by Pete Link to post Share on other sites
hanging lake 119 Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 This may sound like a [insert politically correct version of expression "old wives tale" here] but there was this stuff I used called comfrey - it's a paste that you rub on the skin over the bone and it is said to dramatically increase recovery of broken bones. I did a bit of digging and there is quite a bit of information around to back up its claims. It is quite a powerful drug derived from some plant or other. If you can get your hand on a small tub of this stuff and rub it into the skin over the broken clavical I reckon it will do you some good. I had some left over and gave it to mate who broke his collarbone and he also believed his recovery was remarkably quick. from wiki One of the country names for comfrey was ‘knitbone’, a reminder of its traditional use in healing bone fractures. Modern science confirms that comfrey can influence the course of bone ailments. And if you think that this is some kind of wimpy herbal remedy with no punch - Scientists and medical doctors agree that the use of Comfrey should be restricted to topical use, and should never be ingested, as it contains dangerous amounts of ]hepatotoxic]pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Use of comfrey can, because of these PAs, lead to veno-occlusive disease (VOD). VOD can in turn lead to failure, and comfrey has been implicated in at least one death. Don't eat it!!! Good call. My wife is a qaulified naturopath and swears by the stuff. Yes and she also strongly reccomends against ingesting it Link to post Share on other sites
Fitness Buddy 1,209 Posted April 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Thanks Pete use to use it. Completely forgot about it. Will get some today. Arnica is also great one for various things like swelling etc. Bicarb soda is great for callouses Link to post Share on other sites
TUv5.0 370 Posted April 15, 2012 Report Share Posted April 15, 2012 My thoughts.. Always get an operation to get it fixed. Heals quicker and is stronger. New technique with a screw going down the middle is very very effective. Look at the photos of Cancellaras break the other week after the surgery. Of course that is unless you are a complete doofus and dont have private health insurance. Only other thing I can think of is use the other hand. Its fun and it feels like someone else. Link to post Share on other sites
hanging lake 119 Posted April 15, 2012 Report Share Posted April 15, 2012 My thoughts.. Always get an operation to get it fixed. Heals quicker and is stronger. New technique with a screw going down the middle is very very effective. Look at the photos of Cancellaras break the other week after the surgery. Of course that is unless you are a complete doofus and dont have private health insurance. Only other thing I can think of is use the other hand. Its fun and it feels like someone else. When i broke mine in Darwin, at my first follow up (2 weeks from memory) with the orthopod the registar said to me - "oh yeah, you. The consultant said to me if he had been in the ER when u cam in he would have pinnned & plated it". Suffice to say i felt like punching him in the face. Should i wear a sling doctor? "Oh yeah, do that for a few more weeks". I had self prescribed a sling anyway after i was initially sent home from Darwin Hospital with a packet of panadeine forte and pat on the head. But as they say in the NT. 'If in pain, get on a plane'. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
workinglikeadog 28 Posted April 16, 2012 Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 broken collar bones on 5 different occasions. ( 3 cycling) Fisrt & worse one - 1988 - clean snap in two places. never had surgey- should have maybe on the first. never had any issues - other than last two being close together. went out training sooner than i should and rebroke it. My 2 c worth : after 6 weeks move it as much as you can > more mobility & dont put yourself in a position, if it can be helped where you may coem down on it < 6 mths. youv'e some good advice above - some i agree with others not so much. you probaly have devised your own treatment plan already. but pm me if you have any questions. Link to post Share on other sites
Rocket 6 Posted April 16, 2012 Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 TUv5.0 said "New technique with a screw going down the middle is very very effective." is on the money here. Less invasive than a plate - I broke my right clavicle in January 2005 and was able to do Forster in April 2005 with screw still in place. The only request from the doc was "Please don't crash!" - that would have been ugly. Anyway, screw removed after the race - no problems since. It was also the time that I discovered "Spinervals" - "Hi, I'm coach Troy" - good stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
Fitness Buddy 1,209 Posted April 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 Been to orthopedic today. Operation required for long term benefits. My fracture is a distal third fracture which has also torn ligaments away. The bone needs to binded back together. Link to post Share on other sites
Lurking Dave 0 Posted April 16, 2012 Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 I'm jealous of the positive "racing a few weeks later" experiences. I broke (crushed) my right collar bone during an uncontrolled, hi speed dismount from a mountain bike - resulting impact left two ends of bone with a mush of splinters in between. Waited ten days for surgery (to allow swelling to reduce) then plated across the two ends and the splinters tied to the plate (so they could grow together). The next 8 weeks were VERY slow, certainly no training. After the first couple of months things improved quickly to full (95%) mobility probably 10 months later. This was three years ago. Stil got the plate in. No real issues. Good luck LD Link to post Share on other sites
Pete 456 Posted April 16, 2012 Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 I'm jealous of the positive "racing a few weeks later" experiences. Yes, my clavical was in three separate pieces and i did Ironman Australia on it exactly 6 weeks to the day from accident - with no surgery. Granted, a time of 12:40 is nothing to write home about, but I really was slow anyway - I'm not sure how much of that I can really blame on the collarbone! (and my left shoulder kinda droops lower than my right one now.. ) Link to post Share on other sites
ComfortablyNumb 1,117 Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 On 4/14/2012 at 12:28 PM, The Customer said: Don't run. Worst thing you could do is trip and make it worse. Just wear a sling. Have a rest for 6 weeks then get back into it. Good time to sit on the wind trainer. I suspect this is why my OS does not want me fly-fishing in NZ in 3 weeks even though it is not my casting shoulder I broke - risk of stumbling on uneven ground. On 4/15/2012 at 12:19 PM, TUv5.0 said: My thoughts.. Always get an operation to get it fixed. Heals quicker and is stronger. New technique with a screw going down the middle is very very effective. Look at the photos of Cancellaras break the other week after the surgery. Of course that is unless you are a complete doofus and dont have private health insurance. Have private insurance but thinking of dropping it. It's virtually useless in regional Oz. Got my surgery done publicly within 60hrs as we know the local OS. If i'd left it up to the ER staff there would have been no surgery just a sling, but one look at the xray and I said I wanted to discuss with my OS who said "there's a 80-90% chance it will heal in just a sling but if it was my shoulder I'd be getting it plated to get much better straighter healing". So that's what we did. Just like my knees, you need to educate yourself about medical issues and understand the options or you'll end up with a cheap lazy result. Pain levels much improved today 3 Link to post Share on other sites
KieranR 1,953 Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 1 hour ago, ComfortablyNumb said: Have private insurance but thinking of dropping it. It's virtually useless in regional Oz. Im in the same boat.....Zero benefit to having it here Link to post Share on other sites
Turts 2,977 Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Bludy useful here for specialists and elective surgery. And dental. And extras. Link to post Share on other sites
Turts 2,977 Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 But then we have a local insurer, who basically has their own hospital and specialists up from Melbourne. That helps. Link to post Share on other sites
ComfortablyNumb 1,117 Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 16 hours ago, Turts said: Bludy useful here for specialists and elective surgery. And dental. And extras. We have the extras but when you add up the $354/mth we pay for Private, then the $'s we get back from dental/optical/physio, it's just not worth it. Same for specialists. Elective surgery and choice of surgeon is the only argument - being able to jump the public waiting list - but you'll still usually pay a big gap fee. The local OS has been able to get me and my wife in for elective knee/shoulder surgery in the public system within days of the injury = no cost. Many of the local cyclists say they would never use him and go to the 'top guys' in Sydney or Brisbane, but I believe they are victims of local gossip and have not educated themselves on the options and injury. Any surgery is a lottery and the outcomes can vary. Hell the local OS's wife went to the 'top guy' in Sydney for pretty routine knee surgery and the outcome was bad. I think private medical insurance is in big trouble - at least for regional/remote people. Link to post Share on other sites
Infinit Jase 85 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Broke my collar bone 7 weeks out from Kona 2016 on Tuesday and plate put in on Friday. Got on the Wind Trainer on Monday totally off the pain killers and did that for 2 weeks. Walked some stairs when I could not run. Got the OK to go into the water after 2 weeks and tried to swim but that's not a good idea for a while. My doc gave me the tip to try and do stuff as much as I could. If it hurt the next day, I had gone to hard. 1 Day on the bike and then the next walk, run or swim. 3 weeks till I could ride OK. 4 Weeks till I could run and 5 weeks to start actually swimming a bit. Best of Luck with the recovery. Link to post Share on other sites
AA7 1,830 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 12 minutes ago, Infinit Jase said: Broke my collar bone 7 weeks out from Kona 2016 on Tuesday and plate put in on Friday. Got on the Wind Trainer on Monday totally off the pain killers and did that for 2 weeks. Walked some stairs when I could not run. Got the OK to go into the water after 2 weeks and tried to swim but that's not a good idea for a while. My doc gave me the tip to try and do stuff as much as I could. If it hurt the next day, I had gone to hard. 1 Day on the bike and then the next walk, run or swim. 3 weeks till I could ride OK. 4 Weeks till I could run and 5 weeks to start actually swimming a bit. Best of Luck with the recovery. Did you do Kona? Link to post Share on other sites
ComfortablyNumb 1,117 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 1 minute ago, AA7 said: Did you do Kona? Snap ! Link to post Share on other sites
Infinit Jase 85 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Yeah mate. I was pretty happy to get close to 11hrs. Everyone said that I could not do the race. My shoulder stopped hurting in the swim on the Thursday before the race. So that was bloody lucky. Link to post Share on other sites
Ex-Hasbeen 8,122 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 5 minutes ago, Infinit Jase said: Yeah mate. I was pretty happy to get close to 11hrs. Everyone said that I could not do the race. My shoulder stopped hurting in the swim on the Thursday before the race. So that was bloody lucky. Looks like you can do Kona in a couple months then CN. Link to post Share on other sites
ComfortablyNumb 1,117 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 1 hour ago, Ex-Hasbeen said: Looks like you can do Kona in a couple months then CN. Yeah, just after I witness the 2nd coming of Christ. Link to post Share on other sites
ComfortablyNumb 1,117 Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) Saw the OS today. Ribs are cracked too I just found out. Can start swimming again in 4 weeks, but no weight training for 3mths. Doing little 20min windtrainer sessions a few times/week. But fly-fishing in NZ in 2 weeks looks like it is Thunderbirds Are Go ......as long as I stick to easy-walking lakes. Not allowed to fish rivers for risk of falling over. Edited January 17, 2018 by ComfortablyNumb Link to post Share on other sites
Ex-Hasbeen 8,122 Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 6 minutes ago, ComfortablyNumb said: But fly-fishing in NZ in 2 weeks looks like it is Thunderbirds Are Go ......as long as I stick to easy-walking lakes. Not allowed to fish rivers for risk of falling over. Best news you've heard all week I'll bet. Link to post Share on other sites
ComfortablyNumb 1,117 Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 20 minutes ago, Ex-Hasbeen said: Best news you've heard all week I'll bet. I've been secretly preparing mate (cos the truth is I was always gonna have at least a little fish) studying NZ cicada entomology, and designing some replica's to throw at them. NZ tussock cicadas are half the size of our bush cicadas, so had to do some scaling down. The itinerary has been adjusted to put me closer to some highland lakes. Link to post Share on other sites
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