[Frozenspokes]

I broke my collar bone in a road crash yesterday. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=65153
I was told that it takes between 4 to 6 weeks to heal. Any of you have stories about recovering from this? How long before you wereable to get back on the bike? What types of things did you do to make yourself more comfortable? I am trying to minimize the pain meds as I don't like the way the Percocet makes me feel.

 

[29Colossus]

Just rest and make sure it heals straight. Take the meds if they help with the pain. They allow you to heal better, and faster. Nothing wrong with them unless you are really puking or itching or more uncomfortable with them than without them, but the reasons need to be real and rational. If they are not, then just take the pills.

Don't get back into anything too soon. Some clavicle breaks are serious, and some are pretty simple. Either way you want it to heal correctly because if it doesn't, you will carry it forever.

Good luck. Injury is a real bummer.

 

[skywaybuzz]

800mg. Ibuprofin for pain and reducing inflamation every 4-6 hrs.. The swelling is the killer. Icy Hot seems to help relax the muscles that get tight from compusating for the broke bone. Calcium tablets to aid bone formation. here's a great thread http://www.cyclingforums.com/t-133419-15-1.html

 

[rg32]

Yup over the handlebars and launched into a bolder.
Like myself I’m sure you’re a very active person but you need to look at the big picture on this one and limit your movement until a union is formed and then builds up to the proper heft.
If you so please, I suggest that you get on a diet that is conducive to and consider taking dietary supplements as mentioned for bone growth and repair.
If you are using a figure 8 support, it’s good to have an extra for showering and having a clean one on hand.

Don’t take any chances during the healing process , I semi re-broke mine while uncorking a bottle of champagne.

Good luck!

 

[dslfoolish]

ive broken my clavicle before. 2 years ago while snowboarding. fortunately for me, it wasnt a shatter, it was a simple fracture. unfortunately for me, it was broken in two places, and my clavicle was in 3 pieces as opposed to 2.

4-6 weeks was pretty accurate for me. at about 4 weeks i was able to go around places without the sling and perform basic functions with my left arm, but nothing serious or heavy by any means. i did heal up pretty well and i have near 100% mobility as i did before now.

i do have a significant bump where it broke and its kind of cool and gross to show off now.

as for comfort, im pretty sure youll discover what range of motion you have yourself. showers are kind of annoying (have to take off sling etc.) and putting on SOCKS becomes a pain. getting shirts on, etc. etc. you'll get somewhat used to it after a while.

 

[ridinghi]

I had a severe collar bone break and I was out for 9 months. It sounds like yours is just a "common" break. Listen to your doc and let it heal. For me just getting the range of motion back was one of the hardest things about rehab. Here is what mine looks like after surgery 2 1/2 years ago. I will have to have another one to shave off some bone so it doesn't stick up so much.:madman: Good luck.

 

[brado1]

That Sucks man, feel your pain, been there, done That, the first couple of nights are the roughest! trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep, and staying asleep, now that's a trick i never figured out!

busted mine several years ago and never healed quite right, still a pretty nice gap in mine.... feel it still after a long weekend of singlespeedin' or after a bunch of push-ups... yeah it took a good eight weeks before i was on the trails again, and the first couple of rides were challenging, especially when your brain starts over thinking the ride...i hit everything wrong and crashed a few times hard...took a while to just shut the brain down, and just ride. pick a line and commit.

good luck with your recovery! hang in there. wont be long and you'll be riding again!

 

[ReD_tomato]

my buddy just broke his 4 days ago while mtbking... doctor said it's a 6 month recovery process. :skep:

 

[dr.dirt]

Been there too

Just a lame injury. Takes forever to hear, horrible pain. I broke it a second time 3 weeks into the healing process getting frisky with a girl (she was worth it) and took me like 8 weeks to heal. Btw don't take 800mg of ibuprofen every 4 hours, that's toxic, you could box your kidneys. There is also some animal data that ibuprofen and the like retard bone healing. Prob not a problem for healthy lad such as yourself. That being said ibuprofen prob will get you the best relief, so long as you use it no more frequently than every 6-8 hours. Back off it as soon as you can as well. Tylenol can help a bit and you can take it along with ibuprofen. Be careful thought as percocet is oxycodone with tylenol in it. If you take it while you are taking percocet you'll double dose the tylenol. Percocet will make you goofy, but can be a real help at night to help you get sleep. Ice is your buddy. Surgery reserved for complex breaks. New technologies are looking at minimally invasive surg to accelerate healing, but thats a few years off.
Also the figure 8 bandages really don't do much more than a sling. Most favor a sling these days.

 

[o_rod]

Broke mine on my dirtbike. Took 10 months before the DR let me do anything but walk around. Take your time and don't rush. I did and thats what slowed me down. Be careful when you sleep, try as upright as possible. Important to help with bone healing straight as possible.

 

[imjps]

Looks like you have a case of Clavicitis. Bummer. I had a case of that in Feb '05.

I too didn't like the way the drugs worked on me, so I just just stopped using them all together.

Within the first week, I got a trainer and mounted the road bike on it. I started to do gentle spinning every day.

Week two, I built up my spin endurance. It was boring, but I would put a cd in the player and spin til it ended.

Week three I was tired of the spinning. I took the bike off the trainer and rode gently around the neighborhood. I thought my wife would kill me.


The important thing I did was keep my arm in the sling when I wasn't on the bike. I was religious about it.

I ate lot's of protein smoothies, took my vitamins, and healed up nicely.

I was very lucky in that my recovery was just 2 months instead of the usual three.

Oh, and there is no bump in my shoulder.

Good luck,

jps

 

[Frozenspokes]

Thanks for all the replies. There is some comfort in knowing that many of you have been through the same and even a few came through with little to no lingering effects. I read the cyclingforums link, and that scared me:eekster:
i hope to see the ortho DR by the end of the week.

I will post an update after that.

 

[2wheelsBetter]

After accident, I waited a month before going to the doc.

By then the broken pieces were one inch apart. After three months of physical therapy (PT), I saw a surgeon. He put me on another two months of PT, then scheduled surgery for 3 months later. I faithfully followed the PT's instruction, spent 45 min. per day on the treadmill, and then started riding again, mildly. After the surgeon joined the broken pieces by screwing them together w. a titanium plate, I was off the bike and out of the gym for a month. The biggest pain was the bone marrow withdrawl from my hip. I then slowly started on daily PT again including very, very light weight workouts w. the arms. I also moved and started school the month after surgery, so I was pretty worn out and not healing rapidly. Besides, I was 43, no longer young. So the next semester, I took a reduced course load and began riding my beater bike six blocks to school. Sixteen months after the injury, the surgeon pronounced me healed. I returned to mountain biking three months after that. Slumped computer posture and overhead lifting can still cause pain. Aside from that, I'm doing everything that I was before, other than riding unknown trails in the dark.

So, do your PT, and stick w. Tylenol for pain relief.

 

[gemini2000]

ye same story happend me i wasnt out of sling for 3 months . I stopped pain killers after a few days didnt like what they were doin . There realy is no advice everyone is the same at the start nothin too do but grin and bear the pain i had a pretty big break and for the first few weeks i just sat gritting my teath but trust me although it doesnt seem like it will heal IT WILL and you will be confident with it again . Very important to do physio after i couldnt move my arm when it came out of sling

 

[Xsjado]

I've broken mine 6 times. 4 on the right 2 on the left (twice int the exact same spot and both sides at once). Go buy a figure 8 shoulder harness, trust me you will be able to move so much easier. Just take some painkillers. Warm showers worked wonders for me and just don't stress it until it is completely healed. When I broke mine in Febuary it sucked because it would constantly pop out of position so i had to fix it every 15 minutes, sometimes it didn't hurt at all and sometimes it dropped me to the floor, its a weird bone.

 

[clavicle]

Check out this introduction article on Clavicle:
http://www.articleworld.org/Clavicle

 

[Frozenspokes]

I saw the otho dr this morning. He gave me the option of letting it heal w/ the traditional treatment of putting it in a sling for 6-8 weeks, or surgically "fixing" it with a plate. I am not sure which option I will take. He did not promise me faster recovery with surgery, but did say that he could almost guaruntee that I would have full range of motion afterwards. From the reading I have done on the subject, it looks like about a third of people going the traditional route lose some range of motion, and many suffer lasting pain from mal-aligned unions.

I may go with the surgery, but have not decided yet. mine is a pretty "common" fracture with only about 1 CM between the ends, so the chances of it healing well by itself are not that bad. I have to decide before the end of next week.

 

[dr.dirt]

get it pinned

heal with steel.
if you have the option the pinning is going to get you better reduction (bone alignment) faster recovery and should be same day surgery.

 

[Destroy]

How old are you is one thing?

Broke my left collar bone in my early 20s. Had I known back then what I know now, I think I would have had it plated. My upper body is just not the same as it was. Less strength, aches at night sometimes, range of motion is definitely negatively changed.

If you are young and active, I vote get it plated. If you are in your mid 30s or more, let it heal normal, your prime near over anyway.

 

[Kris]

Pisser. Here's hoping that you heal up good as new.

PS - guess you won't be coming to XC8 2006?