crtreedude 

Nope, it wasn't crashing on my MTB that did it, but on my motorcycle... soon to be sold motorcycle at that. Not going through THAT again.

That awful feeling when you know you have lost it, and it is going to hurt, to waking up, with a bunch of people telling you "don't move!". All damage was confined to the left side, but the left side was pretty trashed. Broken collar bone, LOTS AND LOTS OF BRUISING (like bruised ribs, shoulder, hip, leg, you get the idea) - deep gash above the knee, (3 internal stitches, 6 external)

It has been two weeks and I am now, finally, starting to move around with some mobility. The first few days having to have someone help me pee in bed wasn't exactly fun...

Okay, enough of that, just to give an idea of the severity, but has anyone else broke their collar bone at our age (57) - clean break in the middle - and can give me a realistic idea how long before I can start getting out of the dang sling!!!?

Thanks all

bulldog1935

there's a current topic, I'm 8 weeks out and mostly back to normal including cycling - I was out of the sling in one week, and my doctors told me to use the injured arm for anything it would let me
https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus...-whammy-2.html


https://www.verywell.com/clavicle-fr...rcises-3120755

JanMM

Further proof that motorcycling is dangerous......as is bicycling and life in general.
No firsthand experience with fractured clavicle. Good luck.

crtreedude 

I have a saying, "I would prefer to die while living, than be dead while I am alive."

But I didn't say anything about seriously injured. Sheesh, if you want to kill me, just get it over with quick!

crtreedude 

By the way, I suspect you all will think this is funny. I was a bit concerned on how much extra work my wife was having to do to take care of me, even to suggesting we get a nurse for the first few days (I was sent home immediately from the hospital, and was in a lot of pain due to them under-prescribing pain meds - I live in the land of small people). She informed me that her work load (and our housekeeper's) had actually gone done, since I wasn't on my feet making a mess of the whole house... and tracking mud in the house, etc, etc.

Sigh...

fietsbob

Cracked Femur, Partial Body cast, when the Bathroom is downstairs, is even less fun..

Bed pan , chamber pot..

FBinNY 

While I've never been so blessed, broken collar bones are among thr most common bike injuries. Many here have posted about it, and it seems that one of the larger variables is whether there's a plate or not, and if so, exactly where it is.

The bone heals OK with a speed depending on you age, but the plate can remain as a serious source of irritation (pain?). I know of a few people who ended up getting a second surgery to remove the plate when the irritation persisted.

Best wishes for a fairly quick, and complete recovery.

Rick@OCRR

I've broken my clavicle 5 times; three left, two right side. Last one was May 14th of this year on a mountain bike ride. Six weeks later I was back on my (road) bike.

No worries. Crashes happen but thankfully most are not too serious and recovery is relatively quick.

Rick / OCRR

crtreedude 

Have you considered changing your user name to Crash Test Dummy, or Reckless Rick?

icyclist 

I broke my collarbone in November of 2011. I was 63. As my dr. put it, "If the ends are anywhere near the same zip code, they'll heal quickly on their own."

He was right. You'll be back in business in a few weeks. It's going to hurt to move your shoulder. I suggest you move it to keep it mobile.

wphamilton

"a realistic idea how long before I can start getting out of the dang sling!!!?"

Mine was broken last spring, age 56. The doctor said that the sling was optional, but mine never did heal (until open reduction surgery) so I'd guess take that with a grain of salt.

But, in theory, a soft callus grows between the ends beginning in 3 or 4 days for a few weeks. It isn't very strong so movement and stress needs to be limited so that we don't tear it apart, but the clavicle bones don't necessarily need to be completely immobilized. Ask your doctor; he'll probably say "use the sling" but if you press him he might say that after a week or two if you're careful you don't have to keep it on. If you really pin them down it's more about keeping you from using the arm and about keeping the pain level down.

79pmooney

I haven't done the formal research, just the hands-on kind. (One left shoulder behind Rick - for the time being I am symmetrical.) My research says that wphamilton nailed it. You can probably ride in less than three weeks. No minor crashes, hard stops or bad bumps - no problem. One of any of those and a whole lot of pain and maybe bigger issues. I limit myself to the trainer until it feels strong and I can ride with confidence. Last time, I was on the trainer in 10 days. On the road 2 weeks later. This happened early June. I had a weekend ride I was paid up do mid July. Being summer, limiting myself to good roads and near ideal conditions was easy. And having three broken ribs means I had a very strong incentive to not do anything stupid. Re-injuring (or even just bumping) broken ribs hurts! At pain levels you will remember for a long time. And since I recently saw them, my memory was fresh.

Keep your head on straight. Ride smart when your gut says it's time.

Ben

revchuck 

I've broken my right clavicle twice. The first time was in several places and it was plated. The second time was with the plate in, and it just broke in one place and put about a 10 degree bend in the plate; the doc shrugged and told me to take it easy.

While the collarbone will mend by itself, it doesn't follow that it will mend straight. There are good reasons for the plate.

crtreedude 

Great! Very useful information. As of this morning, I replaced the formal sling with a clothe contraption that my wife sewed for me, just to give a little relief when I need it, also as a flag so that people don't slap me on the shoulder....

Everyday I am doing much better, so good to hear, unless I do something stupid, just deal with the amount of pain that is acceptable without being masochistic.

By the way, my total cost for the scrapping me off the gravel, hauling me to the clinic, 9 stitches and stabilizing before a 2 hour ride in an ambulance to the hospital for x-rays, etc was zero dollars. Granted, the health care here is triage , when we got back we noticed my left hand was all bloody, and had to scrub off the scabs to get the grit out of my hand, etc, but I don't mind for zero dollars, I can clean myself up.

A week later, we called the local private doctor who came to our home (about 4 miles away from town on a dirt road) to remove stitches (which I can do but I wanted her review) and to give a basic checkup. She noticed yellow scabs, and informed me they had to go, or it would take a long time for the skin to heal underneath, so she proceeded to melt away the scab, clean it up and prescribed a anti-bacterial spray which reduces scarring (as though at this point I worry about scarring ) I have never had a wound heal so fast - after two weeks, it is almost complete healed up.

Cost for in home visit, 60 dollars.

crtreedude 

Did some research, the spray for my knee contains anabolic steroids - and is not available in the states since it is considered a performance enhancing drug... Well so much for my dream of winning the TDF.

donheff

I broke my clavicle in three places and had a plate and 12 screws installed. I was out of the sling in a couple of weeks and felt like I could ride in about 4 but the doc told me to wait for 8 weeks. I think the extra waiting is because the fresh break would be more susceptible to a fall. I'm currently going through the same thing with a busted hip. After three months I am on an exercycle but the doc recommends I wait a couple of more before getting on the road.

crtreedude 

Makes sense - I am planning on at least 8 weeks before I ride, since there is no pavement near me.

dannwilliams

I am closing in on 4 weeks since my "incident." I am 54. My clavicle was in 3 pieces, 2 breaks, and I was put in a sling. I stopped using the sling after the crunching/grinding stopped, about a week. I now have pretty good use, but not full mobility. I do get pain if I try and lift anything that is too heavy, or certain points in the range of motion will hurt also. Since I broke my hip and had a total hip replacement, I have been pretty limited in what I can do. Been only walking and doing little things around the house so far. Only doing what my pain level allows. Hoping to be well enough to get back to work just after the first of the year. Fingers crossed!

EastOfMidnight

A month or more for me. Painful, no??

crtreedude 

Surprisingly enough, the collarbone hasn't been hurting that I can tell - probably due to so much pain from knee, lots of bruising, bruised ribs, etc.


One time though when it moved when at the hospital it was pretty painful. I guess I am measuring against a severely dislocated shoulder that took 6 hours to get back in once.

bulldog1935

for me the collarbone was mostly annoying, it was the 9 ribs that was painful

BlazingPedals

One guy I know got a recumbent trike for rehabbing himself. Got him out exercising a month earlier.

DiabloScott

2014 I broke my pelvis in a crash in March, and 7 ribs in a crash in October. Lots of people hinting that maybe I should give up riding. But the emergency room doc said "Keep riding your bike, stay off of motorcycles and out of cars." He had the look of someone who's seen some awful trauma.

Anyway - in 2014 I was 55.
After the pelvis fracture it was 5 weeks before I could ride, and 6 weeks before I was doing my normal ride.
After the rib fractures it was 9 weeks.
I think a collar bone would be somewhere in the 4-6 weeks range.

jhglaw

I had a clean break in the middle of the collar bone and a spiral fracture running the full length of the outside half. Lots of doctors from the hospital and medical offices came by to look at the x-rays and examine me. They wanted to know how I did it. I could not explain other than I went over the bars. I was riding again in 3 weeks. I could not do push ups or bench press for a year but could do the rest of my weight workout in 6 weeks. jhglaw

double_stuf

care to enlighten me as to how you think a two-wheeled device (bicycle) with MUCH less visibility, stability, mechanical grip, stopping power, and escape-ability is safer than a motorcycle?

that's fully aside from the associated safety gear. and so on