Displaced collar bone break

My doc recommend just letting it heal vs surgery. I am curious if anyone else went that route and had any impact on their climbing. 

Shattered my right clavicle at 24, it was in 13 pieces (my lucky number) closed manipulation.

No effect on climbing post healing. I do have more forward range of motion on that side as a result of the shortened strut.

I broke my collar bone in Peru many years ago.  Docs there were very helpful and informative, but after I returned to the US, I found the docs here to be utterly unhelpful and not willing to even consider alternatives to just "letting it heal".  
It healed fine, but that shoulder is now 1" narrower than the other.  I had some mild, occasional pain for a couple of years but it never seemed to really affect my climbing.  I am a bit worried about what it might do to the alignment of my shoulder joint, but no obvious problems so far.  I was also worried about what it would do to my ability to carry heavy packs, but I have not had problems there either (outside of the first year or two).
In retrospect, I probably should have insisted on surgery to realign the pieces and maintain the original length of the bone.  If you do not get surgery, I would recommend paying close attention to adjusting whatever sling/contraption they give you in a way that it pulls your shoulder back and out (hard to do) while it heals.  Perhaps a foam block in the armpit combined with strapping your upper arm to the side of your body may be able to produce an outward pull...?
Good luck.

I don't have any personal experience to offer, just want to wish you a speedy recovery! Was this from climbing or skiing?

aikibujin wrote: I don't have any personal experience to offer, just want to wish you a speedy recovery! Was this from climbing or skiing?

Snowboarding. Messing around in keystone's park. 15' right to my shoulder... 

Eric and Lucie wrote: I broke my collar bone in Peru many years ago.  Docs there were very helpful and informative, but after I returned to the US, I found the docs here to be utterly unhelpful and not willing to even consider alternatives to just "letting it heal".  
It healed fine, but that shoulder is now 1" narrower than the other.  I had some mild, occasional pain for a couple of years but it never seemed to really affect my climbing.  I am a bit worried about what it might do to the alignment of my shoulder joint, but no obvious problems so far.  I was also worried about what it would do to my ability to carry heavy packs, but I have not had problems there either (outside of the first year or two).
In retrospect, I probably should have insisted on surgery to realign the pieces and maintain the original length of the bone.  If you do not get surgery, I would recommend paying close attention to adjusting whatever sling/contraption they give you in a way that it pulls your shoulder back and out (hard to do) while it heals.  Perhaps a foam block in the armpit combined with strapping your upper arm to the side of your body may be able to produce an outward pull...?
Good luck.

My main worry is it getting shorter. The way the bones are lined up he doesn't believe I will have any issues with that.

He did say that if it was his collar bone he would not do surgery

I just snapped my collarbone in half boarding little over a week ago - I know all injuries are different, but I went with surgery & wouldn’t have even considered letting it heal on its own. Glad my doc had the same mindset too & said if it were him he’d always choose surgery - definitely an area of the body you want to heal correctly. Surgery should also speeds up that recovery time some. Good luck whichever route you choose!

When I broke my clavicle it was displaced enough that surgery was recommended.  Got a plate and some screws and it healed wonderfully and fast.  Didn’t even need any PT afterwards.  The plate was painful when wearing a backpack for a while but doesn’t bother me anymore.  I have known people who let it heal without surgery and haven’t heard any complaints other then sometimes you’re left with a kind of golf ball like lump where the bones are lapped which I imagine is similar to the pain I had while wearing a backpack for a while.  

Parker Wrozek wrote:

Snowboarding. Messing around in keystone's park. 15' right to my shoulder... 

Damn, well I guess you're lucky in that sense! Didn't know you also do snowboarding, time to take up a safer sport, like... chess.

I forgot to mention that the doc in Peru suggested a surgical procedure that uses a rod they thread inside the length of the bone from a very small incision at the end.  the docs I saw in the US dismissed it, but I think if I could do it again, I would choose that route.  It seems much more logical to me (and much less invasive) than plates and screws.  I think it is called "intramedullary fixation technique ".  Some US docs appear to favor it.

aikibujin wrote:
Damn, well I guess you're lucky in that sense! Didn't know you also do snowboarding, time to take up a safer sport, like... chess.

Or get a snowmobile......

On a side note if you do go the surgery route you'll want to have the screws and plate out after the bone knits.

In case you land on it again later.....

Thanks all, I decided to go get a second opinion this afternoon.  

I broke my right clavicle years ago racing moto, actually shattered it into many small pieces. At the time, my doctor told me the same thing, let it heal. After it "healed" my right shoulder was 1" shorter than my left. I had noticeable bumps from the bone fragments calcifying together, I could not comfortably wear a backpack, it also drastically effected my golf game.
2 years after the accident I went to a shoulder specialist and ended up getting surgery to fix it. Needless to say I now have a metal collar bone and my shoulders are the same length. I can feel the screws under my skin with my fingers, they do not cause any discomfort. I don't plan on taking out any of the hardware. The only issue I have now is loss of feeling where the incision is. If I did it all over again I would do surgery right away, less down time.

Second opinion went well and he thought we should see what it looks like in a few days.  X-ray today was hilarious and I am having surgery on Thursday. 

I broke mine in a pile of thugs in a rugby game 16 years ago. No surgery recommended, but it healed back off-set. Since then I have trouble wearing a backpack for long periods (right collar bone spur rubs) and I *think* the misalignment has caused a gradual, permanent shift in my gait so as to throw off my hip alignment enough to cause hip and back pain...though that may just be chiropractic mumbo jumbo...but then again... So I'd say go with surgery if it is recommended and you have a good feeling about the doc and the procedure. Good luck with recovery. The offset has had no noticeable effect on my climbing.

I fractured my right clavicle and scapula playing rugby. Didn't have surgery and was just in a sling for a while. I had some issues wearing a backpack while traveling and riding a motorcycle (arm in fixed position for hours at a time) about 6 months post injury but I don't have any real issues 2 year later. Make sure to get on a good physical therapy schedule as soon as they'll let you. 

I have broken both of mine, one I had the rod inserted through the middle which was then removed a few months later.  The other was left to heal on it's own.  I was actually quite surprised that the doctor did not suggest surgery as it was in 3 pieces, there is quite a bit of overlap and it sticks out quite a bit.  That being said, it healed very quickly and has had no affect on my ability to use my arm.  Obviously every break is different but find a doctor you trust and listen to them.

Curious as to why the rod that goes through the middle would ever need to be removed? I would have thought plate/screws would be the only scenario where you may want the hardware removed due to the irritation it can cause in certain activities?

The rod I guess was more like a bolt. It went through all of the bigger pieces of bone and then threaded into the last piece. This left the head of the bolt sticking out of the bone and it was quite obvious under the skin. The plan from the beginning was to remove it at some point. I also have a rod in my leg from breaking my femur which will never be removed. I have no idea why the doctors made those choices but they have all worked out for me. 

Interesting. I'm curious to hear what the doc will recommend on my 6 week follow-up here in a few weeks.... I have an uneasy feeling about what the potential ramifications would be from keeping a 4" plate and 8 screws in there if I were to ever fall hard enough to break it again. 

Surgery went really well yesterday. Based on all the movement I could see in my shoulder I am very glad I did it. The doctor was also very glad way made the decision. He said it was way worse and very shattered. Now just to heal on up!