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  • I broke mine around 3-4 years ago now, and gave up trying to get the plate removed after chasing the NHS for 2 years (Pandemic, so fair enough)

    I no longer have any pain or irritation caused by the plate, which is nice, but should I be concerned about it causing issues in later life?

  • Probably more to do with the fracture and how well you have recovered from it (is your back aligned? are your muscle well balanced around it?), but generally a plate should mean your skeleton is more aligned than a fracture healed without a plate and a possible shorter shoulder.

    My understanding is that the plate can stay there indefinitely if it doesn't bother you. It does have complications should you fall hard on the same shoulder as it stiffens up your collarbone in an unnatural way, therefore making it stronger, meaning you might injure somewhere else, like at the shoulder joint, which is more troublesome or at the edge of the plate.

    I got my first plate in 7y ago, had it removed less than a year later as I was going backpacking for a year and I didn't want it to bother me somewhere remote. I then needed a second plate in (same collarbone) last year and for the moment I am thinking of not removing this one.

    The second one is also more subtle, thinner and less prominent, that depends a bit on your case and what type of reduction they did.

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