Clavicle Error - Broken Collarbone

Heal up fast Josh (and to Stelle too who I see has done the same thing) x

Oooof! another one, unlucky, heal up soon!

Josh! Shit man! Sorry to hear that yourve broken your collar bone!
Ive broken it already kris (for your information!) and it will take about 6-8 weeks.
I found the 1st week the worst as you cant do anything, I couldnt even lie down so ended up sitting in a single couch and slept sitting up. (i was 13/14 so i could still).

:(

sorry to hear that dude.

ouch! heal up soon.

oh Josh.
Heal up big man.
I'll go touring without you in memory.

ouch josh, heal soon dude.

Clean break with no pinnnig, you might be lucky and riding in 4 weeks (although I'd still be careful). Smashed up and it could take a couple of months before you feel comfortable with it.

Don't take drugs - the pain isn't that bad, things like ibuprofen for example slow down the bone healing process.

Drink milk - I don't know if this helps but extra calcium can't hurt and it's nice. If you're a weirdo, extra calcium in pill form

I never got a conclusive answer as to using the butterfly vs. sling vs. nothing - I ended up using a sling in public to stop people bumping into me and no sling at home, except for the first few days.

ha, what kinda idiot breaks his collar bone?

tough break.

This is my second break. First one splintered but remained, for the most part, attached. Had a figure 8 brace and all returned to normal eventually.

This time it's a clean break and the bone is floating somewhere just north of my lungs. I won't be able to see the fracture clinic for at least two more weeks (!). Did you get an appointment right away, Josh?

Oh fuuuuuuck.

Bad luck Josh (nice thread title though!).

I hope you heal well. And for that matter, the other clavicle assistants from the forum.

It's a fucker. There's some really good advice up there^! Rest like fuck, Make lots of noise about getting physio - INSIST! (I didn't and I really regret it, I click like fuck when I swim and still can't really sleep on my left, seven years on).

And the thing about drugs ... hippy's right. Pain is there for a reason! Brufen (neurofen) stops swelling, and swelling=healing. Kick the painkillers as soon as you're able. And ditto on the sling, just use it to stop people smashing into you on the ... tube ... (, oh the fucking shittiest thing is having to get transport). Otherwise remember that very gentle movement is good for it, once the initial ball of swelling has developed, tempered by the pain to tell you how much you can move it.

Same goes to you, Mark, and Stelle and the other one! Good luck.

And one more thing ...

Actually, same question for you, Stelle - how long before you got into the fracture clinic? I don't want two weeks of healing only to find out the bone's not returning to it's proper location and they'll need to do surgery. Even in the hospital I only saw nurses (Scotland, bah!), and my GP's no bone doctor.

Mark I had fracture clinic every fortnight, but the first one was early on. You not been yet? Royal London? Maybe just try to get seen asap, set your mind at rest.

The stuff about ibuprofen delaying healing is apparently not true. did some reading about it when I got back to London. There have been reports saying both, but the most recent claim pain killers do not delay the healing process. What does: cigarettes (I'm off them), booze (hmmm), and coffee (although coffee delays only the initial healing time, but not the overall healing time).

Broken collarbone ride?

shit man, i can't believe you rode into a mtb, whats wrong with people now adays, i remember when just hitting a ped was enough

8 weeks sounds about right, the Drs should give you a date to come back for physio to check the range of movement before you go into more physical exercise.. then its swimming.

Buddha - you'd be up for this ride.. no?

Yeah, broken collar bone ride! Uber-slow pace and moustache bars obligatory...

Josh, sorry to hear about your accident, hope you're not in too much pain. I broke my right collar bone almost exactly a month ago, hurt like hell. I'm still in a sling but should be out of it within one to two weeks. Where the break is on the bone can determine healing time - my break was at the distal end (near the shoulder) which makes healing difficult and it was 50/50 whether I needed an op to pin the pieces of bone. Looks like its knitting together now so I'm glad I waited it out a bit.
I'm about to start physio to get range of motion and strength back.

Rest up, take calcium supplements and hit the painkillers if you need them (I did for the first week or so then found the discomfort bearable). Most important thing is to rest, stay in the sling and promote bone healing. Totally sucks not being able to enjoy the nice weather on a bike, I think the minimum time really before getting back on a bike is 6 weeks (thats what I think it will be with me).

Oh and not sure what your experience at the hospital was like but when I've been to the fracture clinic for check-ups the doctor has had very little time (collar bones are not huge priorities for them), so don't be afraid to hold them up with questions etc. If you can go private do it, its worth seeing a specialist who will actually take some time and lay out the situation and options properly.

HealTFU

The stuff about ibuprofen delaying healing is apparently not true. did some reading about it when I got back to London. There have been reports saying both, but the most recent claim pain killers do not delay the healing process. What does: cigarettes (I'm off them), booze (hmmm), and coffee (although coffee delays only the initial healing time, but not the overall healing time).

Well, I did mine some years ago and what I read indicated that they could be bad. Since the pain from a collarbone break is fuck all.. what's the point of potentially delaying the healing because you're a bit of a blouse with the hurties?

I don't think I was drinking at the time anyway (can you believe it!?) and didn't smoke. Caffeine apparently leeches calcium from your bones/body or something so I ditched that for a while.

I'm going touring in six and a half weeks time come what may. FUCK'S SAKE.

This guy is buying me new shorts, fact.

If you can go private do it, its worth seeing a specialist who will actually take some time and lay out the situation and options properly.

I'll be doing this. Luckily, I can get private through my Dad. They were dead nice and helpful in A&E, but they didn't have much time. I left feeling a bit clueless, so I'll be making an appointment to see a proper 'Bone Doctor'.

Rest that shit Josh, and heal quickly!

What bike were you on?

@horatio
True that the evidence is conflicting, I had gathered that. But Hippy's point below is salient - why risk it? Also ... pain IS THERE FOR A REASON. It's to tell you when such and such is OK (no pain experienced) and when another action is NOT OK in the healing process (pain experienced). That's what I see pain as being for. If you numb the pain, how can your body know what is or isn't a good thing to do for your healing? When you move you're constantly on the borderline of pain. Big Pain means 'stop that'.

My mum's a physio. She told me to take no painkillers asap. I trust her.

Well, I did mine some years ago and what I read indicated that they could be bad. Since the pain from a collarbone break is fuck all.. what's the point of potentially delaying the healing because you're a bit of a blouse with the hurties?

I don't think I was drinking at the time anyway (can you believe it!?) and didn't smoke. Caffeine apparently leeches calcium from your bones/body or something so I ditched that for a while.

+1 to Skully. Pain lets you know your current range of movement and you can judge your healing progress from it.

Thanks for the kind words. you lot are blimmin' great.

Question: They haven't put the bone in place and back together yet, should they have? Will the bone naturally try to align?

Skully et al, I'll be dropping the painkillers ASAP for all the reasons you and others have stated. I took some to help me get out of bed this morning and I'll see how it goes.

Fuck mate.. I am really sorry to hear about this

What bike were you on?

White Diamant track bike. Had it been the Mercian I'd have destroyed the offender directly in the cunt (with my good arm).