Hey everyone, i broke my right clavicle from a bicycle fall.
First week the doctor gave me a sling and a figure 8 strap, and that was horrible.
Second week, it seems like there is a distance between 2 ends and was told to wear the strap more diligently.
Third week, the gap is still far, and the doctor suggested surgery... but ive checked on many websites and forums, most of them prefers non-surgical. By now, i was feeling quite comfortable with the strap, and can do basic movement except lifting my arm.



From the xray, it is evident that there is a gap on the top half, and i can feel it when i touch it. But the lower part seems like touching. Is this an absolute indication for surgery??

Was wondering if anyone had a similar experience with me and how they managed it.

You need the 2 broken ends to meet up fairly well to avoid surgery. You're 3rd week in and it doesn't look any closer.

It's unlikely that left alone, it would bridge up all that well. I'd take the doc's advice and go with it.

If you have any doubts about the doctor's opinion, then get a second medical opinion. I wouldn't trust random internet strangers for medical advice.

Agreed. (I know how funny this looks)

Though frankly if I was the OP, and the xray after the 3rd week looks like that, I wouldn't have doubted the doc's opinion at all.

I had a similar fracture after being hit head-on by a car while cycling. I had surgery that same week, a plate with screws, and it healed up great. I did undergo a second surgery a year later to have the plate and screws removed because their position was bothering me when I would put any load on my shoulder with a strap (like a heavy backpack or scuba gear), but a lot of people keep the hardware indefinitely, just depends on how it's located on the bone.

Exactly correct.

In my experience, doctors are glorified auto mechanics. And they have similar ethics. So like auto mechanics, any expensive diagnoses should get a second opinion from an independent potential thief/quack.

Did you not wear your strap diligently?

I've broken both clavicles, one when I was too young to remember, the second when I was a freshman in high school (2001). I had a strap that I wore, probably similar to yours. Yea, it wasn't comfortable, but it worked. I couldn't lift my arm above shoulder height, so I had to wear button up shirts instead of t-shirts. If I remember correctly, it was 4-6 weeks or so for it to fully heal, but I was a kid then. I would expect it to take longer now.

Neither of my breaks healed 100% perfect, I can feel bumps where the bones didn't meet up exactly, but I don't think they're anywhere near as bad as yours. I would definitely listen to the doctor or try to get a second medical opinion. As another poster stated, I wouldn't take medical advice from random strangers on the internet, even those who have broken a clavicle (or two!).

Definitely looks like it's not healing on its own. I'd take the doctor's advice and do the surgery, or get a second opinion.

You've had bad experiences then. If your doctor is acting like a mechanic, you need to find a new doctor.

Of course, my father is a GP, so I'm more than a little biased.

You misunderstand me. I am not saying the doctors act like mechanics, that is what they are only for a different style machine. And yes, in my experience they tend to have the same ethics. I currently have a doctor I trust, but from my very earliest experiences, doctors have been either incompetent or unethical (money oriented)... Fortunately there are exceptions (just like with auto mechanics). Glad to hear that your father is one of those exceptions.

Either way, it is always a good idea to get an independent second opinion on any serious procedure since even the good ones can be wrong and make mistakes.

I broke my right clavicle low-siding my bike on 28 Feb 2013. It was in 3-4 pieces, with 39.2 mm detachment, which I think is the distance between the ends of the bones in the biggest gap.



The orthopedic doctor did talk about the sling option, but said that it was pretty likely that it would leave a big lump if/when it healed, and my range of motion might be limited. I didn't really love the idea of surgery (first in my life), but I went for it.

I had surgery a little more than a week after my crash. The anesthesia sucked, but everything else went smoothly, and I'm in good shape now. Not totally healed yet, but I'm going back monthly for x-rays to make sure it's progressing.

I could go on and on, but I did blog about it a bit if you're interested: https://www.runningchunk.com/categories/8-clavicle

I think you need a couple pins inserted. Bones can't fuse over gaps.

What did you do to piss off your orthopedist to the point where he/she would prescribe a figure-8 splint? From what I've read (albeit on the internet ), they are generally considered ineffective.

When I broke my clavicle in 2007, I was prescribed a sling and Vicodin. My Mayo-trained orthopedist told me that the common consensus was that doing nothing was preferred over immobilization or surgery. Yes, I have a big ol' bump, and yes, it sucked for the first two weeks, but I still have full range of motion, and I'm not stuck carrying around chunks of metal in my bone tissue for the rest of my life.

I agree with others who've suggested seeking a second opinion.

..I'd say that you need to find a new mechanic. One study I saw showed that mortality in the US from cardiac by-passes is a wash - about as many years of life are lost by them as are gained, because any operation is somewhat dangerous and the profit motive for US doctors means that they perform it given the slightest excuse, in cases where the risk still exists but the chance of benefit is low. There is a reason by US health care costs more 2.5 times as much more head as that for French people, but doesn't produce nearly as good a result!

Thanks to everyone's advices, I've got 4 doctors opionions so far and most of them agreed surgery. I had the surgery this Monday and is still in the hospital. The surgery went well, plate and screws, and there were actually multiple minor fractured pieces that weren't clearly identifiable on the xray. (although the Dr did mention this possibility before the surgery, and could also contribute to the non healing.) So that was a good catch with the surgery. Glad that I'm now on the right road of recovery, and not inanymore doubts about my treatment. Thanks again everyone.

Glad it worked out and you heeded the doctor's advice. I broke my collar bone in high school after wrecking my motorcycle. Had to wear a Figure 8 sling for weeks, but it seemed to do the trick. I have a small bump on my collar bone where it broke, but otherwise it's fine.

Dang I was getting ready to suggest Duct tape and Bailing wire! Maybe even some Rubber cement if necessary!

Wow. At least you had the OPTION....

When I broke mine, it was in 6 pieces, and looked from the outside like a miniature Matterhorn; still, the VA quack I first dealt with wanted to use the figure-8 strap! I was morphined-up, so I didn't have much clue at the time, but my sister (a nurse) MADE me go back and get the ball rolling for surgery -- which, unbeknownst to ANYONE, was already in the works; the VA was scheduling it without telling me. (Funny part -- got the notification paperwork from the VA in the mail that I was SCHEDULED for surgery TWO DAYS after the fact! I'd already been plated up and sent home!)

That, and an experience a year later with a cracked ankle, woke me out of medical passivity; I'll argue with a doc/nurse practitioner in a SECOND if I think they're wrong NOW. (My Dad used to say that they called medicine a "practice" because they didn't have it right yet....)

I still have the stainless plate and 8 screws in my right c-bone; you can see the screw-heads against my skin, most days. (The accident was 10-22-08, and although I "campaigned" for a ti plate, I got stainless -- dammit, lol)

I just had my plate removed after 7 years. It never bothered me much except when wearing a REALLY heavy back pack but I apparently did some damage to my rotator cuff in the accident as well that needed to be fixed and the doctor recommended I have the plate taken out just in case it too was part of the problem. Im 9 months out of that surgery and everything is good. The scar is big but I have a good story to tell.