I broke my right clavicle in '08. Local Ortho Dr said it would heal on it's own in 6 weeks. I go for a follow up visit every week and after 5 weeks, he says that I am healing nicely. I replied that I disagree, and have no strength and lot's of pain. He looks at the X-Ray's again and says that I might need surgical intervention, aka "a plate". I got up, pushed him aside and left the office. Called around and found this great Dr sanders in Houston. He did the plate, told me it would never heal since it was the classic "over/under ride" break... meaning one part of the bone rode under the other and the two ends never touched, hence... a weak bond that would likely break just from lifting an object.

I went in, he did the surgery and I was out the next day, a Saturday. Monday I was back at work and that plate is still inside me to this day. I would never know that it is there... I can't even see a scar unless I really look close. He did say to be careful not to break it again with the plate attached. The plate would bend and hold my shoulder bent until surgery removed it, but it was my decision to keep it in unless mandatory.

I guess different Dr's have different opinions and different patients have different circumstances. Good luck with yours OP.

Oh, I almost forgot.... before you get the plate out, do a couple weeks of shoulder strengthening exercises to speed up your recovery.

From my reading there are two sorts of plate, a straight one that attaches to the bone, and a hooked one that can impinge on the joint, and that's what happened to me. I could ride for an hour, two at most, but any more than that was really painful. So the plate more or less had the come out, and I got the elbow plate done at the same time.

Meds are dulling the pain. But no clue how I will sleep tonight. :(

On three occasions:
I had wire and screws removed after 3 months for a broken knee cap.
Zikel nail for a broken hip after 1 year.
http://www.orthopaedicsone.com/displ...pophosphatasia
Also had two nails sticking out of my big dislocated broken toe, they had to be removed after 6 weeks since they stuck out--very bizarre!
Often these hardware get in the way of an active life style.
My understanding is that if you fall again with the hardware still in place it can then be disastrous.
Good luck

Just over a week in from the surgery, and the recovery is about 30 times as fast as it was after the original surgery. It took months before I could do things like put on sweaters, or put in contact lenses, and those are fine already after just eight days, although I suspect I won't get my range of motion back to where it was before until they take the stitches out next week. Hospital said to wait until after the stitches come out before any heavy duty stuff (they singled out tennis, gardening and cycling as things I Must Not Do).

But today was too wonderful a day to stay inside. I rode 7km, slowly, on the nice, upright Brompton, slowing further for every bump on the road, and then I planted two tiny pots of herbs in the back yard.

That felt good.