I had a Smith-Nephew plate installed about 3 years ago. They told me it was a new design that attaches to the front of the collarbone vs the top. This is supposed to help with post surgery comfort. Well it worked. I can carry 75 lb hockey bag stuffed with camping equip. with no issues. The only thing is, you can totally see the plate through the skin, but that's kind of cool. Also, I'd say the numbing of the skin under my incision has almost totally gone.

pics?

Holy crap. How did you get your hands on my xray?

ftfy.

I broke mine on 7/15 and had surgery (just one screw) on 7/29. I still have a few aches when I'm off all painkillers, but it's feeling a lot better than it did the first couple days post-surgery.

Thanks, don't know how I messed those up :facepalm:

I broke mine on 5/9, did not have surgery and started riding again on 6/26.

Never had alot of pain but did take meds at night so I can sleep for the 1st few weeks.

Showering and changing clothes were an adventure for a while....

I broke mine on a track bike. Fortunately it was a clean break. I was off the narcotics in a couple of days and back on the bike after two weeks. Racing took a while, I think it was at least a month. I could not pull up on the bars in a sprint. The pain overcame the advantage. No x-ray pics.

Fractured clavicle and separated shoulder are very painful. They take an x-ray and then send you home %90 of the time. Imagine what an unset broken bone that moves with every breath, laugh, turn of the head and initially every swallow feels like...Avoid comedy shows and coughing like the plague.

I've done this five times and a sixth time is not welcome.

kinda out of context, since I've already said I broke my clavicle and we were talking about wearing a backpack with a plated collar bone.

There are other people reading this thread.

Not out of context at all. I'm not actually replying to you since it's pretty much established that you know how much it hurts, just quoting you so that others can understand the pain side of it when you are laughing or coughing etc. I shouldn't have to explain this...

For backpacks and bags, yes, it screws up where the bones sit. You will have to adjust them accordingly but after time you will not notice. "Time" being years. To this day I still can only wear a messenger bag on one shoulder exclusively since the other shoulder is hooped. Makes my neck muscles spasm.

Haha banzai fail. I doubt he will see this though since he said he put me on ignore. He still hasn't said whether a doctor's license comes with his medical advice...

Childish. Using the word fail is quite telling.

Google Dr. Banzai for your ****ing answer. Back on ignore. For good.

The reason I hesitated initially in giving surgery advice is because this is a medical thread and my username could cause confusion for those (like yourself umd) who are too young or too lazy to know.

I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice, only my experience.

Big mountain bike crash in 2002, broken clavicle in the middle third, just one fracture. It was expected to heal, but after 4 months of pain, had surgery which required a bone graft from hip due to the fact the broken ends of the clavicle had long since healed. Bone grafts come from your hip bone and hurt much worse than a broken clavicle or surgery to install the plate. Had I got the plate installed at the time of the clavicle break I would not needed the bone graft, and would had not been in pain for 5 months, only one.

If you and your Doctor (not some wahoos on a bike forum) decide against surgery, at least get a top quality sling/imobilizer like a DonJoy Ultra, that will hold you shoulder back with the clavicle in good alignment....not some 2 dollar blue cloth bag you got at urgent care.

I've got a plate, 7 drywall screws, and don't notice it unless something hits exactly where the plate on the top of the clavicle.

A Cycling friend of mine just broke his clavicle in 2 places, had surgery the same day by some amazing luck and was back on the bike (I'm sure against the Ortho's orders) within 2 weeks, just like Frank Schleck, et. al. I guess the trick is to have multiple fractures, like Lance A, in which case surgery seems to be the norm.

When I broke mine i let it heal naturally. It hurt pretty bad for the first week and a half. I couldn't ride without serious pain for well over a month, and even then I just stayed off the bike for a while because it took the fun out of riding. If you want to ride soon get the surgery, but keep in mind there are risks, and the plate might be annoying in the future. It took a really long time for mine to heal all the way but I never have any discomfort now even with backpacks.

It's funny I'm the childish one given your brutish response. I asked you nicely if you were a doctor earlier and you didn't respond. I could really give a carp if you ignore me.

My break (comminuted--3 pieces) never hurt, even when the doc put the figure 8 on me. I took a Vicodin that night prophylactically so I could sleep, but didn't need it (put it off until after the Guinness!). The fig 8 was all I had (1987), and it healed with a huge lump, which subsided over the years. It was a mt. bike crash, and I landed on my shoulder--my shoulder bugged me a bit for the next few years, but never the collarbone.

As someone that's had a bunch of shoulder surgeries, last in May, they freaking hurt. LOTS. You don't realize how much they move or how uncomfortable you can be until you blow one up. My surgery in May was as a result of broadsiding a deer in October at about 15mph on the bike. Did what you did and held off on urgery as long as I could, but the painkillers don't hold it at bay forever. Still having issues and the ortho said if not much better in 4-6 weeks we have to consider them going back in.

Mine granted was a bit worse, blew the collarbone at the AC joint and ruptured three tendons and tore the rotator cuff, but was at least back on the bike at 4 weeks post surgery, albeit Dr not thrilled about it. The pain free part still not licked though. Have made it down to Tylenol 4/Celebrex cocktails though.

Other side is full of pins and screws and trips metal detectors at the airport though, so this side I knew what to expect... but forgot how much it friggin hurts.

I didn't even know i broke mine until i tryed to lift my arm, i never took one pain pill before or after the surgery.
14 screws and 2 plates later i'm good to go they will be removing the hardware on Nov 24.

I broke my Clavicle 7 weeks ago from some lady cutting me off in her car trying to beat me across the street. Maybe your clavicle break was much worse than mine because my doctor didn't recommend surgery, but wear my figure of 8 brace for the recommended 6 weeks. First 2-3 weeks were hell, getting by was pretty easy but having to wake up in the morning was probably the hardest thing I did during the break, having to get up from a laying position really stresses the clavicle and that's probably the only noticeable pain while doing any activity. I didn't take any pain killers ( your preference) because it didn't seem like I needed them but everyone is different. Now into my 7th week I'm feeling a lot better, I'm back on the bike and the brace is off. I have no noticeable pains but when I try and scratch my back there is pain when trying to reach, other than that you'll be fine. Just my opinion and experience since it just happened to me.

Pics from my 7/15 crash and 7/29 surgery:

Wish I did the surgery but my break looked worse than yours...in your case I'd probably opt out of the surgery.

I broke my left clavicle in the fall of 2007, during a cx race. It didn't really hurt too much at the time -- I thought I just dislocated something. Anyway, the attending physician at the ER gave me a sling and a prescription for Vicodin, and told me to see an orthopedist within 72 hours.

My orthopedist recommended against surgery because, in his opinion, the plate would be noticeable for a "skinny dude", as he put it, and might prove to be uncomfortable for carrying backpacks and shoulder bags.

I had a fracture in the middle third, with a little "butterfly" projection -- a small shard of bone still attached, but pointing off in one direction. The orthopedist basically told me not use my arm much for the next two weeks, and asked if I needed more Vicodin.

The first week or so was really annoying. If I moved my elbow forward at all, then the clavicle would be compressed and big-time pain would ensue. Sleeping was the worst, because I had to lie half upright on my back, and try not to move anything. The trick to that was to pop two Vicodin with a glass of scotch before bed.

After 2 weeks he said I could start lifting things. Basically, he said if it hurt when I did something, then I should stop doing it.

After 6 weeks he said I could start doing "normal" physical activity, but that there was still a chance of re-fracturing my clavicle if I did something stupid, or had an accident.

After 12 weeks he basically said I could go nuts, and do whatever I wanted without risk of fracture.

I've broken mine twice (same one), didn't have surgery either time. The first time it actually broke into three pieces, but it seems like both times I was quite lucky in how fast it healed. Serious pain only during the first week, thereafter more discomfort than pain. Back on the bike feeling mostly OK after 3 weeks. Maybe 2 months total before it felt really normal.

Well, I'm no orthopedist but I'm glad I had the surgery. Given the location of the break, my left shoulder was noticeably displaced and it was hard to see how the bone would knit well without assistance (in addition to the screw, the surgeon relocated a ligament to just inside the break). Was your break that close to the shoulder joint?