Broken Collarbone, plate it yes/no?

onthepipe
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onthepipe
Edited Date/Time 12/1/2018 1:20pm
Basically doc gave me the choice to plate it or let it heal on it's own, would love to hear some thoughts from you guys!

He classified it as a Type IIa fracture, looking for the best long term advice as I like to be active, Thanks!




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ron36
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ron36 11/22/2018 5:11am
11/22/2018 5:11am
If it was mine it did the surgery. Plate on it. Then you can fast back on you're work etc.
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observeroffacts
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observeroffacts 11/22/2018 5:17am
11/22/2018 5:17am Edited Date/Time 11/22/2018 5:17am
ron36 wrote:
If it was mine it did the surgery. Plate on it. Then you can fast back on you're work etc.
What.




Also, I would always go with the option that doesn’t require surgery
quadzrulebro 11/22/2018 5:22am
11/22/2018 5:22am
Collar bones are easy-peasy. Unless you are in a profession that a broken collarbone will prevent you from working, just let it heal on it’s own and avoid the expense and risk associated with surgery.
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Motocrossjunky
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Motocrossjunky 11/22/2018 5:26am
11/22/2018 5:26am
I had both done. I would go for plated, just make sure they take them out when healed. I work 14 hours a day as a chef and don’t have any problems with them at all.

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Justin345
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Justin345 11/22/2018 5:34am
11/22/2018 5:34am
I had a similar break in a similar spot and had surgery. The collar bone is under a lot of tension near the shoulder where you and I broke it. My ortho definitely recommended surgery based on that. He also tightened up the ligament that holds it down. It’s still played, I didn’t need to get it taken back out.



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aees
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aees 11/22/2018 5:40am
11/22/2018 5:40am
Plate it, no reason to not do it today with the good plates. Old plates brought more issues. No reason to go and not be able to use the arm for 6-10 weeks until the bones have healed.

With a plate you can use it for lighter stuff like carrying food bags, bicycle riding etc.
walent215
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walent215 11/22/2018 6:56am
11/22/2018 6:56am
quadzrulebro wrote:
Collar bones are easy-peasy. Unless you are in a profession that a broken collarbone will prevent you from working, just let it heal on it’s own...
Collar bones are easy-peasy. Unless you are in a profession that a broken collarbone will prevent you from working, just let it heal on it’s own and avoid the expense and risk associated with surgery.
This right here^^^^.....I let mine heal on it's own. It was a clean break , snapped straight up into almost "teepee" position. I'm glad I didnt get surgery and it healed fine. I have no issues from it at all.
jerry atrick moto 11/22/2018 7:02am
11/22/2018 7:02am

Mine looked like the St Louis arch was sticking up under my skin. Out patient surgery plate 8 screws. 2 weeks back to work 6 weeks back riding .
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kb228
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kb228 11/22/2018 7:04am
11/22/2018 7:04am Edited Date/Time 11/22/2018 7:06am
PLATE IT. I broke mine 8 weeks ago. Immediately after surgery i had full range of motion, strength, and no pain, no sling, no therapy. Others i talk to who broke theirs complain of pain and annoyance of being in a sling. Literally a plate simplifies recovery.
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NHtoWA421
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NHtoWA421 11/22/2018 7:09am
11/22/2018 7:09am
My surgery was worth every penny. Your break looks pretty complex, and sometimes those heal wierd (lumps, shards, etc) that cause pain for quite a bit of time, plus there are other factors that affect healing such as, smoking, age, how active you are (it's hard to lay low), how disciplined you are with your sling, and diet. I was given the option as well, doc said "50 percent chance it heals on its own, 80 percent it heals right with surgery." I was out of the sling in 5 weeks post surgery and cleared to ride in 6.
mxjeff575
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mxjeff575 11/22/2018 7:17am
11/22/2018 7:17am
Plate it!! Like others have said, you can function normally much quicker, and long term, you're anatomically correct. I wanted my shoulder to still be in it's original position. In my opinion, I can't see how there would not be some bad trade-offs with letting it heal super crooked.
BobPA
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BobPA 11/22/2018 7:40am
11/22/2018 7:40am
Plate it. I have broken my collarbone 3 times. Had it plated the last time much quicker recovery time, so much easier to get on with day to day life.
jenssog
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jenssog 11/22/2018 8:22am
11/22/2018 8:22am
I broke my collarbone mountain biking. Two clean breaks. I did not get surgery and was back downhill mountain biking 6-8 weeks later. I was 34 at the time.

There is little evidence that speaks to surgery being the best solution. I participated in a big study in Denmark that looked at the difference between plating and no surgery.

The study can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5119434/

I would in general always try to avoid surgery. And if you can still work with one arm or have the time to let it heal I would go for no plating - less stuff can go wrong and the shape (it might be shorter or look crooked with no surgery) does not really matter.

Healing vibes.
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yeroc281
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yeroc281 11/22/2018 8:25am
11/22/2018 8:25am Edited Date/Time 11/22/2018 8:26am
Plate it. I've broken my left once and my right twice. The first two were clean breaks, no plate needed. The second however broke in 3 places and an inch was just floating around in there my original doctor said it will heal on its own I waited 2 weeks and no progress. I asked him for a second opinion he sent me to a real orthopedic surgeon and they said plate it. Plus I'd ask the professionals not a keyboard jockey. Good luck and heal up.
dancolvin633
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dancolvin633 11/22/2018 8:30am
11/22/2018 8:30am
Onthepipe, I was in the same position as you a few years back and I did not plate it. I wish I would have now. It healed and although it doesn’t hold me back in anyway, I have a lot of issues with my neck and shoulder being sore because of the clavicle being short. It also causes headaches for me. I frequently visit the chiropractor and it helps, but i wish I would have had it fixed. If given the option do it. Thats my opinion.
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jenssog
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jenssog 11/22/2018 8:32am
11/22/2018 8:32am
yeroc281 wrote:
Plate it. I've broken my left once and my right twice. The first two were clean breaks, no plate needed. The second however broke in 3...
Plate it. I've broken my left once and my right twice. The first two were clean breaks, no plate needed. The second however broke in 3 places and an inch was just floating around in there my original doctor said it will heal on its own I waited 2 weeks and no progress. I asked him for a second opinion he sent me to a real orthopedic surgeon and they said plate it. Plus I'd ask the professionals not a keyboard jockey. Good luck and heal up.
I agree with your point about asking medical professionals.

Asking an orthopedic surgeon whether to operate a collarbone or not will most likely not give you a surprising answer LaughingLaughing

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luckyguy19
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luckyguy19 11/22/2018 8:47am
11/22/2018 8:47am
I plated mine and got an infection from surgery. 7 surgeries and 3 years later its still broken as the day I broke it. I too had to option to do the surgery or not, I wish I would never have started down the road of surgery. My doc feels there is less than 50% chance of ever getting it to heal now.
Underground 11/22/2018 10:05am
11/22/2018 10:05am
If it's medical advice you're after, well you have come to the right place.Laughing
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GeorgiePorgie 11/22/2018 10:54am
11/22/2018 10:54am Edited Date/Time 11/22/2018 11:04am
Plate it. Both mine are plated. As jenssog showed you the evidence for no difference in surgery vs conservative management. Well I tried the conservative route the second time because that’s what the ortho told me. So I’m like game on. No surgery. Great studies. Let’s see how it works out. (right collarbone) And it just made my life hell for 6 months and I never regained 100% ROM. Couldn’t lift my arm over my head. Second opinion. They rebroke it, plated it. And now 110% like it never happened. You can try both routes. But both my dollar ones are plated.

First one at 14 years old. Second one at 28. I’m 32 now. No problems except being able to detect when it’s going to rain.

With your pics I’d go with a plate buddy. Consider with your injury how short your shoulder is. The surgery will get it back out to length.

This was me before conservative management:

Try to get a well renownked sports MED guy.

Damien billow md at Cleveland clinic main campus has done work on Cavs players. He did my surgery. Great surgeon.
Falcon
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Falcon 11/22/2018 10:56am
11/22/2018 10:56am
If it were me, I'd opt for the choice that does not involve surgery and a metal plate inserted in my body - either forever, or until I get another surgery to remove it.

But like Underground implied, perhaps this forum is not the best repository of medical knowledge. Grinning
onthepipe
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onthepipe 11/22/2018 11:41am
11/22/2018 11:41am Edited Date/Time 11/22/2018 11:42am
Thanks for all the responses so far! I'm now leaning towards plating it while I type this with my left hand...
aees
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aees 11/22/2018 2:12pm
11/22/2018 2:12pm
jenssog wrote:
I broke my collarbone mountain biking. Two clean breaks. I did not get surgery and was back downhill mountain biking 6-8 weeks later. I was 34...
I broke my collarbone mountain biking. Two clean breaks. I did not get surgery and was back downhill mountain biking 6-8 weeks later. I was 34 at the time.

There is little evidence that speaks to surgery being the best solution. I participated in a big study in Denmark that looked at the difference between plating and no surgery.

The study can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5119434/

I would in general always try to avoid surgery. And if you can still work with one arm or have the time to let it heal I would go for no plating - less stuff can go wrong and the shape (it might be shorter or look crooked with no surgery) does not really matter.

Healing vibes.
15 years ago there was no plating, 8 years ago they plated everything, now doctors say it is a 50-50. From a functional perspective, it is so much better to plate it. The only concern with surgery today is if something goes wrong and that risk is so small i dont think it out ways the benefits.

Just sleeping is a freaking nightmare first weeks with it broken and risk is also that you do fall, or hit it so is screws up.

From a healing perspective you can discuss if it matters, but from a functional perspective there is absolutely nothing positive about not doing a surgery. You can pretty much go back to normal life 12h after surgery. Without surgery, it takes weeks.
moore433
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moore433 11/22/2018 2:41pm
11/22/2018 2:41pm
Good luck with whatever you decide...
I knew a guy that had broken both his collar bones so many times they finally took them out. It was weird, he could almost touch his shoulders together in front of him...
chump6784
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chump6784 11/22/2018 3:08pm
11/22/2018 3:08pm
Falcon wrote:
If it were me, I'd opt for the choice that does not involve surgery and a metal plate inserted in my body - either forever, or...
If it were me, I'd opt for the choice that does not involve surgery and a metal plate inserted in my body - either forever, or until I get another surgery to remove it.

But like Underground implied, perhaps this forum is not the best repository of medical knowledge. Grinning
I'd say this place is the perfect place for medical advice, especially broken collarbones. There are 2 types of motocrossers, ones who have broken a collarbone and ones who will
RDX
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RDX 11/22/2018 3:13pm
11/22/2018 3:13pm
Looks quite displaced. I was gonna say plate it until I read about the guy above with the infection.

I wanted to plate mine, docs said no and it took 2 months until it began healing so I could start to even move it. Frozen shoulder for the two months stopped. I worked my ass hard but never recovered the 100% range.
Fracture took 6 months to heal up and 1 year until I was allowed to ride. Crazy for a simple collarbone.
I've broken humerus, tibia wrist and fingers before. Never had this kind of problem (wasnt so old either).

So I would definitely plate it.
BUT much respect for the opinion of the guy that had problems with the surgery. Shit happens everywhere.

This was mine


Whatever it is, good luck, man. In normal conditions it wont be a complicated process.
Harv379
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Harv379 11/22/2018 5:13pm
11/22/2018 5:13pm
How old are you? I'd say plate it. Mine 'healed on its own' and my left shoulder is jacked and will be forever because of it. It was a clean break, the bones are overlapped by 7mm if i remember correctly, and now I basically have this huge 'ball' of bone between my neck and shoulder where they fused together. My arm doesn't hang down my side very well, it's really right in the armpit area, my range of motion is limited, I can't sleep on that side with out waking up with pain, and lately I think it's been the cause of some neck pain. It was 6 years ago, I did all the recommended PT etc. Luckily it doesn't bother me on two wheels. I didn't have insurance at the time or I would have plated it.
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Team Ideal
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Team Ideal 11/22/2018 6:51pm
11/22/2018 6:51pm
if you're under 21 I'd consider letting it heal on it's own. otherwise plate it. personally I'd plate it either way

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