Collarbone

Once basically healed, when stretching I had this crazy tingly feeling at some nerve endings and some that felt like sharp needle pricks on my right side chest area. It took me about a year to regain full motion. I would lay on the floor and slowly stretch my arms up from my side above my head until finally I was able to regain 98% of the movement of my left arm. It took a while, and yes it was painful, but was totally worth it to regain full range of motion.

The only two things that piss me off about my plate and screws are 1) When someone comes up and grabs my shoulder (kinda like Spock would do with the Vulcan shoulder grip) and squeeze in kindness as a buddy, it will drop me to my knees as they grab the plate and press nerves against the metal. It instantly becomes like a red hot fire poker and I drop like a sack. And 2) The plate and pins do not set off the metal detector at the Courthouse or Airports! That was a requirement I put in when I chose the plate option!

Something else. Since this was a mechanical failure, it took me about a year of serious riding to get over my fear of crashing. There is just something about "mouse trapping" into the ground that makes you leary...

Your are a stud, long time mountain biker. You will get through this and we will be there for yah!
Mikie

Nothing worse than videoing your own collarbone crash. This one got me the plate and screws as I shattered the right collarbone to the point they were grinding up bone to make bone putty to fill the gaps... The reason I'm breathing and talking in short breaths is because I also broke 3 ribs and collapsed my right lung. This one REALLY hurt.
(yeah... I know it's a rerun... rerun.)

 

Yeah let it heal properly. I rushed mine....it didn't heal properly....so I now have this hook where the bones grew back out of alignment. I wawar through t-shirts because of this....I also get the seatbelt hooked on it all the time.

 

Hah! Did anyone look at the pic slot machine?

 

It doesn't appear on the mobile version of this joint.

 

Because the software narrows down to necessity when viewability is limited. Kinda like what TapaTalk did but with out the spyware.

 

Mikie, that was rough watching that video of your crash.......OUCH!!!!

 

Thanks guys for all the feedback and support. Feeling better every day. Here's a picture of the hardware and it's lucky that I'm not a weight weenie or this could be enough to throw me into deep depression. Although the doctor did say it was titanium.

 

Aw, that doesn't look too bad. I think you could still fit another screw or two in there

 

When he is done they can take it out and he can brush his hair with it!

 

Nice! Is that permanent hardware? I guess a pack strap on top of that bracket is better than on top of a pointy bone! It looks bomber!!!

 

Hope they applied a liberal amount of Loctite on those screws. It would look freaky if they started to back out

 

Yes permanent, but it can be removed if it creates problems. The surgeon said he's only had to remove one in the last 30 years

 

It's funny in the surgical description it refers to them as locking screws, whatever that means .

 

Yikes! Best wishes for fast recovery.

 

Surgeon put Loctite on 'em before he installed 'em.

 

I've broken both collar bones biking. The first one broke into 3 pieces and healed great without surgery in about 6 to 7 weeks. The second broke right next to an old break I had from my childhood. That one wasn't taking after 4 weeks so I had to have surgery to put a plate in. Once the plate was in it took about 6 weeks until I had the all clear. I had the plate removed 6 months later because it bothered me whenever I had a strap over it like a seat belt or backpack and I reasoned that I was sure to take another hit at some point and I'd rather have my collar bone break than my sternum or humerus. Once the doc says you can load it again I suggest doing arm hangs and pull-ups to stress it and recover you bone density. I did that for both and have never had aches when storms approach. I still don't have full feeling at the surgical site a few years later but it doesn't bother me. Hope that helps.

 

Did some pedaling yesterday

 

Just don't pull on those handlebars too much yet!

 

Handlebars are for wusses. This thing has folding armrests to keep me in place. Maybe I need to get them on my tallboy.

 

You know what, I have the same occasional sharp needle pricks, almost like an electrical shock in the pec area of my bad arm when I twist a certain way. Seems to be going away. Still trying to regain full motion...can't raise my arm above my head very well...six weeks into PT. But I'm back on the bike and riding, although mostly just fireroads for now.