Tell me about your broken collarbone experience.

[Wilhelmson]

I am on week 3. I qualify but shouldn't need surgery. I find out tommorow.

So far the broken bone is worse than a broken rib but not as bad as a separated shoulder. Otherwise i have only broken fingers toes and my foot. Mostly playing soccer. Really my upper back hurts more than the break.

I broke it in the evening and was back at work the next day at 8 am, so i like to keep busy. But days like today i pay the price.

 

[Posaune]

I broke my collarbone many years ago, 1967 to be exact, when I turned out for my first day of wrestling in 7th grade. We were practicing shoulder rolls so we wouldn't get hurt (ahem). Anyway it hurt like a mother and I was out of it for quite a while. It ruined my ski season too.

My biggest memory of this was musical, though. I was laying in my bed in an opiate stupor half listening to my radio when I heard the new Beatles tunes that had just come out on a single. The first one I heard fit right in with the drug-induced state I was experiencing. It was the weirdest thing I had ever heard: Strawberry Fields. I'll never forget the strangeness I felt as I heard the sitar and organ (or is it a calliope?) with the strange vocals. It blew my 13 year old mind. The flip side, Penny Lane, seemed very normal in comparison.

 

[Johnny V.]

Broke mine in 2011 at the Nastar Nationals free skiing the morning of the second day. Loaded up with OTC painkillers and raced. Tough getting out of the gate with one arm and it was bitch getting out of the race suit afterwards. Wore a sling for about 6 weeks and it healed fine-just a little bump in the bone.

 

[Johnny V.]

Strawberry Fields. I'll never forget the strangeness I felt as I heard the sitar and organ (or is it a calliope?)

Mellotron-Google it for a better explanation of what it is than I can give here.

 

[François Pugh]

Broke mine doing an unscheduled 55-ish mph dismount from a motorcycle quite a few years back. Remembering my previous crash where I had busted up my wrist real good, I decided to try a shoulder roll. Bad Idea. My shoulder stuck on impact. I did start to roll - after impact. I also decided to stop rolling a little too soon and stuck my arms out to slow the rotation and dislocated the other shoulder. I remember the doc at the ER saying the good news-bad news. The bad news was broken collar bone. The good news was the collar bone breaking likely released the stress and that would be the only thing wrong. However, the x-rays also showed glenoid had been crushed into many many pieces and my shoulder blade also had a crack in it. I ended up in a sling for a couple of weeks (Specialist thought operation to fix all the broken bits would do more harm than good).

I recall running the next day it hurt pretty bad on every step. I wasn't going to take any pain medication, but became convinced that a good nights sleep would help with the healing and took some oxycontin. That was in the good old days when medical doctors were not afraid to prescribe pain medication that actually worked better than a bottle of scotch.

I still have the bump where the ends didn't quite line up.

I had a limited range of motion in that shoulder until, many years later my current physiotherapist treated that same shoulder for a grade III separation. Range of motion now returned.

 

[tch]

About 30 years ago. Bike accident -- a pretty standard bike crash injury. I remember it hurt like hell when I coughed or laughed, much more than the recent rib fracture. No surgery, but had to wear a sling and a brace for a long time, maybe 6 weeks. We had to trade cars with a friend b/c I couldn't drive a shift. Healed fine, with maybe a little bump where the ends re-knit. Never thought about it again until the recent AC joint separation, which has left a big bump and the feeling that everything in my shoulder is loose.
Don't stress it too much until you're really healed.

 

[RobSN]

Hit black ice on my bike and went down so fast that I remember the loud clunk of my helmet hitting the tarmac. Didn't realize I'd broken the collarbone so cycled the next 5 miles to work and the 10 miles home later on that day. The big hill on the way home hurt. When the pain hadn't got better after 6 days, went to the doctor and found out I'd bust the collar bone. About 10-12 weeks in a sling if I remember rightly - got to be VERY good with Dragon Naturally Speaking which also got to be very good with my voice - typing in a sling is a PITA. Various aches in that shoulder for a few years after that, but nothing debilitating ...

 

[Posaune]

Mellotron-Google it for a better explanation of what it is than I can give here.

I thought it sounded like one, but I wasn't aware that they were around in '67. I'm quite aware of them.

 

[Bad Bob]

Broke a collar bone 4 times over my 3 score and 10 years.
1st was playing sand lot tackle football in the 7th grade. Got clipped.
2nd was on a bike about the 9th grade.
3rd was an 18 year old newly minted certified PSIA instructor about 1970. Getting some pretty major air off a lip from a little cornice. Springing off the lip heard the binding go click at launching and got my boot into the snow. Landed on my side head first with arm out to brace for the fall, bad move, Collarbone, dislocated shoulder, broke the ball joint. That was a slow heel, but lots of good drugs.
4th was bump skiing at Alyeska in spring of 74. There was one MONSTER bump on a steep bump run loved to absorb and turn off the crest. There was a boulder under the snow that built the thing, it had to be 8' drop and felt so cool to free fall off of. Missed the pole plant and came down on the left shoulder to a very familiar cracking sound. Had a plan on the drive back to town to go to doctor travel agent and home in that order. Caught the red eye to Honolulu that night and landed at Club Med on Kawai for the next two weeks (it was a very good place to recoup when young, single, and with a pocket full of money). Two major complaints about that place; they wouldn't let me water ski or take out a catamaran (they were smarter than me).
One of the best things to come from these misadventures is it left me with a dead spot in my left upper arm, great spot to get shots.

 

[Tony S]

I am on week 3. I qualify but shouldn't need surgery. I find out tommorow.

So far the broken bone is worse than a broken rib but not as bad as a separated shoulder. Otherwise i have only broken fingers toes and my foot. Mostly playing soccer. Really my upper back hurts more than the break.

I broke it in the evening and was back at work the next day at 8 am, so i like to keep busy. But days like today i pay the price.

After a week of grating bone ends I went for the surgery. Was the right decision for me.

 

[scott43]

Well..he was bigger than me..but I always had the berserker mean-streak going on. So we decided to settle it like men..I was doing well but ultimately he was bigger and despite my repeated right-hands to the face he threw me over the railing and I landed in a rock garden, on my weaker left side. My mom only noticed because I wasn't climbing the bookcase like normal, I had the one arm tucked up. So she took me to the clinic in town and they realized I had broken my collarbone. The new doctor reviewed my extensive list of injuries and proceeded to accuse my mother of child abuse..citing my young age..I believe I was 7..and the numerous broken bones, stitches and head injuries. Alas, it was just my own stupidity, mother was safe. Three years is a big difference when you're 7 and your opponent is 10...

Lesson learned..I had a sling for a few weeks..it never did heal quite right..I have two mis-matched ends and a lump. Forty years later, I still feel it if I do something too strenuous or sleep on that side too long. Not sure about that stuff about the break being stronger than the original bone after it heals...

 

[Tony Storaro]

Broke the left one in a high side motorcycle crash. 5 years ago.

The right one-skiing switch in spring slush watching my wife carving and giving her "expert" advise.

Both-very painful but thankfully did not need surgery. About a month and a half arm in a sling.

Full range of motion was recovered in about 3-4 months. Even after that I had some twitches for some time but eventually it heals.

Biggest problem as far as I remember was the weight gain in both cases, but when the only thing you do day in day out is playing Assassins Creed on the Playstation it is to be expected.

 

[P-Ute]

Broke left one St Patty's Day 2018 while skiing 8-10 inches of fresh heavy snow. Multiple fragments, grating bone ends was not good and couldn't lie flat to sleep! Orthopedic surgeon said I could wait 6 weeks to see if it heals (and then do surgery) or immediate surgery would allow quicker return to limited function and was more likely to heal. Surgery was best choice for me. Able to lay flat and sleep the 1st night after surgery, off opioids within 48 hrs, got rid of arm sling within 5-7 days and working on computer and phone without sling 72 hrs. after. It was 3 months before it was recommended I lift more than 5 lbs. with left arm, 4-5 months before I could sleep on my left side. Range of motion was not a problem as I was given some simple instructions to follow post surgery and I mostly followed them.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Cool stories with positive outcomes. I was due and need a bump on my right side to match the left anyways. I purposefully didn't take my skis last weekend to avoid the temptation; I just want this thing to be over with. Only missed a day or two of skiing for the season. I have tried a few otc products but the ones i like make me a little groggy in the am i can hike about 6 miles before it gets annoying. The grinding is gone it seems to be healing quickly i just cant try to turn the steering wheel right with the right hand that is the worst.

 

[François Pugh]

Typically, when I break a bone, it sets in a few days and after it is set the pain is minimal.

 

[geepers]

Broke a collar-bone many decades back in a motorbike accident. Also badly sprained the wrist on the other side. So had both arms in slings for the 1st few days. Not a great experience for a single guy living alone... (Think about it... no, on 2nd thoughts, don't think about it...)

Was healing well until about a 10 days in when, feeling much better, tripped trying to run up some stairs and tore away whatever joining had taken place. That hurt worse than the original.

Moral of the story: stay away from stairs.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I broke my collarbone, non-dislocated, along with 3 ribs during a MTB wreck. The ambulance crew gave me Fentanyl as soon as they could. No surgery, no sling, lots of pain killers, most over the counter. This was the most painful injury I've ever had. It took several weeks before could begin to do things normally. I still have a funky bump in my chest.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Cool stories with positive outcomes. I was due and need a bump on my right side to match the left anyways. I purposefully didn't take my skis last weekend to avoid the temptation; I just want this thing to be over with. Only missed a day or two of skiing for the season. I have tried a few otc products but the ones i like make me a little groggy in the am i can hike about 6 miles before it gets annoying. The grinding is gone it seems to be healing quickly i just cant try to turn the steering wheel right with the right hand that is the worst.

Whatever you do, do not rush it. Give it time. It will go away eventually, it just needs time.
Patience!

 

[Tony]

Typically, when I break a bone, it sets in a few days and after it is set the pain is minimal.

That must be nice. I felt like mine would set overnight, then come apart every morning when I got up for a week or so.

I broke my collarbone, non-dislocated, along with 3 ribs during a MTB wreck. The ambulance crew gave me Fentanyl as soon as they could. No surgery, no sling, lots of pain killers, most over the counter. This was the most painful injury I've ever had. It took several weeks before could begin to do things normally. I still have a funky bump in my chest.

"I broke my collarbone, non-dislocated, along with 3 ribs during a MTB dirtbike wreck" about the same time as @Doug Briggs, 4 years ago this Summer. I also had a lung collapse then which led to my first (three) nights ever in a hospital. I thought ribs hurt more than collarbone.

I also broke collarbone in late 60s playing football on friend's lawn when I was tackled on sidewalk in middle of it. That time they gave me a brace to wear. Four years ago I did not get one and heard that surgery is not usually recommended since any metal will be easily felt under skin in that area. Shoulder is still a little tender from dirtbike crash.

About a month ago, a friend crashed his new KTM dual-sport into a wild boar he didn't see until after somebody woke him up on road in hills E of here (and it was dead by then). He broke 10 ribs on each side - which I count as 20 - and the top of one of the lower leg bones then had complication from fluid leaking out of his hip into his leg.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

Baseball -fingers shoulder, similar to tennis
Lacrosse and Hockey nose, collar bone(s) cheek bones, wrist, ribs - (hockey seemed tame)- evened up
Football knees, shoulder, ribs - evened up
Concusions during the above - who knows

thumbs, wrist, knees. ribs, calf muscles and concusions from skiing, I usually ski better if I can still pick my self up again.