Broken Clavicle - shoulder dropping

[nata]

Hi all,

I broke my Clavicle last week and have noticed in the last few days hat my shoulder has dropped just over an inch below the other. Is this pretty much normal or is this going in the wrong direction and tending towards surgery?

thanks

J

 

[scblack]

Hi all,

I broke my Clavicle last week and have noticed in the last few days hat my shoulder has dropped just over an inch below the other. Is this pretty much normal or is this going in the wrong direction and tending towards surgery?

thanks

J

My 6 year old daughter reckons to just get some sticky tape to hold it up.........

Or a real response might be: Go see a doctor.

 

[moorey]

Or see a doctor like I did, and trust them that it was fine to leave it crossed over an inch.... :rant:

 

[Dozer]

Sorry to hear you busted yourself up. I shattered my clavicle in April, had surgery in May and have been 100% since late August. My clavicle was in six pieces and was not going to heal very well, being 2.5cm narrower and well and truly hanging down. The plate has stabilised my shoulder extremely well, as good as ever in fact and I cannot recommend anything other than surgery unless you are guaranteed a 100% recovery.
Your clavicle keeps your shoulder up and back and supports all the important part of your frame around it. It is massively important to have that part of your body in the correct position as you'll be out of whack well and truly. When my body could handle it, I got straight back into chiropractic treatment and have recently had the minute displacement of my upper arm put back in place. My neck was way out of whack, my back was badly aligned and it was all from the accident that buggered my shoulder. Now? Now I'm just working towards dropping the beer gut I acquired while I was recovering.
The surgery will speed up the recovery process and get your moving again but it is the same type of recovery period to get strength in your bone enough to play again. It isn't an instant all done repair job, it does still need the right time to heal. The physio I did daily was and still is the best medicine for it so please do yourself a favor and get the right physio. If you get stuck, send me a PM and I'll show you some good easy rehab stuff.

 

[pharmaboy]

Hi all,

I broke my Clavicle last week and have noticed in the last few days hat my shoulder has dropped just over an inch below the other. Is this pretty much normal or is this going in the wrong direction and tending towards surgery?

thanks

J

No it's not normal, if you are talking about a change since the fracture - go see a doctor- take your X-rays with you.

 

[Ivan]

Don't rely on my medical advice,

But from my experience, you are likely to just be favouring one shoulder, and you are subconsciously leaning, or dropping one side.

People have noticed me doing this every time I have broken a clavicle.

See a doctor if you're unsure

 

[cameron_15]

Definitely go and see your orthopaedic surgeon again, or go and see another for a second opinion.

I went through this a few years ago and waited for 6 weeks with the same issues until I got a second opinion and opted for surgery. 2 weeks after having the plate put in I was back in the gym bench pressing light weights.

The first surgeon's I saw at a public hospital maintained it would heal fine and straighten out in the process, but after 6 weeks there was no improvement and I was still in a sling and a great deal of discomfort. As above, I'd take the surgery if there's any doubt that it will heal straight and in the correct position.

 

[nata]

I have booked in for tomorrow with the ortho surgeon for a check up, they do the x-rays on site, it makes life a little easier.

 

[sensai_miagi]

Good question

Hi all,

I broke my Clavicle last week and have noticed in the last few days hat my shoulder has dropped just over an inch below the other. Is this pretty much normal or is this going in the wrong direction and tending towards surgery?

thanks

J

Hi J. I had the same thing a couple years ago and I found this: the body is remarkably adaptable and good at healing itself and surgery itself introduces another complication, but it is a gamble I would take because you really have to wonder if having your frame that un-symmetrical is a good choice if you can avoid it. I got surgery on mine. I wish I had chosen a different surgeon (I feel my surgeon didn't take enough care - the joining of the bone was left a bit rough so that one of my muscles/tendons/whatever it is 'clicks' over the bump on the bone every time I extend my arm around far enough) and I really wish I had started using my arm again sooner after surgery. I played it real careful and kept my arm super still for 6 weeks while the bone healed because I was concerned the pin inserted may dislodge if I use my arm too energetically - in the end I had muscles joining to the scar tissue because it wasn't being moved around. So remember - there is a good middle ground between keeping it still so that the bone heals but moving it enough to aid recovery with blood flow and keep everything in the region loose. I can suggest some very well regarded surgeons around the north side of Sydney if you like, send me a PM.

I would recommend surgery over being an inch out of whack. Just make sure you hold your own when the doctors push you around as they tend to do.

 

[mymasseur]

Definitely go and see your orthopaedic surgeon again, or go and see another for a second opinion.

I went through this a few years ago and waited for 6 weeks with the same issues until I got a second opinion and opted for surgery. 2 weeks after having the plate put in I was back in the gym bench pressing light weights.

The first surgeon's I saw at a public hospital maintained it would heal fine and straighten out in the process, but after 6 weeks there was no improvement and I was still in a sling and a great deal of discomfort. As above, I'd take the surgery if there's any doubt that it will heal straight and in the correct position.

agree, 2nd opinion important, surgery based on 1 inch definate, make sure good physio after surgery, no matter what surgeon says. Has to be done otherwise your future will be worse off that whole upper quadrant, too late if you leave it too long. Go get the plate boy!

 

[nata]

got back from the doc, yesterday, the x-rays look pretty good, by that I mean the bone is still lined up very well, the issue is that I have a huge bulge where the break is, according to the doc it's way to big, so he has sent me for a ct scan. at least now we will know exactly what has happened and what needs to be done on Monday.

 

[Adventuretime]

I did the same thing. My shoulder was lower for about 12 months after it healed. Work on building the strength back up and getting a good range of motion and it'll come back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mywifesirrational]

Bit late in on this one, I actually don't think a 25mm drop in the shoulder is a big deal as long as it has been followed up the the surgeon.

Not uncommon post fracture/surgery that arthrogenic inhibition occurs - the brain 'relaxes' the muscles in the area to reduce the loading on the fracture/injury site, resulting in a reduction in symptoms and potentially better healing. Due to this in the case of a shoulder, the muscles that elevate and retract the shoulder won't be doing their jobs. A permanent very 'slight' drop may occur as most bones will be the tiniest bit longer post fracture and in the case of a clavicle this will push the shoulder down very slightly (should not be obvious unless someone is deliberately looking for it).

 

[slippy]

My broken clavicle needed no surgery and healed up just fine. You can't generalise about these things, each case on its own merits. Follow your doctor's advice, most of them do actually have a clue. See a physio too, they are miracle workers IMO.

 

[nata]

My Doc said at first when after reviewing the 2nd set of x-rays bone is aligned all is well, I went back as it just did not feel good and the pain was well pretty bad with every little move, then after the
CT scan my doc changed is mind from a normal break to a very bad break as per the picture, I actually had broken the bone and then split the other one open by driving the one broken bit into the other. Luckily it is all still within limits (had second opinion, no hard feelings doc) so it should heal up just fine and actually be stronger than the other side.

Best thing I learned here is get the CT scan, a 3d view is tons better than a standard x-ray.