# broken collarbone



## Deleted member 20683 (Jun 16, 2018)

three years ago now, i broke a clavicle. i have some kind of plate in there now, but i continue to be surprised and dismayed at how tender it still is whenever i try to carry around anything like a large backpack. one of a few things keeping me off the road.
has anyone been through anything like this? is my stupid shoulder ever going to work properly again??


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## creature (Jun 16, 2018)

shit, yeah..
a plate can keep things in place, but no way can it flex under load..

another case of medicine equating people to goddamned fucking machines..

maybe you can augment the collarbone with a transverse piece of semi-stiff plastic that the strap rides on, carrying the load across where the plate is?


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## creature (Jun 16, 2018)

can you get some HDPE (high density polyethylene) from laundry bottles, melt it down & let it cool just above malleable to make yourself a sort of shield?


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## Eng JR Lupo RV323 (Jun 16, 2018)

Broke my leg three years ago this July, it doesn't seem like it'll ever be the same again. I have a titanium rod with 8 screws. It feels a lot weaker than my other leg. The weakness is mostly that when I put a heavy load on it the area where the hardware is begins to hurt. The pain increases the more weight I add so it's pretty limiting. For me it's the nerve damage that bothers me more than the weak structural portion. I hate not being able to feel my toes, I can't pick things up with them or anything they're all just kinda there but not there. I'd definitely explore what Creature suggested trying if it were my clavicle, give that a shot.


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## Koala (Jun 16, 2018)

I've had metal put in my elbow and ankle due to serious breaks and the only thing that helped was getting it taken out... if that is at all a viable option for you, I recommend it. I've talked to older people who kept their metal in and they say it just got more stiff and painful with age.

I'm keeping my ankle plate in because there would be a long recovery time (some non- weight bearing) but in the future if it gives me significant grief, I will have it out. I did get the 2 syndosmosis screws out (those went from one side of my ankle to the other) and having those out increased my flexibility and decreased pain.

I got the plate taken out of my elbow this past January after it had been in for 2 years. It was right under the skin, it sucked. I hit it on stuff all the time and it fucking hurt and I tried to strengthen my arm to get it back its pre-surgical state, but exercises made it hurt like hell and my elbow would be stiff afterwards. Getting the metal out instantly gave me range of motion and cut down on the stiffness and pain.

The less metal is in us, the better off we are. I'm really sorry, the collarbone sounds like a horrible spot for injury and metal... best of luck


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## RoadFlower33 (Jun 16, 2018)

I’m in the hospital right now in the worst pain of my life I just had surgery yesterday reconstructive surgery on my Tibia fibia and right ankle. I destroied them all at the same time. Look me up on Instagram I am god of the forest that’s me fucking a Fellers I just reply to this post too much pain to read what you said these fucking meds are doing a thing for me I wish I could just smoke some opium right now but they frown on that in the hospital so instead of doing everything in my power to keep my mind off it I’ve got two plates and stuff like 16 screws in my leg right now and I still need another surgery to fix my Fibia holy hell supposedly have got 3 to 4 months before I block you again because I also broke two that are sold in my left foot and my left elbow the beginning of this winter I tore my right labrum and rotator cuff in my shoulder As well so as it turns out I have four limbs that are non-weight-bearing right now I’m stuck on this bed having to deal with the medications they give me what don’t do shit if you’ve used everything they’ve got and you shut your fucking receptors.... They apparently don’t have anything strong enough to take me out of pain care of that of this is going to feel like every day for the rest of my life or in cold weather or while I am out biking skiing barhopping or catching out Sorry for the big ass post fillers I just had to rant next up Facebook’s going to put around there to anything to keep my mind off the pain it’s a really weird feeling to be able to feel or think I can feel every fucking screw they put in my bones are the pressure of the stee sorry for the big ass post Fellers I just had to rant next stop Facebook‘s going to put around there to anything to keep my mind off the pain it’s a really weird feeling to be able to feel or think I can feel every fucking screw they put in my bones are the pressure of the titanium plate they put up against my bones it’s a pain it’s an imaginable undescribable .


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## RoadFlower33 (Jun 16, 2018)

I’ll tell you all how I happen later it’s a dumb ass story I wish I had a good one


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## Minky (Jun 16, 2018)

Hope things go better and you get some relief from the pain!


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## BelleBottoms (Jun 16, 2018)

Swimming helped my recovery more than all the PT. (Well, moving around in the pool... not "swimming" exactly...)


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## Deleted member 20683 (Jun 16, 2018)

Thanks for your input so far everyone, glad I finally thought to ask and hope this finds you all well or at least improving!

@Koala - that is very interesting I honestly didn’t even know they took them out! But then again I don’t think I ever had but one follow up right afterward. was hoping I’d become like wolverine with a super strong augmented bone but it’s been kind of the opposite and I had no idea the implant itself might be the problem...duh I also never looked it up.

Thanks also to @creature for pointing this out (although I will probably pass on pouring molten plastic on myself!)

@ROADFLOWER - enjoy those meds buddy!! No but seriously I hope you’re better soon


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## Koala (Jun 16, 2018)

Yeah in most situations, getting the metal out is an option! Guess they wouldn't have been talking about it much since you only went for a follow up well before the bone had healed... and obviously the less surgery, the better ad far as incisions/ complications/ infections, but I've never heard of metal removal not being an option. There will be recovery time after removal, but in my opinion, it's so worth it. They even let me keep my metal haha

This was from my elbow. I keep it on my key chain


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## Deleted member 20683 (Jun 16, 2018)

That’s awesome. Yeah, New Mexico is amazing but not that great a place to receive medical care


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## Koala (Jun 16, 2018)

Gotcha. I don't know the looks of your metal, but from what I know, the removals tend to be relatively simple procedures!

Hope you can figure something out so carrying your pack gets better


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