Broken collar bone? Stubborn friend.

[Kawi250Kid]

Yesterday (12/9/01) a friend and I went to Saddleback MX Track. My buddy somehow got thrown off his bike and I think he broke his collar bone, but he is stubborn and doesnt want to goto the doctors. How important is it to see a doctor for a collar bone? It is his right side, and there is a bump, or "knot" there. Any information is greatly appreciated.

BTW, If you live in So Cal, I would recommend riding at Saddleback. http://www.saddlebackmx.com

 

[MikeT]

Ya, he broke it. From what I've heard they have a backwards bra type thing that helps you keep it in a good position to heal, provided you keep it on, ALL the time. I know many here will chime in on how to take care of it, but I'd see the DR. without hesitation.

 

[amcdaniel]

Put your friend in your vehicle and drive him to his doctor or a local emergency room. My daughter broke her collar bone riding and had the same bump you described. My daughter needed to have surgery to screw the bone back together. It is very important to have your affected arm in a stabalizing brace so it will heal properly, otherwise if you wait to long it my also require surgery. The sooner he seeks medical attention the faster he'll be back a Sattleback!

 

[Girlrider]

I broke mine this year and I live in Vail and went to the World Famous Steadman Hawkins clinic (Where Monica Seles went after getting stabbed) and they actually did nothing but charge me for an X-ray. According to the latest findings putting a person in that STUPID Cross Brace does not speed up the healing time. They only recommend it if it feels more comfortable. They told me that for athletes it is almost worse to wear it because then your muscles in your Should blade area weeken and it is hard to get those muscles back. I also got a second opinion and they agreed. They say doing surgery is not recommend except in very extreme cases which they say is very rare. I even broke mine in 2 places. I didn't have too much pain and I actually began to ride 6 days later. I rode the whole time it was healing but was lucky to not crash on it again. So if he is not in a lot of pain and it is not sticking out of the skin (I had and still have a huge bump which will alway be there) then don't get too worried about it. My insurance pays 100% up to $500.00 for Emergency accidents so I went but if it did not then I would have stayed home.

 

[bud]

I'd definitely get an xray. Mine turned out to be broken in 4 places but the orthopedic surgeon said a round the back sling was all I needed. There are times when surgery is necessary though.

 

[KDX220rm]

That knot will be permanent unless the collarbone is put back in place. I know several people that just let it go and the bone fused together edgeways rather than end to end.

 

[Boodac]

Collar Bone

I broke my right collar bone (along with a few other things) in March. Started riding again and broke the left side in September. (Im having a bad year what can I say) Anyways, I shattered the left one pretty good but none the less the healing process is what Girlrider told you. Not a heck of a lot their going to do for you. None the less, Xrays are cheap insurance and wouldnt hurt.

 

[Mike Hubert]

I broke a collar bone 2 years ago and have the same big lump you described. I went to the doctor and they gave me a sling and one of the braces and told me to wear them if they helped, they didn't. The injury healed fine all by it's self but I will have the big lump the rest of my life. I broke the other collar bone last year and it kind of crosses at the end and joined side to side instead of end to end, like the other healed fine by it's self. My orthopedic surgeon said collar bones will heal fine unattended about 95% of the time, he said surgery actually reduces the healing rate to about 85%. Surgery messes up some many muscles and blood vessles that if cosmetically if it doesn't bother you, it will heal better on it's own. I would still recommend a trip to the doctor to be sure everything is healing well but avoid surgery and don't bother with the sling and brace.

 

[Kawi250Kid]

Hey Everyone. Thank you for all the replies. I just showed my buddy this thread and he is going to the doctors tommarow mornining:) . Hopefully we'll be back at Sattleback soon:p

 

[weimedog]

My boy broke his collar bone in four places last summer. Girlrider had the most thourough and correct advice. Because there was so many little pieces they wanted to X-ray a few times to be certain a sharp piece didn't poke where it could do more damage. He had more bleeding than most because he was being cutup from the inside. Because of the bits and pieces he was advised to stay in the figure eight strap to try and imobilize a little. (Comfort as well)

Took him two months for the oddball shapes to tack together and he's back on a bike now. No surgury required. They didn't want to because the chance of infections and other side effects outweighed the potential benifits of doing surgury on that bone. Not a lot of blood flow up there from what I heard.

Also because he was young AND he has a lot of growing to go, there has been a lot of remodeling going on with that break. He will always carry one shoulder about an inch lower than the other and have a golfball sized lump but things have smoothed out to the point where the sharp points are gone.

The good news is I have a much calmer and safer rider now!

 

[Billy Ed]

I have had three broken clavicals and never went to the doc with any of them. I always had a good ambulance attendant look at them and they always said don't waste your money.
I have found that the figure eight brace (if worn properly) does a good job of pulling the shoulders back so the bone doesn't crunch around as much. It sure helped me!!
And the knot will go away after ten to twelve years. Really!! There are "bone destroyers" in the bloodstream that know what a bone is supposed to look like and they eat it back to original size. But they are slow.
Kawi250; please let us know what the doc says. If he wants to cut; for sure get a second opinion!

 

[Creeper9]

Ok, I know I'm a little late to respond to this one, but make sure he goes to the doctor. I broke my left collar bone this summer in seven pieces, and I am now the proud owner of 9 screws, and one large metal plate. I broke it back in July and my final post op inspection is this friday. Make sure that during the recovery period he doesn't do anything stupid like lift stuff, or try to lift weights. It'll just prolong the recovery.

-Kurt

 

[Kawi250Kid]

Hello again. My friend went to the doctor today and had a Xray. It was broken. It was only broken in one place and broken all the way though. The doctor wanted to take him into surgery but my friend said no to that. All they did for him was take his Xray, give him a sling, and some pain killers.

Thank you everyone for all the input, I appreciate it

 

[TrackMaster]

Wow. After hearing some of your stories, i dont feel so bad about mine.:eek:

I broke my left collar bone on 11/17 and just about local every doctor i talked to said it was the worst they had seen. It was just broken in one spot, near the ac joint on my shoulder. The short bone near my shoulder went down, and the longer one went up. There was about a 3 inch gap between the two bones. Although the x-rays dont show it, I think it cracked near my sternum too, as there is a lump there and a bigger one on top where it broke.

I had to have surgery for it, since it wasnt moving. It was a closed surgery and the doc just moved the bones with his hands back into place. I asked him if he could do it while i was awake since i dont like going under... "Right here, just give me some pain killers, i can take it!" you shoulda seen the look on his face! ;)

Thanks guys and girls. :) :)

 

[Kawi250Kid]

My friend went in for a re check on his collar bone and it is getting worse :( He is going in this morning to meet with a surgeon or something. They said the only way to fix it is by surgery, and they want to do it because one piece in almost comming out the top of his shoulder, and the other could stab something important (lung i think). Looks like it'll be awhile until we make it out to the track again

 

[nephron]

I love the attitude today. People disagreeing with doctors. "Don't let them do this, don't let them do that." Thus implying they know more than docs.

Yup. We're all crooks--just out to scam all you poor suckers. AND, we have no idea what we're doing. I'm surprised it's taken this long for you guys to figure it out. Well, the secret's out. :silly:

 

[Billy Ed]

Nephron; are you reading the same posts as I? Everyone on this board has suggested that the man go to the doc! I was the ONLY one that had any questions about the value of a doctor. And I was just relating my personal experience!
Sheesh!!

 

[LVMarc]

Just make sure you get a second opinion. My father is an Ear Nose and Throat surgeon (Retired) and there was a few doctors out there that he always knew was going on vacation or getting ready to buy a new car by how much their surgery schedules went up. Of course the vast majority of doctors arent like that, but to suggest one should't be an informed consumer and get second opinions is leaving you out in the open with your pants down.

If my repair bill for my CAR or BIKE is over $500, I get a second opinion. You better believe that I get second opinions when it involves my body.

--marc

 

[needsprayer]

Billy Ed,

Be careful about agruing with the good doctor, he might send you a consultation bill.

I agree with getting a second opinion when surgery is recommended and then find the best surgeon regardless of cost.

I had neck surgery which required drilling a channel in a vertabra in order to relieve a pinched nerve. Saving money was not a priority.

Have a Merry Christ Mass, the celebration of Jesus Christ !

 

[MikeT]

Kawi250kid, Did he have the surgery yet? How is he doing?

 

[Kawi250Kid]

He met with the surgeon, and the surgeon decided to put a brace on it and some more rechecks, If it doesnt heal up better in the next few days hes going to have the surgery. Hes doing alot better now, so it looks as though surgery may not be required:) Once hes healed up, anyone up for a ride at Saddleback?

 

[skthom2320]

I work in the radiology field and ABSOLUTELY recommend getting a second opinion whenever it comes to something like surgery. Musculoskeletal injuries are not always easily diagnosed from reading xrays, CT, or MRI, particularly in the knee and shoulder. Some physicians/radiologists are better than others just like everything else. Remember, doctors are PEOPLE and they use the tools they have accessible to them to render an OPINION based on their knowledge and experience.

A good physician will respect your interest in getting a second opinion and will often be happy to recommend someone. If your physician takes it as a personal affront, then you really shouldn't want that physician anyway...

My $0.02.

Regards,

Steve

 

[BSWIFT]

Nephron, I respect your opinion, period. It is very nice that YOU take part in our sport and find the time to check in on fellow riders here at DRN. Remember folks, there are members here at DRN that are qualified professionals in many different fields including medicine. I wouldn't think Nephron would dare try to diagnose something mentioned on the boards but he would likely recommend you see a doctor based on the story given. Like skthom2320 said, "A good physician will respect your interest in getting a second opinion and will often be happy to recommend someone."
Just my $.02. Not trying to put words in Nephron's mouth or anything ridiculous like that.

 

[mopowa]

Does your friend own the plate and screws yet?
Creeper, Do you plan on getting the plate taken out?
I dont like mine but not looking forward to the surgery again.
I dont like the idea of possibly breaking it again with all that junk in there

 

[Creeper9]

Mopowa,

Not sure if I'm going to take mine out or not. The doc seemed a bit nervous about it. He feels that since I have so many holes (9) from screws, that I would run the risk of re-breaking the bone after the surgurey. I would have to be really careful until the holes grow back in. We'll see. He kind of left it as "If you can live with it, keep it" So, I'll try. It doesn't bother me all that much right now, but I haven't been back on the bike yet (Bike still broken). The only weird thing is how it looks. You can see EVERY screw and the outline o the plate. I look a bit like frankenstein. Can't wait to scare all the children at the pool this summer!!!

-Kurt