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broken collarbone

 
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Leslie
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Joined: 01 May 2003
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:37 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: broken collarbone Reply with quote

Hi Doc,
I did a flip over the bars his weekend and fractured my collarbone with butterfly fragments. It was a good snap. Can you give me an idea of how long I should expect to be off the bike? Anything I can do to speed up the recovery process?
Thanks a bunch in advance!
Leslie Reuter
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The Bike Doc
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Joined: 08 May 2003
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Location: Corpus Christi and Warda, Texas

PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:35 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leslie:

I have been there done that, twice! Key to recovery is allowing the bone time to heal without over stressing the bone in the healing process. Do not do any heavy lifting or mountain biking until you are well healed. Most broken collar bones heal in about 6 to 8 weeks. To keep your lower extremity fitness up, ride a recumbent trainer or if you can find someone with a recumbent trike, you can get some easy road miles in. Do gentle exercises with your involved arm. Lean over at the waist of the affected side and let your arm dangle like a pendulum and working in clockwise and counter clockwise circles to keep the shoulder joint limber. Your collar bone will let you know when you can gradually increase your range of motion, gradually bringing your arm up to 90 degrees at the shoulder then eventually overhead. The clue of progress will be your diminshing pain with movement. Now if you are a well paid pro, you can even win a race on l'Alp d'Huez with a broken collarbone http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/tour_de_france_2003/3090517.stm , but I recommend going easy for the next 8 weeks.
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Leslie
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:33 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the help Doc. I don't know how Hamilton rode with a break. I can barely get off the couch. It hurts so much I usually have to take the pain meds full strength. But than I start to feel goofy. If I go to long and try to hold off on taking them it really starts to burn again and gets very painful to even move. I'm working on trying to find the happy medium.
Leslie
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Leslie
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:57 am GMT +0000    Post subject: Pain Management Reply with quote

Hi Doc,
I am still having a hard time with the pain management. I am still having a lot of pain and can't keep to relief constant with the Vicodin. I have been trying to extend the time between Vicodin but than I start to really hurt. I'll take a pain pill but the next 30 minutes before the pain killers kick in is the worst. I am going to take them on a time schedule so they don't have a chance to wear out. Downfall of that is they make me a little out of it. A feeling I don't really like.
Sleeping is very difficult. The worst part is waking up in the middle of the night when the medicine has already worn off. I had a rough night last night with that problem and I couldn't get up off the couch. I think I will have Noel wake me up during the night to give me a pill. I asked for the extended relief drugs during my my appoint but he didn't give me for some reason. I really don't remember the conversation as to why.
Should I ask for a different pain med? Any suggestions?

Thanks, Leslie
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The Bike Doc
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:51 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leslie:

The first week is the worst. I had similar problems with my two separate broken collar bones. Moving in sleep would wake me up almost every night for the first week. As the healing process progressed, the pain decreased. I found the old fashion clavicle strap helped decrease the movement of the collar bone when I slept and decreased the pain. However, during the day the recommendations are just to use a sling as wearing the clavicle strap 24 hours a day impairs venous circulation return from the arms. Topical ice applications can help reduce the pain. If you are still having significant pain visit with your doctor and possibly have an Orthopedic doctor evaluate you.

Thanks,
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Leslie
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:19 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Doc,
I still had significant pain this week and decided to get an opinion from a second doctor. Most of the sever sharp pain I was having was due to muscle tear of the bicep near the attachment of my clavicle. It made wearing that figure 8 near impossible without some type of pain. I am now switching between the sling and figure 8 depending on the type of activity I am doing during the day. I still have some dull achy pains but it is getting a little easier. The hardest part is just sitting and waiting for it to heal.
Thanks for all your help.

Leslie
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The Bike Doc
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:15 am GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the follow-up Leslie. You took quite a blow to tear the biceps and fracture the clavicle. I am glad to hear you are healing. Hang in there.
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Leslie
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:00 am GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually I typed the "biceps" in error. I actually tore the shoulder/deltoid muscle where it attaches near the clavicle. Not the bicep.
Thanks again for all your help. I hope to beat Lance back to the bike!!

Leslie
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The Bike Doc
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:17 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go girl. If I had not been so tired I would have remembered my anatomy and cuaght that one.
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the toninator
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 11:13 am GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's been forever but i just saw this, speedy recovery Leslie!

Tyler had to have been on major drugs. I had to bike to the ER after my break but I did it mostly 1 armed. Couldnt imagine trying to race.
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