Broken Collarbone, how to stave off boredom

[Frikki]

I just dinged my right collarbone, first time breaking a bone so pretty new to this.

Any advice on how to not completely lose form and motivation during for 6-8 weeks of downtime?
Should I get a steel or titanium plate in my shoulder?
I assume i'll have to get a trainer as riding the old rollers in my state would be dicey at best.

Thanks!

Bonus: gratuitous pic

[jruhlen1980]

I'm not a doctor but I think you should get a carbon fiber plate and fill it with Stans. :)

Sorry about your collarbone man, good luck with your recovery. Maybe walk the dogs a bunch? Or if you don't have dogs, volunteer at the shelter to walk some?

[azrider]

Or maybe just chill out, rest and let your body recuperate.

[Hindmost]

Trainer, one-handed.

[Tony]

Two times with a broken collarbone. The first was bad, doctors used a sling that pulled both shoulders back over the course of healing.
Trainer, lots of squats and lunges!

[Ken Robb]

After a BAD crash my scapula and clavicle were both shattered. The surgeon decided I needed to have both repaired with ti plates/screws to be sure things would heal correctly aligned. I now have some odd-looking bumps along my collar bone but everything works quite well.

[simonov]

Trainer, one-handed.

This + Netflix. Not to push too hard at first, just to keep the legs moving and burn off some energy. Plenty of rest early on and some hard trainer workouts as you get closer to getting the all clear for outdoor riding and your form will be fine. Steering a bike will, however, feel a bit strange.

[shovelhd]

I just dinged my right collarbone, first time breaking a bone so pretty new to this.

Any advice on how to not completely lose form and motivation during for 6-8 weeks of downtime?

I hear this all the time from new racers.

FORGET about your form. You're going to lose it. Your base will be intact, and you'll have to reset back to some point of your build. So don't waste any energy worrying about how much form you've lost, or where you should restart your build.

Pain is going to be your guide for the next few weeks. I have a hard and fast rule. No workouts until I'm off the pain meds, even OTC meds like ibuprofen. Heal first, work out later.

I would get a trainer, any trainer will do. You'll be riding it one handed. Start by just spinning, then you can add a little effort. Pain is your guide.

Good luck.

[earlfoss]

I broke mine last year. The ends of the break were about as far apart as yours seem to be.

I cannot speak to your situation, but I opted to have surgery to get a plate installed. The bone was never going to move back in place and heal normally. I'd have had a large knob of bone and possible functional issues later in life. Getting the surgery put the geometry of my shoulder assembly back where it needed to be so that when healing finally happened, everything was as close to before as it could get.

The healing time of your break will likely be much longer than usual due to the displacement of the broken ends.

PM me if you want more info.

[.RJ]

Get it plated. You'll be functional again around the house the same day. I may have to have my plate taken out at some point but I'm glad I did that, it would have never healed properly otherwise.

My doc said I could run or ride the trainer, it would hurt but I wouldnt damage anything - you wont be able to go very hard at either. I did it for my sanity, but plan on losing any of your top end fitness.

Past that, rest and recover as much as you can. If it hurts to bad to exercise just go for a walk.

[mcteague]

My break was pretty badly displaced. Doctors say that as long as the bones are even close they will reconnect but you may end up a bit lopsided. I got the ti plate, and about 10 screws. Don't know if they still use steel for this.

They did a nerve block and it still hurt like hell when I came to. The nurse warned me the pain would be pretty bad and that meds would not help a whole lot. She was right!

I rode the trainer a few days later and kept the arm in a sling. No rollers at this point! I'm about 2 years out now and can still feel a slight tightness and even a little sting at times. Some have the plate removed but I am going to leave it be for now.

Tim

[Frikki]

Thanks for the input everyone, feels better after hearing from fellow plate peeps.

I'm resigned to taking ~2 months before feeling a semblance of normalcy, and ~3 months before even thinking about taking the bike out, but meanwhile I'll need some exercise, if only to not spiral into depression

Anybody in the NYC area looking to sell a trainer now that the weather is turning for the better?

[BobO]

Should I get a steel or titanium plate in my shoulder?

I have had both (though not collarbone), with the steel there is sometimes discomfort with changes in season and weather. I was a human barometer for many years. I have not had this issue with the titanium that replaced the steel.

[FlashUNC]

Don't sweat the fitness. Just heal.

[SoCalSteve]

I just dinged my right collarbone, first time breaking a bone so pretty new to this.

Any advice on how to not completely lose form and motivation during for 6-8 weeks of downtime?
Should I get a steel or titanium plate in my shoulder?
I assume i'll have to get a trainer as riding the old rollers in my state would be dicey at best.

Thanks!

Bonus: gratuitous pic

Steel go with Kirk, Ti...Moots.

Little Paceline humor ( emphasis on little ).

Good luck!!!

[Frikki]

Steel go with Kirk, Ti...Moots.

Little Paceline humor ( emphasis on little ).

Good luck!!!

Oh trust me, if I had the option, I would stamp the plate with something (is this a business idea?)

[shovelhd]

As for the surgery questions, I'm a big proponent of removable implants. Plates and screws are great until you get back into race shape, lean out, and then the hardware starts to become an irritant. I shattered my left collarbone into eight pieces and opted for a removable screw. Great decision. It's a trade off between slightly longer healing time and a second minor surgery to remove the rod in the doctors office, and a bit shorter healing time and a major surgery to remove screws and plates.

[regularguy412]

My collar bone break left it in three pieces. It healed in the 'classic' bayonnet fashion. So I gots a slight z-shape where one end kinda grew back above the other. Works fine tho. A few years before that break, I managed to crash in a race get a 2nd degree shoulder separation on that same side. I have lots more trouble out of that, since I never had the shoulder surgically 'tightened up'. It's not a big deal, but that side seems to get tired a bit sooner than the right shoulder.

When you can, get back on the trainer and just ride one handed. It'll help your mind and the healing process.

Mike in AR:beer:

[Rekalcitrant]

I broke a clavicle into 6 pieces in early November. I had it plated more or less end to end. I was riding a trainer one handed at about 2weeks with some discomfort, and a few weeks after that was able to work pretty hard on rollers if I wanted to. I waited for an X-ray that showed real bone development before I started riding on the road, which in my case took a few months. Almost 5 months out I'm now doing whatever I want on the road and a bit of more-careful-than-usual trail riding. I have some numbness and tension and the plate feels (and looks) pretty weird sometimes, but I'm happy with how things are going. One suggestion: if you really want to do what you can to preserve fitness while you heal and aren't used to putting in time on a trainer, a smart trainer and Zwift subscription can make it a lot easier. I sucked it up and bought a KICKR and it made it a lot easier to suffer inside.

[R3awak3n]

I went with stainless, doc didn't give me a choice but I did ask him why he didn't put some Ti in and he looked at me weird.

You should get a kickr because not only is awesome but it is the best for 1 handed workouts since you can put it on erg mode and just let it switch resistance for ya.