Broken clavicle needing a plate with screws

by Rose
(Australia)

I am an avid bike rider, ever since I was 2, now 57. I never had a serious accident ever, rode very long distances, up and down mountains, mostly road riding, but also mountain biking. But last winter (now 8 weeks ago in Australia) I was going to a group ride location and I hit a patch of black ice, and suddenly was on the road, shoulder first. The resulting x-ray showed I had a dislocated fracture of the distal clavicle. I had to have it surgically repaired, and now have a plate with screws holding it together.

The plate sticks up through my skin and looks scary (and hurts me) and my neck muscles are extremely painful. I am counting the days till my clavicle is healed and the plate can come out as I am also a back packing bushwalker and mountaineer and while this plate is high up and almost not quite under my skin, I can not carry a pack. It was indeed a vexed moment when black ice upended me so quickly that I could not prevent the fall in any way at all.

I have been doing gentle exercises and now 6 weeks post surgery have almost full movement and rotation back though lifting heavy things is still off limits due to pain. My usual running of 14km daily has been replaced by more than 2 hours of rapid walking daily, and I have kept up my fitness (and worn out my shoes) adequately, and regularly walk up to 35 km a day just to keep my need for exercise satisfied when I can't run or ride yet. It is still a long way to go till I lose this plate, but the day will come, and I will rejoice.

Just that it peeves me to read that 99.9% of all clavicle fractures do not need surgery. Why should mine be one of the .1% that does!