Ridecamp: [RC] collarbone advice

Have surgery and get it pinned/plated.  Even if the ends do heal eventually on their own, the bone will be 1 1/2 inches shorter than the other one.  I've never broken my collar bone, but I crunched my hand once and broke three of the four hand bones, similar to how you describe your collar bone break, all with varying degrees of overlap.  The doctor screwed two of them, but left the other one alone because he said it wasn't severe enough.  (it only offset about an eighth of an inch.)  The two with screws healed beautifully and have given me no problems at all.  The "minor" one didn't heal right, the corresponding finger doesn't work quite right, and it hurts whenever the weather changes.

I have minimal medical experience either as caregiver or as patient, so you can give my advice the appropriate weight, but if I ever break another bone clean through, it will be pinned/screwed/plated if there is any displacement at all.

Good Luck,
Cristin


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