Broken Collar Bone

[lancerplayer 0]

Anyone break there collar bone before? Doc told me 6-8 weeks, but was wondering if anyone came back sooner. Any exercises I should be doing to "speed up" the healing process?

[Krev 86]

I broke my collar bone about 6 weeks ago. Left clavicle. There is really nothing you can do to speed up the recovery, other than not fall on it. I was back on the ice and skating 2 weeks after the injury, no practices, just skating. Back in practice with light contact in 4, and earlier this week doctor said 2 weeks and I'm cleared for games.

One thing that helped me though, is I slept with two pillows tucked behind my back, so I didn't rollover on my clavicle. Made sleeping a lot easier.

[Maka 0]

I broke mine earlier this year on May 5th. The doc said I shouldn't even be lifting for 6-8 weeks, and no contact sports for 6 months. That being said, I heeded his advice regarding lifting (I've heard some horror stories about unhealed clavicles and shoulder presses), but ignored the hockey part. I went back to skating at stick-and-puck after about 4-5 weeks, and was playing full contact within 3 months.

It really does depend on your fracture. If there's no displacement and you don't need surgery, then you're in the same boat as me most likely. If you do need surgery, you're SOL for a fair amount of time. But try to play it safe if you can.

[Trooper 8]

Depends on the break. Mine was absolutely shattered. The x-ray just showed pieces of bone instead of a clean break. Mine obviously took a lot longer to heal than what has been said above.

[lancerplayer 0]

The break I have is a "wedge" or "hinge". It is not completely separated, so that should speed things up, hopefully.

[Krev 86]

Does it look anything like this?

[zales17 0]

Broke mine in bantam hockey...My only bit of advice is to WEAR YOUR SLING!!! Im living with that mistake every day now. I wore it for about 3 weeks, but stick it out as long as the doc is calling for. Not only do I have one shoulder that is lower than the other (leading to bad posture) but I also have stretched ligaments that allow my shoulder to sublux (partially dislocate) even from the most innocent movements. The only remedy now is to bulk up in the gym and strengthen that area as a preventative measure. Good luck and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

[barrett 0]

Here is one.

Another.

[lancerplayer 0]

Krev, it looks similar to that break.

[Krev 86]

Well, as I stated in my above post, that's how long it took me to get back, seeing as how that was my break. Granted, we took risks. Rushed back a little faster than my coach liked, but in the end he didn't complain. Needed to get back as soon as I could for a Dallas tournament.

[willy0314 0]

Does it look anything like this?

"green stick" fracture. I did the same thing to mine (although a bit more drastic then that X-ray shows) about 8 years ago except on the other side. I broke it on Halloween, Took till about mid January till I was back at 100%.

Flipped a quad, ended up being forced to drive it home with one arm <_< The break itself didn't hurt very badly, but when they took the Xrays, the nurse was moving my arm around and I wanted to slap her. Not good when you can feel bones grinding around in your shoulder.

[Penguinsfanatic 0]

I broke mine 2 years ago wrestling in college, I was out 8-9 weeks. Don't expect it to feel the same, I have lingering problems with mine still aches and pains. There are some days when it bothers me so much when I'm sleeping that i can't at all....I lift all the time and some times it bothers me sometimes then too, prepare for some bad aches and pains during recovery.

[twister18 1]

I broke mine 2 years ago wrestling in college, I was out 8-9 weeks. Don't expect it to feel the same, I have lingering problems with mine still aches and pains. There are some days when it bothers me so much when I'm sleeping that i can't at all....I lift all the time and some times it bothers me sometimes then too, prepare for some bad aches and pains during recovery.

same here, i broke mine back in '96, had to have a plate put in to stabilize the area, and later had rotator cuff surgery on the same shoulder......still bugs the hell outta me, especially when i sleep on it funny.....

[Penguinsfanatic 0]

I broke mine 2 years ago wrestling in college, I was out 8-9 weeks. Don't expect it to feel the same, I have lingering problems with mine still aches and pains. There are some days when it bothers me so much when I'm sleeping that i can't at all....I lift all the time and some times it bothers me sometimes then too, prepare for some bad aches and pains during recovery.

same here, i broke mine back in '96, had to have a plate put in to stabilize the area, and later had rotator cuff surgery on the same shoulder......still bugs the hell outta me, especially when i sleep on it funny.....

dude my girlfriend gets so pissed at me cause when we are sleeping together and it bothers me ya know.....and sometimes its painful and I'm all fidgety at like 3 in the morning I just laugh cause it pisses her off cause i wake her up when she is laying on me lol

[lancerplayer 0]

Quick update...

It's been broken 2 months exactly (happened Nov 7) and I'm still not playing. Just since last Thursday I've been practicing, but with no contact. Still can't shoot anywhere near as hard as I could and still no slap shots. It is a little sore after practice so icing it after helps. Went for a 2 mile run today and felt fine until now. It's sore and when I move I feel a sharp pain. Hopefully just from not moving it for so long. An x-ray is coming up on Weds. so I hope everything is good to go so I can start playing again. Missing 30 games is no fun at all.

[DBLMINR 0]

i broke mine once, it just takes a bit to heal, mine never really felt the same after the injury either

[cp16 0]

quick question, i didnt break my collarbone but i did sprain it at a hockey tournament around 2 weeks ago. I have a tryout coming up however it still occassionally hurts wen i do quick movements, cant shoot at 100% yet and after practice it does feel sore. Would it be a bad idea to attend the tryouts, or woudl it be alright???

[bekster 0]

Hi

I broke my collar bone yesterday in a game, x-ray shows a straight clean fracture and i have to wear these slings that pull my shoulders back. Doc said i have to wear it 3-4 weeks, but he didnt tell me when i can get back on the ice, cause it depends on how well it heals (x-rays again in 1 week).

But i think im probably done for the rest of the season ...

lancerplayer, are you playing full contact again now?

[iNEEDmoney 0]

I broke my collarbone into 3 pieces at the end of december...seems to be healing well...hoping to start skating next month...i know for sure im not in a hurry to get hit again rebreaking it is the last thing i want

[lancerplayer 0]

I got my final x-ray last Wed. and the doc said I can play in games, obviously meaning contact. It has almost been 3 months since my last game (happened on Nov 7 and it is now Feb 4). I can shoot hard again and stick handle with no pain. I'm just sore in my chest and shoulder from not using the muscles for 3 months. This will be my first full week of hockey (4 practices and 2 games) and I can't wait to see how everything goes. I'm praying it doesn't break again because being out for 3 more months will kill me. Wish me luck, guys...

bekster- My advice to you is wear your sling as your doc told you to. Follow what he said and don't mess around. Rest. Maybe hit the bike a few days during the week to keep your legs/lungs. Also, using a heating pad every night before bed for 15-20 mins seemed to help me. My doc told me heating increases blood flow, therefore increasing the healing process. Take a multi vitamin everyday as well as drink plenty of milk to get that calcium.

[Krev 86]

I got my final x-ray last Wed. and the doc said I can play in games, obviously meaning contact. It has almost been 3 months since my last game (happened on Nov 7 and it is now Feb 4). I can shoot hard again and stick handle with no pain. I'm just sore in my chest and shoulder from not using the muscles for 3 months. This will be my first full week of hockey (4 practices and 2 games) and I can't wait to see how everything goes. I'm praying it doesn't break again because being out for 3 more months will kill me. Wish me luck, guys...

bekster- My advice to you is wear your sling as your doc told you to. Follow what he said and don't mess around. Rest. Maybe hit the bike a few days during the week to keep your legs/lungs. Also, using a heating pad every night before bed for 15-20 mins seemed to help me. My doc told me heating increases blood flow, therefore increasing the healing process. Take a multi vitamin everyday as well as drink plenty of milk to get that calcium.

@bekster: The heat will help increase blood flow like lancerplayer said, and you can ride the bike as much as you want so long as you don't bob around in the seat too much. Vitamins, orange juice, milk, all the stuff that will give you calcium will help in the long run. It won't speed up your recovery fast enough to make a difference as far as your body is concerned.

lancer, 3 months should be enough time. I don't think you'll have any problems other than being tight/sore in your chest, as you mentioned. That being said, if you do get hit hard enough that it feels like something is a little off, chances are you're still bruised, and that will trigger more blood flow to further help your collarbone heal. I'm not saying go out looking to get hurt by any means, but what I'm saying is that taking a good size hit isn't going to hurt you. However, I wish you the best of luck in your first week back. :)

[bekster 0]

Hi

thanks for your answers i appreciate every advice!!

How did you all manage to sleep comfortably? Laying down and getting up still hurts like hell ...

And when you got back on the ice, were you afraid for some time to hit/ take a hit with that shoulder or going into the corners?

[Krev 86]

I slept on my side, on my good shoulder, obviously. I put a good size pillow behind my back, and taped it around my bed to the underside of my bed where the wood is so it would hold. That way I wouldn't roll over, and I usually sleep on my stomach, so this really helped. Getting back on the ice for the first time, yeah, a little tentative, but I steered clear of any contact and did all the drills that I could. I couldn't shoot really well, but handling the puck and passing weren't too big of an issue.

[lancerplayer 0]

Hi

thanks for your answers i appreciate every advice!!

How did you all manage to sleep comfortably? Laying down and getting up still hurts like hell ...

And when you got back on the ice, were you afraid for some time to hit/ take a hit with that shoulder or going into the corners?

I slept on my back. I usually slept on my sides and had to force myself to lay still and not roll over. Do whatever works for you. You will get into your own routine within a few nights. I know what you mean when you say getting up hurts, but you will find a way to do daily things (such as getting in/out of bed) with one arm. It just takes a little time to figure it out and get going.

Regarding going back on the ice...I went back on around 5-6 weeks later (when the doc said I could). It was painful to shoot/pass, but stick handling was okay. I decided it wasn't worth loosing an edge and falling on the shoulder resulting in slowing the healing process. I took weeks off the ice and just let things heal. Heating, sometimes even twice, a day seemed to help me the most along with multi vitamins and milk, as I mentioned earlier. During my time off the ice, I rode the bike, did some one legged squats, some leg presses and some ladder drills just so I wouldn't lose too much of what I had. Going back on the ice now I noticed my lungs still are weak and need to build them back up, but my legs are still strong. I can shoot and pass hard again even take full slap shots. I have yet to take a hit, though. I've been bumped around a little and given a few shoves here and there and nothing hurts. I play on Saturday/Sunday so I don't plan on taking a big hit in practice (which is how I got hurt in the first place) to see what happens. I am just going to go out there and play like I normally do and try not to think about it. I hope everything turns out well.

[iNEEDmoney 0]

when i first broke my collarbone i slept all the way back in a recliner it was easier to get in and out of and i really didn't have to worry about rolling over