I broke mine yesterday morning while riding home from a party. I had a blood alcohol level of 1.09 and was riding fixed gear, so I really only have myself to blame. I had not ridden FG in a long time and had decided to take it that night because I was bored with my daily bike, and while riding downhill I was bucked off and landed heavily on my right side.
It was a quiet back street, and I lay on the road and tried not to move until any pain kicked in, as I knew that I had probably done something serious. Some bystanders arrived; paramedics, luckily, as I had crashed right outside of a hospital. I hobbled into Emergency with what I thought to be a dislocated shoulder. X-rays revealed a cleanly broken Clavicle.
I was told on the night in hospital that surgery was usually reserved for 'elite sportsman', or people who's work involves a lot of physical movement and lifting, however since talking to another doctor I understand that advancements have been made recently that have made surgery a good option for everybody. Instead of joining the two with a plate, a metal rod is inserted through the back of the shoulder that pins the bone together, and then removed once the bone has healed after 6 weeks. I was told that recovery time is sped up dramatically, the bone heals better without deformity and the risk of long term complication is lowered. This was a concern of mine, as bicycles are both my transport and recreation, and having long term pain or a seriously weakened clavicle would impact heavily on my ability to cycle. I have opted for the surgery and will probably be having it tomorrow.
The first day was very hard, it was a shock both physically and mentally, and I was still stressed at the prospect of such an interruption to life. I study full time and work two jobs, and so I'll be missing a week of uni and catching up during the holidays. I will continue to work one of my jobs for 2 days a week, but I'll be pretty useless at my job in a bike shop, and the timing for them is not good. I would say that at least 2 days rest would be necessary, the initial painkillers make you quite woozy and any movement is difficult. A weeks rest would be better to allow for surgery before the bone re knits.
I would be keen to hear other experiences with broken Clavicals, especially relating to surgery, recovery, a '2 years on' sort of thing, and any tips for completing everyday tasks.
Also: fixed gear for sale, going cheap! I'll stick to freewheelin'
