Dislocated collarbone

Has anyone ever had surgery on their collarbone? I am having surgery in  a few days... and I am wondering how bad the scar will be. I have a dislocated collarbone (Where the collarbone meets the breast bone) and the surgery is going to make it a stable joint.

Has anyone else had a surgery like this? Or something like it?
Can you give me info on the scar or pictures?


Thanks!
Shannon Wooten

[Enoch Choi]

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/shoulderelbow/a/scjoint.htm
is a good article on the problem

http://images.google.com/images?q=sternoclavicular%20dislocation
are good pictures, although none of a post-surgical scar.  It shouldn't scar much since it's small incisions

Enoch Choi, MD

[shannonwooten]

Thanks, I appreciate your response! I checked out the links. The first one was very helpful and the second one was neat.
THanks.

[Enoch Choi]

You're welcome!

Enoch Choi, MD

[monkey269]

I had dislocated my sc joint in a motocross wreck. It took me forever to find a surgeon just to be willing to help. They took my palmaris longus tendon out of my wrist and drilled some holes in the clavicle and tied it back to my sternum. For two years I delt with sleepless nights and knots in my neck muscles. I had the surgery and things seemed to be better for a few months while I was in a sling. Now that I am out I have the same old pains and my collarbone clicks and pops just as much as before. It seems like it just "undid" itself. I find it hard to believe that this is a career ending injury.

[JainMD]

Hi,
How are you feeling?
I feel sorry for you that an injury like this can be career ending.
The clavicle serves as the primary bony connection between the thorax and upper limb.
Clavicle fractures are primarily direct trauma to shoulder girdle. In the adult, clavicle fractures typically result from sports or motor vehicle accidents and are caused by a direct blow to the shoulder.
The mainstay of treatment for improvement is physical therapy and analgesics.
Codman exercises should be instituted early in the course, using a pendulum-type movement of the shoulder with the trunk bent and supported. Passive ROM to the overhead position increases as the pain diminishes in several weeks. Strengthening exercises are used when pain resolves.
Prognosis in patients with displaced fractures develops a generally asymptomatic deformity from the fracture. Functional deficits are unusual but can occur with markedly displaced fractures. Return to full function should occur by 6 to12 weeks.
The average recovery is 4 months after injury. Some patients require >6 months to recover fully.
I think you need to see an orthopaedician as early as possible for further intervention. I would recommend you to see another orthopedist this time around.
Keep me informed if you have any queries.
Bye

[trimbo]

hi, am 16 and have dislocated my clavical at the brest bone. i have been told by doctors that i have streached my tendons and that is why my coller bone is not going back and staying in place. i had alot of pain at first but after two and a half weeks it only hurts when i use my arm to lift something heavy. i did it falling of my bike in a 4 x race. is this going to mean i cant ride again? i did try ride today, but just pulling the front wheel up on a curb hurt! the doctors have told me to leave it for 3 weeks and return if the pain is still present. is there something i can do to ensure i will ride again? thank you

[Brokenpath]

Don't worry! I had  the exact same injury also bmxing.

It's going to hurt for quite a while and it's going to hurt bad but my collarbone is still dislocated and i can't tell the difference whatseover at all. It's just visual.

I was scared too because the doctor said that it will NEVER go back to normal but after 30 years it will be close.. LOL!

Yeah just leave it alone for a month or so.

After a while you'll be back on your bike again don't worry

[dukes831]

i dislocated my collarbone in a motocross wreck, i went to the er they took x rays and said it had torn ligaments and dislocated it happened two weeks ago my bone is still protruding is this normal or should i consult another doctor

[daisey16]

my friend broke her collar bone and got surgery, I don't think the scar was bad,

[hali66]

I was at a concert and tried to catch my friend as she fell off someones shoulders, ever since then my collorbone has been dislocated, i did it in march and now its late september. its taken me this long to get past doctors saying just take antiinflamitories and rest. now i have been prescribed arthritis medication and if that doesnt reduce the inflamtion in 2 weeks, ill have to get quarterzone injections. I am so scared, has anyone had them in there collarbone? the doctor said it can be dangerous because of the arteries behind???

[Dowsey_No11]

I dislocated my collarbone (x-ray pic shud be my profile pic) on 22nd Jan 2009. This was somehow missed by the original A&E doctor that examined my x-ray that night who told me that if it still hurting in 6mths to come back and have it looked at again! It was only because I flatly refused to leave that I was eventually given an appt at the fracture clinic the following Tuesday where a different Doc said that it was dislocated.

My questions are
1. how long can I expect to be in pain for roughly? the doc has not suggested an operation just sent me packing with a sling on and told me to come back in a month or so ... he also said that Rugby players that get this injury normally have a sling on for a couple of weeks and then are back playing 3-4 wks later ... well i'm a day or 2 short of 3 wks and I dont think there is anyway that I'd be able to play football/soccer.
2. should this be operated on ... they doc that i saw said he would advise against it but if I had seen his colleague he would strongly suggest an operation

Help please

[helanne]

I am 15, I dislocated my collarbone in november 2007, it took me 3 months in a sling, 6 months of physio and countless hospital visits before my physio finally found a surgen who was willing to help. I was reffered to a doctor in leicester who decided to operate in june this year after i finnish my gcse's. i'd say you should have physio before turning to surgery, physio definatly helped me, but it still popped when i lift my arm, i'm a dancer and need my arm, and at the moment i get really bad aching pains when i lift my arm and for a while after it's down.
hope this helped.

[danielbman]

yo. my xray looks exactly the same as yours. just different side.
I had xray at a+e then got fracture clinic appointment another xray and the only option i got was an operation to have a hook plate put in. now it hurt like hell coming out of my anestetic but after a good hit on the morphine it was just uncomfortable. the plate has 2 come out hopefully sooner rather than late cos i dont wanna ruin my summer season wakeboarding. http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/documents/synthes_clavicle_hook.pdf this shows what i had done pg 5.

there seem to be 2 opions on our injury.
hook plate sugery
or conservative sling.

apprently ill get good movement back soon but i won't be able to lift my arm above shoulders till the plate comes out.

Peace out

[cpsystem32]

i dislocated my collar playing football. i went to a physical therapist and he told me i also messed up my rib and dislocated my collarbone. i had pain from the top of my shoulder down my triceps. i could not pick up my phone to my ear from the pain.I could barely drive my standard car cause shifting hurt and shake people hands hurt too.  He told me i got tendonitis as a result from dislocating my collar bone. He gave me some work outs using therapy bands. Two days after starting them i could do push up, dribble a basketball and lift heavy objects. The only pain i have know is from my rib. The therapist told me my rib cause inflammation which is why when i reach down to pick stuff up with my hurt arm, which is my right arm, i fell pain. He told me after he push my rib back into place that a day or two and that pain will be gone. He said as soon as that pain was good i could start working again.

couple thing he told me about dislocated shoulders:
the shoulder joint will strengthen naturally.
almost all the time you dislocate your shoulder you do not fell pain at the point of the joint but down your shoulder.
And he also told me rarely do people need surgery to fix it

Hope this information helps

[pretzle09]

hello there, i dislocated my collarbone over 15 years ago and have only just found this site.  various operations were discussed, fusing the shoulder originally then 5 years ago the use of tendons from the wrist but again refused as only within a 10% chance of success. the pain comes and goes but my problem is now my hand and i am getting know where.  it is the hand on the side of the collarbone, i get pins and needles, swelling and i cannot write for more than a couple of mins.  typing this and i have now got sharp pains in the wrist. arthrits ruled out, nerve testing revealed nothing any one any ideas and possibly sufferd the same????

[worriedmom1234440]

My 15 yr old son has a sternoclavicular dislocation.  The doctor put him a figure 8 brace and a sling.  Return in 2 weeks for a follow up.  He claims surgery to put the bone back in place has typically caused more problems than just leaving it out.  Will it be ok to just leave it dislocated? Does anyone know if he will have full use of his arm in the future and how long it will take.  Will he be able to play basketball as he just made the basketball team at his high school.  

[rob49]

hi im so worried and anxious, regarding surgery to my right sc clavicle joint. only not much has been written about it being a very rare injury. most of the information ive seen so far is not good, is there anyone that has good news regards surgery and prognosis? thank you

[MilBratGrownUP]

I recently fell during a run and impacted my shoulder very hard. The er took x-rays confirming my shoulder wasn't dislocated. I got an MRI which the Orthopedic told me showed torn ligaments and rotator cuff damage. I am currently in physical therapy to try and repair the damage. I also have the protruding collarbone as I think you've described. It almost looks like the collar bone isn't attached to the shoulder joint and is sticking up out of my shoulder. the Orthopedic didn't seem concerned with it so I assumed it was just part of the injury and very common. it has been about a month and the bone is still protruding, though much of the pain(not all) has subsided, and I have greater mobility. It is still very weak. I also found this article describing what is part of my injury. After reviewing the MRI written report I confirmed that I had damage to the Acromioclavicular tendon. This is causing the collar bone to stick up. Here are some sites I found with information:
http://www.shoulderinstitute.co.za/publications/acjd%20web_watermark.pdf

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/1115/p1947.html

[smeghead660]

hi folks , would just like to say i had surgery to repair a sternoclavicular partial dislocation as the tendons/ligaments never healed properly. i also had some arthritis cleaned up, the op was a success and seems to have stabilised the bone but it has only been 3 weeks since the op. just started to take arm out of sling and getting some movement back into the area, so only time will tell if has solved the problem.
the scarring is minimal if anyone is worried.
was wondering if anyone knew of a good site that shows some exercises to do.

[skp4life]

how did ur surgery go

[cricketke]

I have not had dislocation, but I did have a severe fracture of the middle of the collarbone when I was 19 due to a car accident.  When it didn't heal conservatively, I had to have surgery on it.  They put in a plate, 8 screws and a bone graft from my hip.  A year later, they had to go in and remove the plate and screws because the screw heads were wearing into the skin and making it very thin over them.  But even after two surgeries, I have a scar that runs the length of my clavicle, but it is not very noticable at all.  The scar on my hip is hard to find.  Only if you are looking for it, can you see it.  For a while after the incision heals, there will be a noticeable scar but your skin has to take time to heal.  I don't know how long the incision will be or anything like that, but within a few years, you won't hardly even notice it.  I know that sounds like a long time, but it isn't in the length of your life.  You might also try Mederma.  My dtr is using that on a surgical scar she has and it seems to be lightening the scar.  Just make sure you keep sunscreen on the scar for the first few years especially.  That will help.

[Redhill]

I need to find a good surgeon for a anterior sternalclavical dislocation. Please help.

[tomRs]

Hi,
I dislocated my collar few years ago (will be 3years this september, i was 17), i did this playing football.  I did not realize at first untill a few hours later, i had no pain which was strange.  I was about to get shower and saw that my collar bone was poping out near my sternum.  I told my dad and he moved my arm around turning it etc and i blacked out.  Went to A&E had x-ray etc and they said i had dislocated it at the sternum and the joint near my arm.  All they did was put it in a sling and to rest it.  I went to a bone specialist and they said they couldnt do anything, they said if i had surgery  it could cause more pain.  I was playing football again in 3 weeks due to my passion for football.  Now from time to time it pops out and is clearly visible.  It hurts and cause me some pain, other week i woke up with it hurting before a football match, i played this football game and i felt sick, went dizzy and got headache so had to come off.  Im quite scared that this is going to carry on for rest of my life :/ would like some advice on what i should do, i was thinking about going to doctors see if i can get refured to anywhere to have a second look or at least get some strong painkillers.

Thanks

[jusheretohelp]

For a dislocated collar bone: it just needs to be set back in place. If a collar bone has moved more than 5mm then it is considered unstable (dislocated). I was in a wreck in which the car I was in flipped about 8 times at 75 mph due to a blown out tire. So collar bone dislocated, ribs moved, sternum curved at the top, neck messed up, AC joint, rotator cuff...the list goes on...That was November 2010. Had tons of xrays taken, all of which showed these injuries but none of which i was told about when it came to the bones. I was advised physical therapy, for which is not helpful in setting bones to their original positions, such as the collar bone, nor is it good for connective tissue repair (all those joints keeping the collar bone and other bones in their place). Physical therapy is good for other types of injuries. If someone has something like a collar bone dislocated, then physical therapy does more harm than....ok does harm IF done too early before the bone has been set back.
So since november I have been unable to use my right arm to its full potential and do anything more rigorous than walking (track/cross country/ swimming/ dancing/ breathing normal=me before the wreck)
CHIROPRATORS are absolutely amazing. I started seeing one about two-three weeks ago (feb 2011). My collar bone, ribs, neck, found out my elbow was out of place, are being set back in place as we speak, after three months of being in the wrong position and not knowing it. My entire right arm started getting this tingly, numb feeling and getting progressively worse with Physical therapy and now thanks to my massage therapist (comes with chiropractor), I am getting the feeling back in my arm. What a dislocated collar bone does is press on the main nerve that runs from your neck to, well, the rest of your body soooo having that thing, and any bone, out of place is reeeeally not good. So any neck pain, headaches, tingly feeling, you name, can be gotten rid by seeing a chiroprator and massage therapist (rehabilitation massage, not just some nice back rub)
Not bumping doctors or physical therapy. They just learn different areas of study than a chiropractor does, or say a knee surgeon or nutritionist. (They should really all work together....)
BTW, even if its been a few years or your bone is waaaaaay out of place, better to get it fixed later than never...