delayed corrective clavicle surgery

[dnolan]

I fractured my clavicle skiing 11 years ago and at the time opted for a non surgical solution.
Since then the clavicle in question is clearly shorter which has put my whole skeleton out of balance which I believe caused my body to compensate.
In my opinion and this has been shared by others, this imbalance has directly led to a diagonal stress across the body which over time has resulted in lower back herniation and an inguinal hernia requiring surgery.
My question is, at this late point would corrective surgery, including screws and plates to bring the clavicle back to the correct length, reduce such secondary symptoms and indeed be a reasonable option at this time?

[Frederiek]

YES YES YES. It is the only thing I can say.

I broke my collarbone one year ago when I was hit by a car. It sort of grew back together in a ^ shape, which resulted in a lot of problems. Besides my regular study I always had ambitions to go to the conservatory but I had to quit after half a year because I am not able to play guitar or violin anymore.

Like you, I opted for the regular solution but I wish I hadn't. For weeks I had physical therapy but nothing worked. First I only had pain in the shoulder and muscles in the back of my shoulder but now I also have severe headaches every day all day long and every my back feels worse. It seems like it is also spreading through to my arms (my left arm, on which side the bone was broken, is hanging nearly 5 cm lower than the other), neck, lower back, everything. Sometimes I even have trouble standing up straight. I am trying to get surgery but it is not easy to find someone who wants to do it, many doctors find it somehow unnecessary :(

If I may give you the advice again, listen to your body and get this fixed. This small displacement can even lead to arthritis and hernia and etc etc. The thing they do is breaking the bone again (or they saw it through) and they place a plate over it with some screws that go into the bone. I've heard that this kind of surgery is very well known, every bicycle racer has had his collarbone(s) broken at least once, and that they do it every day.

Don't wait any longer. Good luck!

Frederiek
(***@****)

[DrNavneetMD]

Hello daer,
If the clavicle heals in a displaced position, this is called a 'malunion'. This is accompanied by a deformity in the clavicle.
This can lead to ongoing shoulder problems, especially in athletes and manual workers. Significant shortening of the clavicle can alter the normal alignment of the shoulder girdle leading to dysfunction with high demand activities.
Refer http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/article.asp?article=636

Displaced mid shaft fractures of the clavicle result in some degree of shortening and rotation. These fractures often heal with some degree of malunion which can be symptomaticSuch patients with a symptomatic malunion of the clavicle were treated by means of a corrective osteotomy with plate and screw fixation.After a duration of 37 months there was a significant improvement in 80% of patienets and20% had  complications  resulting from the surgical procedure

Refer http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2322841
You should consult a orthopedic physician and discuss all the possibilities regarding this.
Best