Recovering from broken collarbone...

Mppsu2003 said:

Hi all,
I broke my left collarbone in a crash two days
ago.....
1) It says 6-8 weeks to heal ...does that mean fully
healed, like I can go about my normal physical activity?
Or is that just for the bone itself to "fuse" back
together?

That's mainly for the actual bone to fuse. Full recovery usually takes longer. Rehab, mobility exercises, strength etc.

Mppsu2003 said:

2) Is surgery common for displaced fractures? The ER
didn't seem to think it was severe enough, but you read
a lot of different things.

There's a HUGE variability in that. I have one friend who looks like he has a half a golf ball stuck under his skin from a dispaced fracture decades ago that the docs didn't think was worth operating on.
He still can't carry a backpack b/c of that. I have another friend who is an amateur racer. He's so far down the rankings that he'll never make the headlines, but he's racer enough to have an extended athletic insurance policy. He got surgery and could use the arm on the injured side w/o pain for everyday stuff(eating, drinking etc) the day after surgery.

Mppsu2003 said:

3) About how many days should I expect before I can
move the arm a little at all..IE when it gets easier to put
a shirt on, which right now is difficult.

Can't help you there, sorry. it's too long since I broke mine. Don't remember clearly.

Mppsu2003 said:

4) Can I worsen the fracture by moving my arm?

It's broken already, so making it broken-er is kinda difficult. But you can worsen the alignment. Or possibly break chips off the ends.
I'd expect that to hurt considerably, and take something else than normal motions to happen.
If you're unlucky, you can keep the fracture so "unsettled" that the ends heal over w/o joining up, forming a kind of false joint.Takes surgery to fix.
Quite uncommon though.

I broke my collar bone, shoulder, arm, several ribs and cracked my shins in a motorcycle crash, many years ago. (A helmet saved my life as I came down head first on the road.) It was six months before I could return to (light) work, and a full year before I was back to normal. It's one of those things with which patience is needed. I know how frustrating that is, but until science invents a pill that instantly heals broken bones, we have no other option.

You probably hate the idea, but you're just going to have to take it easy for a few weeks. If you try to rush it, the bone won't heal properly and you'll just prolong your healing process. A good way to gauge your situation is let the pain be your guide; if it hurts, don't do it! The first 2-3 weeks are the most critical for getting the bone fusion process going. After that, you should notice a significant reduction in pain and you'll be able to put light pressure on the injured bone, which will actually help it heal at that point. You should be able to gradually increase the pressure on the arm until the 6 week point when the bone is healed. Again, if it hurts, back off. Most importantly, work with your Ortho and follow his recommendations.

If you have an indoor trainer, you can still work your lower body to maintain your fitness, but don't put any pressure on the injured arm. Especially early on, your body needs to focus on healing your injury, so any workouts should be pretty light. You can increase the intensity as you heal.