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Smashed my right
clavicule one week ago and just wondering if any other forum members had done the same and how long it took them to get back to playing/practice. I can use hands/wrists/fingers of RH, but am instructed to sit up and keep shoulders back as much as possible.
Would be grateful for any input.
Thanks.
David
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12-13-2017 11:46 AM
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I think I'd trust your doctor over anyone on the forum for this. You wouldn't want to start playing too soon and sabotage your recovery.
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A broken collar bone is very nasty. You don't say how bad the damage is. Severe cases can require surgery.
It usually takes a couple of months to heal given there are no serious complications like nerve damage. Because it's been supported for so long there's usually a certain muscle decline and it'll take almost as long again to restore full strength. It'll also depend on how active you were beforehand, of course.
If you're concerned about guitar playing then you have to be very careful. You can probably use your wrist, fingers, etc, but the playing position required for an archtop is going to strain the arm and shoulder. You should either not do it or do it extremely carefully as you begin to recover. Even if you don't play guitar you should still keep the area mobile, a sensible combination of rest and exercise, but only when it's possible to do so.
Best of luck anyway. You'll probably be fine in the end. I had a friend who smashed his entire shoulder and needed surgery. He's back playing again quite happily after a surprisingly short time, relatively speaking.
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My first thought would be that a thin/solid body would be easier to deal with than an archtop or flat top. Sorry this happened to you, get well soon.
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Opportunity for mental guitar practice. As HR would say you have the best guitar you'll ever have in your head. Pat Metheny his parents took his guitar away because his grades were so bad, Pat said he probably practiced even more with the guitar in his head during that few months. So write lines, compose, find a piano and with one hand do ear training and experiment with sounds. There is a lot of music that you can do while healing and a lot to be learned in the process.
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I broke my left clavicle twice. Once, a complete fracture, in a motorcycle accident. I was on leave before Army helicopter school, and went on into the course, no problems, just over a week later. The break healed with the ends of the break overlapping, so that side is a little shorter, but no real problems. Later I cracked it through the previous break while playing flag football. That time hurt a lot more, but healed ok. All that was a very long time ago, ~45 years. I was young and in very good physical shape, having just left the 82d Airborne Division. It would certainly be much harder to recover now, but still I don't think it would be a terrible injury, nor take a long time to heal enough to play. If it's the right clavicle, it shouldn't be so bad, as long as you can pick without pain. I don't recall having very much pain with my fractures, but then I always try to forget painful experiences.
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Consult with your doctor, and do as s/he says. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
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I dunno.
Start slowly after 8-12 weeks of healing and dedicated PT?
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You guys are amazing - thank you for all responses - all help to form a perspective. Just five days in now since the stupid accident ( involving a valuable Selmer Macaferri, our Citroên C3, our garden slope and the neighbouring farmer's field - but it's a long story).
X-ray yesterday showed a clean break. So, 4 weeks in a figure of eight harness if no surgery is called for at meeting with consultant next Wednesday and then the long haul. Biggest problem at the moment is fluid build up on right hand/arm though I can actually play fingerstyle on a Tele. Need to keep shoulders back.
Timing fits with spending time on setting up new laptop and DAW etc but would sooner be playing.
Thanks to all again.
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When my buddy recovered I'm sure he was playing better than before :-)
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Good luck ! May you have a quick recovery ! My suggestion ( ? ) would be to bring 2 guitars to the Doctor and have him show you exactly what he'd allow you do on each !
Originally Posted by blackcat
And - -I don't know about everyone else, but I'd welcome a long story about / from someone from the south of France, involving a Citroen and Selmer Macaferri. I'm sorry the story involves a car accident, but it would be authentic ( and surely one for the archives here ).
And the south of France is, the south of France. Hint - -I just finished shoveling my driveway here in Wisconsin. And let me tell you, every time I've break a bone or have needed surgery, I never ever did the damage in a location anywhere near as magic as the south of France.
Anyway again good luck !
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Typing difficult - but here goes. En bref! Originally Posted by Dennis D
Arrived home with said guitar having picked it up from my former teacher in order to work on it.
Carefully placed it out of the boot/trunk on the drive, only to look up and see car moving slowly but inexorably in direction of our rear garden/yard - which slopes 20-25deg. Driver's door was open and so ran alongside for maybe 15m hoping to jump in, but speed now increasing inexorably.
Slipped on wet clay and twisted as I turned impacting shoulder. Sat on ground to watch car career ( a further 30m perhaps ) towards our border flimsy fence which it totally smashed, but not before neatly and narrowly passing between two of our poplars. Left hand poplar clipped and closed the door allowing car to continue 60m on its way into adjacent farmer's field. Minimal damage to door. Engine was off all the while so easy to see how momentum gathered.
Farmer is our local maire and he dragged us out with his 'mult-fonction' tractor. Now famous in village and environs.
Today's student cancelled.
Stopping now - hurts!
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Originally Posted by Dennis D
Thanks Dennis. Actually does snow here from time to time ( South West is not quite the same as 'South of.........). Routinely zero or minus 3 eg and has been know to hit -25deg in nearby Cahors. Mostly though, pretty mild.
Still a magic location however.
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I did something similar with my truck. I got out of the truck carrying my Mom's Birthday cake in one hand and apparently didn't put transmission in park. Well while heading to her house, it started rolling down the drive. So with one hand holding the cake I attempted to jump into the moving truck rolling backwards I slipped and fell out of the truck and watched the front driver side tire roll over my calf. The cake as expected ended up in the driveway icing down.
Amazingly I didn't break any bones and being hospital and doctor adverse, I went in a immediately iced the area. On a scale of pain on 1-10 it was an 11. I should have gone to the doctor because three days later the very big hematoma became infected. I then had to head to my GP for a course of antibiotics and a tongue lashing. Three years later the area still shows bruising. Good luck with your recovery.
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I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...
Jeez...take it easy for a bit and heal up. Hope you mend up quick.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks Rob. Your story also makes me feel - not alone in this! Originally Posted by rob taft
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Thanks Brian. Originally Posted by Brian B
I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...
Jeez...take it easy for a bit and heal up. Hope you mend up quick.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
David
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Too many factors involved in clavicula fractures to give a simple answer.
Wikipedia is not always right, but I'd agree in this case:
"Healing time varies based on age, health, complexity, and location of the break, as well as the bone displacement. For adults, a minimum of 2–6 weeks of sling immobilization is normally employed to allow initial bone and soft tissue healing; teenagers require slightly less, while children can often achieve the same level in two weeks. During this period, patients may remove the sling to practice passive pendulum range of motion exercises to reduce atrophy in the elbow and shoulder, but they are minimized to 15–20° off vertical. Depending on the severity of fracture, a person can begin to use the arm if comfortable with movement and no pain results. The final goal is to be able to have full range of motion with no pain; therefore, if any pain occurs, allowing for more recovery time is best. Depending on severity of the fracture, athletes involved in contact sports may need a longer period of rest to heal to avoid refracturing bone. A person should be able to return unrestricted to any sports or work by 3 months after the injury."
If the fracture would be located in the middle third of the clavicula, and would be not more than slightly dislocated, I'd control the tightness of the sling, monitor clinical progress after day one, week one, two, four, six, with X-rays after week one or two and six - if all goes normal. Peripheral lymphedema can be treated; finger exercises basically help.
As soon as no secondary dislocation of the fracture ends, no nervous complication has occurred, and no more pain, etc., results - after two weeks or so - I'd certainly try how to hold and play a lighter and smaller guitar without moving my shoulders... in a controlled and fractionated way.
Speedy recovery!
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I've got to assume professional input here OL'fret? Either way, thanks and especially for second para. Apart from some discomfort at te end of the day-not too bad. main issue seems to be badly swollen RH and arm. X-ray yesterday showed 1 cm gap and a clean break, but with one side of break higher than other - bit like a draw-bridge. Tele definitely seems the way to go. Originally Posted by Ol' Fret
Thanks again,
David
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Originally Posted by blackcat
Thanks David, for taking the time to type that story !
Take care and feel free to include any photo's.
All the best !
Dennis
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I did as well. Only I broke mine twice within 6 months. Both bicycle accidents. The second time destroyed all of the healing that I went through and I still have pain. That was 17+ years ago. The pain doesn't affect my playing, but it is there and I may need a doctor to work on it at some point. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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Mine was about 4 years between breaks. The second was only a crack, though, not a full fracture. Both healed well enough, and I have no pain. The only negative is that my left clavicle is now an inch or so shorter than my right, but it doesn't affect my motion, just my posture very slightly. All in all, just some pain for a short time, and remarkable little of that.
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i used to be an ortho tech 30 years ago so this is my idea. I often had to come up with creative splints, padding, and plaster casting techniques.
With the right kind of padding and guitar strap (maybe a figure of eight) and the right guitar you could put downward traction on the most distally displaced half of your clavicle. You would have to wear the guitar 24/7 so that would mean sleeping in a recliner and sponge baths. I would suggest a throw down guitar like a Harmony with some weights in it such as lead shot in a solid body or semi-hollow, in case you decide you really want to take a shower.
When your clavicle heals and remodels itself, it will already be mended to allow for a guitar to be worn.
HTH
Ted
P.S. Get well soon...remember everything is temporary!
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Yeah, I broke a guys clavicle once. He said it was quite painful. He learned his lesson.
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Just can't seem to get the lead shot these days! Originally Posted by Easy2grasp
i used to be an ortho tech 30 years ago so this is my idea. I often had to come up with creative splints, padding, and plaster casting techniques.
With the right kind of padding and guitar strap (maybe a figure of eight) and the right guitar you could put downward traction on the most distally displaced half of your clavicle. You would have to wear the guitar 24/7 so that would mean sleeping in a recliner and sponge baths. I would suggest a throw down guitar like a Harmony with some weights in it such as lead shot in a solid body or semi-hollow, in case you decide you really want to take a shower.
When your clavicle heals and remodels itself, it will already be mended to allow for a guitar to be worn.
HTH
Ted
P.S. Get well soon...remember everything is temporary!
Great idea nonetheless.
David
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