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[RC] broken bones - screws, plates - rides2far



anyone have experience to share about whether/how this applies to 
having => the bone screwed together after a break? (as in,

theoretically, the 

=> screwing should alleviate any potential harm from starting back too 
=> soon, yes?)


I've had my collarbone plated twice. Right now I have a plate with 9
screws. Before the surgery the bones shifted every time I moved and it
was really painful, so the surgery cured that right off. However, there
was no strength to it as far as being able to put pressure on it. If a
horse pulled on me I absolutely felt it there, even after 6 weeks. Took
longer than that to be able to sleep on my right side so the plate is
*not* a substitute for a bone. Just picture it. You've got a round bone
with a plate on one side. That wouldn't hold in any sort of structure you
built.

Another thing you have to think about with plates is whether to remove
them once you heal. My orthopedic surgeon had been a Navy surgeon for a
long time. He said the Navy had an "all metal out" policy where rods and
plates were to be removed in new recruits. As an example of why he
described a guy who broke a leg with a metal rod in it and it. The rod
just bent so it was stuck at a 45 degree angle till they did surgery.
Since I am considered a "high risk" individual, they recommend that I
have my plate out. The rational being that a collarbone breaking is what
saves the shoulder joint from shattering which is a *much* worse injury. 
I've been trying to find time so schedule its removal for awhile.  If you
want somebody to tell you you're doing the right thing, talk to Amy
Whelen. She did the ROC with a metal rod in her broken femur while the
scar was still pink.

Angie

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