Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

The pathology for broken collar bones was changing right as I took up mountain biking, and subsequently shattered my collarbone.

It was hotly debated at the hospital, if my specific case should be operated on or not. Each time I had a checkup, one doctor would say "wait and see" while the other was saying "I can't believe we didn't operate on this".

At any rate, the outcome was as good as if they had operated on it, according to the doc anyway. Nice of them to test it out on me!

More related to this though, I have broken both my collarbones, the first time I had little direction and just held my arm still for 2-3 months. It took forever to heal, and my arm atrophied significantly. The second time, similar severity. I was guided through rehab and I was back using my arm within the first month, very little atrophy.

I shattered my collarbone - and I do mean shattered, ~8 pieces - in a mountain bike crash September 2023. I went over the bars after the back wheel of my hardtail caught a berm. Landed on my head and shoulder and compressed it laterally inwards by about 2 inches.

Even with this mess, it was hotly debated for around two weeks whether I needed surgery. A good chunk of my collarbone was trying to push through my skin and the other half was fusing to my scapular and was starting to compromise nerve function. Even then, because the non-surgical route is now considered the standard, I was meeting resistance to have an ORIF. It seems that the about turn from surgical intervention has been so strong that getting ANY surgical intervention is a battle.

I eventually came across a surgeon who took one look at me (never mind the imaging) and scheduled me for surgery. ~18 months later I’m now on a waiting list to have the plate removed, and strangely have gone off cycling… Surfing has happily taken its place.

Also shattered mine mtn biking (2022), and the surgeon scheduled surgery as soon as he saw the x-ray. I broke it twice as a teenager, and went through the sling route for both of those.

The craziest part about the plate is how quickly the pain from instability was relieved. I could finally sleep and honestly could've used my arm at ~80% days after surgery. I still have the plate which causes some discomfort, but I likely won’t worry about it.

In light of the article, I wonder if the plate encouraged/allowed me to use my arm in ways I wasn’t aware of. Funnily enough, it’s almost the definition of a crutch but one that allows me to use my arm more than if I was just hugging my body in an attempt to avoid that sharp pain.

Never lost my fear of the mtb, just focus on the uphill and cross country more.

Do yourself a favor and don't wait too long to get rid of the plate: when you crash on that shoulder again, the collar bone won't be able to do it's job of being the predetermined breaking point that saves the shoulder ligaments from ripping. And the AC ligament, unlike bone, will never recover. Not even with the surgery that you'll then likely need to at least restore the other shoulder ligaments. Fractured collar bone is a feature, not a bug.

Yeah, I failed to get my plate removal appointment in time, then I got a plate replacement appointment on the fast track and the next removal appointment then happened to be almost the same day as the one originally scheduled (the plates for separated shoulder stay in much shorter, and they better should, because they aren't painless at all)