Sorry to hear about the trouble that you are having. I was a 30 yo female at the time I fell off a horse in May 2004 and decided to straight away have my collarbone plated and screwed with 7 screws. The break was bad - right in the middle of the bone and the two ends of the bone were overlapping in the middle by about an inch or more. Ortho surgeon advised me to have the suregery as otherwise the shoulder would drop and be brought forward more than the other one if left to heal on its own. I had surgery, then after about 5 months found out that it wasn't joining, and had to have the wound reopened and a bone graft taken from my hip. Now after all this time, I finally had my last xray last week and it has joined together. The plate and screws irritates me - especially as it is my right side and where I wear a seatbelt (in Australia), it aches sometimes and feels "stiff" and it is cold in winter. Anyway, I just wanted to sympathise with you over your scar too - because that is hard to deal with as a woman - looking at it every day - deciding what you will and won't wear because of it etc. My scar is 10cm (3-4 inches) long and after being opened already twice - it is thicker than just a line. I have decided for now not to have the plate and screws removed because I don't want another operation and to go through the healing process with the skin again. The skin in that whole area has become very sensitive and now allergic to sticky plasters etc. Unfortunately most of the healing done by skin is due to your 'genetics' and I have tried so many different creams - and they haven't really done anything. I was lucky that my plate didn't break at the time during when I had non-union. Currently, I have been told that if I fall on that side again with the plate in place, the collarbone would break at either end. Good luck with yours - I know how difficult it is and the aching pain that seems to stay with you. I won't know until the plate and screws are removed - if I ever decide to do that - what it will feel like again in the future.

Hi, I broke my right clavicle medially 1 1/2 yrs ago in a head - on car accident (It was the seatbelt that broke my clavicle). Since that time I have had nothing but problems. The accident happened in January, and I spent 4 month after that in a sling (strapped my arm directly to my chest) and a figure 8. I have been seeing a orthopedic surgeon for this. It was decided by May that I required surgery. The distal part of the bone (end towards the shoulder) was pointed down towards me chest and the medial or sternal end was point up towards my head (though it did not thankfully break through the skin). Because of the bad position of my break the doctor decided an open reduction and fixation (Plate the bone). So I had the surgery at the end of June. By the beginning of July the plate had broke (exactly at the point of fracture) and I had to have emergency surgery. This time I got a bigger plate 5" instead of 2.5" and a bone graft. Luckily that surgery seemed to have stabalized my shoulder and finally I got union and healing. The problem now is that my shoulder is getting increasing more painful, so much so that I am on arthritis medication. I visited my surgeon and he said that it was the plate causing the problem and now I have to have surgery to take it out. I am 23, a female, and I have 6" scar that has now turned into a keloid (I believe that is how its spelled). My doctor suggests that I get plastic surgery to clean it up a bit. Luckily I have insurance to cover these costs (plus I am suing the lady that hit us--my boyfriend and I). Has anyone had a similar experience? Will this problem ever really go away? He says now I am at a great risk of re-fracture? I am just not sure what I have to look forward to here. I have had 7 months of physio to get my muscle mass back and R.O.M. I was unable to work for a year (now I am working again-lol in a osteology lab) please I would like to have anyone who has gone through something similar to give me information as the doctors are not really clear on what to expect.
Thanks