Broken collar bone, but is it &#x27;safe&#x27; to have my sling off when relaxing?

I broke my collar bone a few years ago playing football. But wow, I only had to have it in a sling for 3 weeks. Like those above me have said, I now have an obvious dip where I broke it and I am weaker in that arm now.

If you are going to take it out of the sling, try not to do it often. Having it in the sling keeps the bone as still as possible and supports it while it mends. Taking it out, even if you're not moving it, is perhaps moving it out of position, so either it'll take longer to heal or it won't heal properly, which I'm sure you don't want.

To help with the uncomfortableness, is it because it's itchy? I found if I wore short sleeve tops, seeing as we can only really wear blouses and whatnot xD, my skin felt alot better, instead of wearing a long sleeved top that rubbed against the sling.

Make sure to keep up your exercises, or you'll be amazingly stiff. :smile:

Reply 7

DH-Biker

OP

14

Original post by Ambray

I broke my collar bone a few years ago playing football. But wow, I only had to have it in a sling for 3 weeks. Like those above me have said, I now have an obvious dip where I broke it and I am weaker in that arm now.

If you are going to take it out of the sling, try not to do it often. Having it in the sling keeps the bone as still as possible and supports it while it mends. Taking it out, even if you're not moving it, is perhaps moving it out of position, so either it'll take longer to heal or it won't heal properly, which I'm sure you don't want.

To help with the uncomfortableness, is it because it's itchy? I found if I wore short sleeve tops, seeing as we can only really wear blouses and whatnot xD, my skin felt alot better, instead of wearing a long sleeved top that rubbed against the sling.

Make sure to keep up your exercises, or you'll be amazingly stiff. :smile:

3 weeks? Wow, I'm jel. =/ The end that's broken off has risen quite high, but they didn't push it back into place or anything, as apparently that's not done anymore? Still, ten weeks or so... :frown:

Meh, I'm not one to complain. :tongue:

So try not to do it often? I do try, but its just uncomfortable when I'm sitting or lying down and its tight around me. I've got the house to myself for two weeks, and so I've been sleeping downstairs as the Dogs whine when the others aren't around (plus late night TV's a blast... :rolleyes:

) and its nice to prop it up on a pillow and just sit on the sofa and chill, you know?

Its not that its itchy, I can't even feel the fabric on my skin its so soft, really. Its more that it feels really tight as it pushes my arm right into me. Not that its a problem with the adjustability of the sling itself (which I wouldn't want to adjust anyway. :redface:

), but its just an uncomfortable pressure when it keeps my arm very tight to my body and it pulls my neck and shoulder "in" towards my chest, if that makes sense? :tongue:

Yeah, on Monday I'm going to start doing "Pendulum Swings" with my whole arm, and then I'll do gentle rocking back and forth. :smile:

I never knew it was this bad. :redface:

I've broken my collar bone before, but last time it was part of a larger accident and I was in Hospital well over the time it took to heal. :colondollar:

Reply 8

Original post by DH-Biker

3 weeks? Wow, I'm jel. =/ The end that's broken off has risen quite high, but they didn't push it back into place or anything, as apparently that's not done anymore? Still, ten weeks or so... :frown:

Meh, I'm not one to complain. :tongue:

So try not to do it often? I do try, but its just uncomfortable when I'm sitting or lying down and its tight around me. I've got the house to myself for two weeks, and so I've been sleeping downstairs as the Dogs whine when the others aren't around (plus late night TV's a blast... :rolleyes:

) and its nice to prop it up on a pillow and just sit on the sofa and chill, you know?

Its not that its itchy, I can't even feel the fabric on my skin its so soft, really. Its more that it feels really tight as it pushes my arm right into me. Not that its a problem with the adjustability of the sling itself (which I wouldn't want to adjust anyway. :redface:

), but its just an uncomfortable pressure when it keeps my arm very tight to my body and it pulls my neck and shoulder "in" towards my chest, if that makes sense? :tongue:

Yeah, on Monday I'm going to start doing "Pendulum Swings" with my whole arm, and then I'll do gentle rocking back and forth. :smile:

I never knew it was this bad. :redface:

I've broken my collar bone before, but last time it was part of a larger accident and I was in Hospital well over the time it took to heal. :colondollar:

They didn't push my bone back into place or anything either, it's not needed for the collar bone. However the nurse who put it into a sling was beyond rough. I was next to the baby ward, so they told me to be quiet, then she literally pulled and yanked my arm into the sling, making me scream. She then put a hand over my mouth and told me I had to be quiet or I'll wake the babies. STOP YANKING MY BROKEN ARM ABOUT THEN, YOU MONSTER! :angry:

Anyway, can you walk up stairs? I couldn't! I'm jealous. :eek:

Your collar bone is connected to nearly every single muscle below your neck in some way, so I could barely walk, let alone climb stairs, so I was sleeping downstairs sitting up for the 3 weeks.

If the problem is that it's too tight, I would say there is something up with the sling and the way it's tied. It shouldn't feel tight, it should just feel like it's supporting you and holding your arm up. Honestly, there should be room to move in it aswell.

Wow, did your doc say to do pendulum swings? And so early on!? With a 10week mending period, I would assume you've had a pretty nasty break. The only exercises I had to do was bend my elbow, as if I was lifting weights y'know? And fist and open my hand every day. Wouldn't swinging your arm hurt like hell? You'll be moving the bone about!

I've had a compound fracture in my wrist before, where I literally bent my wrist at a 90degree angle and my bones snapped out of the skin. That break was more painful, but in terms of healing, the collar bone was a lot more uncomfortable because it affected so much of the body...

Reply 9

DH-Biker

OP

14

Original post by Ambray

They didn't push my bone back into place or anything either, it's not needed for the collar bone. However the nurse who put it into a sling was beyond rough. I was next to the baby ward, so they told me to be quiet, then she literally pulled and yanked my arm into the sling, making me scream. She then put a hand over my mouth and told me I had to be quiet or I'll wake the babies. STOP YANKING MY BROKEN ARM ABOUT THEN, YOU MONSTER! :angry:

Anyway, can you walk up stairs? I couldn't! I'm jealous. :eek:

Your collar bone is connected to nearly every single muscle below your neck in some way, so I could barely walk, let alone climb stairs, so I was sleeping downstairs sitting up for the 3 weeks.

If the problem is that it's too tight, I would say there is something up with the sling and the way it's tied. It shouldn't feel tight, it should just feel like it's supporting you and holding your arm up. Honestly, there should be room to move in it aswell.

Wow, did your doc say to do pendulum swings? And so early on!? With a 10week mending period, I would assume you've had a pretty nasty break. The only exercises I had to do was bend my elbow, as if I was lifting weights y'know? And fist and open my hand every day. Wouldn't swinging your arm hurt like hell? You'll be moving the bone about!

I've had a compound fracture in my wrist before, where I literally bent my wrist at a 90degree angle and my bones snapped out of the skin. That break was more painful, but in terms of healing, the collar bone was a lot more uncomfortable because it affected so much of the body...

The A&E I was at on the day I broke it set me up with an appointment with Fracture-Clinics or some-such the day after. Anyway, the women at the Clinic came in after I'd spoken to the Doctor and I'm not sure she knew what was up with me, I think they'd just told her to stick my arm in a new sling. So I'm sitting there and I hold my arm out so she can get the sling around it and suddenly she jams both of her fingers where my bone is broken to hold the other end in place. I literally screamed in her face; she was silly too. :redface:

I like how they practically gagged you, though. :tongue:

Got a fantastic image of a Nurse just wrestling with your arm. :tongue:

Walk isn't really what I'd use to describe it. :tongue:

Our stairs aren't very steep, though. They are very wide and very shallow, and they corkscrew around a central banister which I can hold on to. So it works out OK. I still sleep downstairs anyway, given that I'm packing Codeine away and so I just spend 24 hours dozing on and off. :tongue:

I'm doing the exact same, though, just sitting down and resting. :colondollar:

I don't like sitting around in the house for days on end, though, especially seen as I've got it to myself. :frown:

I think maybe its the fact I'm unused to a sling. I've had one on before, but only when I was little. I've broken many bones, but they've all been casts. Which I do prefer, at least you can't move the broken bone with those on. :tongue:

And like I said, the only other time I broke my collar bone, I was in hospital all that time anyway, so I think its maybe more the fact I'm unused to its being there, rather then the fact its too tight. Though, given that woman was throwing my arm around, poking the broken ends of the bone and yanking the sling through under my arm, suggesting that she may have a fairly significant knot to tighten it is hardly far-fetched. :redface:

It was nasty, but he also said its quite a clean break, too. The end furthest from my neck has moved about an inch upwards and the other end has moved down half an inch too. But there's no debris or scattering, so he said it'll heal nicely, but it will heal completely wrong if you don't move your arm about to ensure it sets together.
I was surprised, as was the friend who'd brought me (as he's broken both of his several times) that I was to be doing exercises like that a week after I'd done it, but that's what the Doctor wants, and I've never been one to question. :tongue:

He said do the same move you were doing too. But that comes in a few weeks once its bonded enough to enable me to actually risk picking something up with it, I think? I think it will hurt, and he said it may well do, but I think that's just going to be necessary. I just hope I haven't caused further damage as I've knocked it a couple of times... :frown:

I didn't feel this break at all. Not until I got to A&E, anyway. I stood back up, my arm sort of fell limp to my side and a friend of mine in the village who saw asked me if I was alright and I shrugged which made my arm go completely numb and then I turned around and said, "I think I've broken something...?" :redface:

He said that he's seen people crying from doing it and I was just stone faced as I didn't feel anything. The worst I thought I'd done was cut all up my arm, so I was like, "Yeah, macho... :smug:

"

Turns out it was the adrenaline, and as soon as that wore off the tears came. :tongue:

Still, I agree, other bones are more painful along the run, but this is CERTAINLY the most uncomfortable. :no:

When you had your sling off, how did you find performing tasks with the arm became afterwards? Was there a time that it was sluggish or sore doing things? Or do you think its subjective to the break? :smile:

Reply 10

Ah, that wasn't the worse though. I broke it at a football match. I got tripped up and literally flew through the air and landed on my shoulder. I was up and screaming instantly. One of the other girls' dad was there who was a medic and he took me to the sidelines and said I'm just dislocated my shoulder, so was pulling it about a bit. THAT was painful too.
LOL, I guess it's a funny image. But seriously, they could at least warn you and be a bit more gentle!

It probably is that you're not used to a sling. They can be restricting I'll admit. But man, the itchiness of a cast far outweighs it, lol. Maybe try to just keep your mind off it somehow? It's probably just that your arm is feeling restricted because obviously it's used to moving around more, so your mind is questioning what's wrong? You know?

I never used any weights when I did my exercises, gosh now. Just literally bending my arm up and down at the elbow. It didn't hurt to the point that I couldn't do it, but it did twinge.
Did the doc really ask you to do that? It sounds so extreme! xD

I certainly felt the break and like I said, I screamed when it happened and was crying on the side of the pitch, I'm a complete girl. xD
But once I was at A+E, I calmed down enough that I wasn't hysterically crying, but still had tears running down my eyes. Just the fact that when you break something, you can feel and hear the bones grinding away against each other. It's so weird.
Wow you shrugged your arm? Yeah, you are macho. Lol!

My arm was fine after I healed and the sling off. I got a few twinges when I tried to lift anything a bit on the heavy side and like I said before, I'm weaker in that arm than I was previously. I might've gotten a little tired if I was using it a lot, like writing at school or something. I know if I used scissors I felt a bit weak. After a little while it was completely back to normal, though. :smile:

Reply 11

HeatherHatter

When I broke my collar bone, I was in a sling from just before Easter until the summer... it was not fun :frown:

I only took it off to sleep in, but kept my arm on a pillow when I slept because I couldn't put it on the bed without screaming in pain, and was told to take the sling off. I doubt that you'd have done damage from taking it off to relax. My parents didn't believe it could be that bad, and so made me ride a bike 2 weeks after I'd done it. I refused to take the sling off for a very long time after that.

It shouldn't feel tight though - can't you loosen it a little? It might be a bit difficult to do yourself - mine was velcro and attached at the back, so I couldn't twist round to move it at all since that pulled on the broken bone and hurt a lot :tongue:

I didn't have to do much physio with mine, it hurt too much to begin with so they gave up trying... now I can't raise my arm right above my head properly -.- and it is a bit weak from wearing a sling for so long.

But I do have a wee bump to show for it :biggrin:

it creeps my mother out, since it's pretty visible sometimes :biggrin:

It didn't register with me that I'd broken something for a minute or so, I was doing mat work at a karate course, did a forward roll over someone, and my arm sort of just collapsed from under me or something, I just remember a crack, standing up and getting ready to go again. But then I went all dizzy and had to sit out, the on-site physio took one look at it, realised it was broken and called my coaches to take me to hospital. The coaches took me to the reception at a&e just as a doctor was coming to see who the next patient would be (the waiting room was pretty full), and as soon as they heard 'collar bone', I was rushed straight through to cubicles :biggrin:

fastest I've ever been seen.

Reply 12

Lucky you. I was sitting in A+E for 3 hours and I would've been sitting there longer if it wasn't for the fact that a doctor walked past, saw me crying and made sure I was seen to asap.
Wasn't even that busy, that day. :/

Quickest I've been through was when I broke my wrist. I had to be carried in, but a nurse was on reception, saw me, I completely skipped triage and was in a ward being wrapped within 30seconds of walking through the door.

Though I now wonder how they wrapped my wrist when my bones and muslces where all falling out. :redface:

I had to have surgery so they put me under pretty quick, too.

Reply 13

HeatherHatter

Original post by Ambray

Lucky you. I was sitting in A+E for 3 hours and I would've been sitting there longer if it wasn't for the fact that a doctor walked past, saw me crying and made sure I was seen to asap.
Wasn't even that busy, that day. :/

Quickest I've been through was when I broke my wrist. I had to be carried in, but a nurse was on reception, saw me, I completely skipped triage and was in a ward being wrapped within 30seconds of walking through the door.

Though I now wonder how they wrapped my wrist when my bones and muslces where all falling out. :redface:

I had to have surgery so they put me under pretty quick, too.

Just got that image in my head.... not going to sleep tonight :colondollar:

I thought collar bone injuries were a priority, in case the bone needed surgery - if it snapped in 2 and bits were falling off, couldn't they do a lot of damage? Like, cause internal bleeding if they hit some vein-type-thing.... and moving it at all would make things so much worse :confused:

I think the fact I was about to faint was another reason I was taken in so early, though they only gave me 2 paracetamol to take away the pain. I take that when I have a little pain, I would take stronger painkillers for a headache :s-smilie:

when I started to faint, the doctor just said to the horrified coach 'oh, she's only fainting, that's fine', as if it was totally normal to be speaking one minute and out cold the next :biggrin:

Reply 14

Original post by HeatherHatter

Just got that image in my head.... not going to sleep tonight :colondollar:

I thought collar bone injuries were a priority, in case the bone needed surgery - if it snapped in 2 and bits were falling off, couldn't they do a lot of damage? Like, cause internal bleeding if they hit some vein-type-thing.... and moving it at all would make things so much worse :confused:

I think the fact I was about to faint was another reason I was taken in so early, though they only gave me 2 paracetamol to take away the pain. I take that when I have a little pain, I would take stronger painkillers for a headache :s-smilie:

when I started to faint, the doctor just said to the horrified coach 'oh, she's only fainting, that's fine', as if it was totally normal to be speaking one minute and out cold the next :biggrin:

Lol, I honestly can't remember what I looked like. I was only 4. I can remember the general look of seeing my bone out in the open air, but otherwise, everything was a rush of panic to get me to the hospital and lots of crying and screaming from me. xD

All broken bones should be a priority for that very reason. I wasn't even x rayed until an hour after arriving so... Obviously I have a slow A+E department.

I didn't get ANYTHING for the pain. And I was wearing my football spikes, so I was walking unevenly, which didn't help at all. When I was out of the doors, I was begging my mum to take me back inside so they could give me pain meds.

Seriously, walking was next to impossible for me!

Reply 15

HeatherHatter

Original post by Ambray

Lol, I honestly can't remember what I looked like. I was only 4. I can remember the general look of seeing my bone out in the open air, but otherwise, everything was a rush of panic to get me to the hospital and lots of crying and screaming from me. xD

All broken bones should be a priority for that very reason. I wasn't even x rayed until an hour after arriving so... Obviously I have a slow A+E department.

I didn't get ANYTHING for the pain. And I was wearing my football spikes, so I was walking unevenly, which didn't help at all. When I was out of the doors, I was begging my mum to take me back inside so they could give me pain meds.

Seriously, walking was next to impossible for me!

They were like that to my brother in A&E once (different hospital) - he broke his arm, and they were manipulating it to put it in a cast, he was being sick and passing out from the pain and they refused to give him something for it :confused:

I think it depends on the doctors working at the time to be honest :frown:

I couldn't walk when I broke mine, I had to get a wheelchair when I was in the hospital because I couldn't even stand up without passing out :frown:

but by the time I left, I was ok to stand and walk :smile:

Reply 16

saccharin

I had my collarbone broken by a doctor for an operation in 2 places. For the first 3 weeks it was pretty much immobilised in a cast- after that it was in a sling with a bit more movement. But yeah i think the important thing is don't leave the broken collarbone to support the weight of your arm - make sure the elbow on that side is ALWAYS supported by something (like use your other hand under it when you have to move around)! So i think be extra careful for the first couple of weeks, then after that still try to make sure that if it's out of the sling you aren't moving it around or dangling your arm around loose so the collarbone has to support its weight.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 17

^How on Earth did they put it in the cast? And why? Nothing on your torso can be put into a cast. O.o

Reply 18

Red Lightning