Saturday night I played a friendly little game of touch football with a few buddies. I was really cookin’, pursuing a kick returner when he faked right and went left. I had a full head of steam, and plenty of room to manuever, so I naturally changed routes. When it became apparent that he was going to slip by me, I planted both feet and dove. BIG mistake. Instead of landing on my chest, I landed squarely on my left shoulder/pec, and heard a loud pop. When I stood up, I noticed something very wrong. I couldn’t move my left arm, and there was a large lump on my left collarbone. I figured I probably just separated my shoulder, but went to the ER for X-rays anyway. Well, I did it real good this time. The X-ray shows that I snapped my collarbone in two places. I’m now in a clavicle splint and a sling, typing one handed, and hating every second of it. Needless to say, training is out of the question for a few weeks, and I can feel the pieces moving and grinding around in there (thank God for vicodin). I just wanted to remind everyone that all too often we take for granted that we are healthy, and able to train. I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again soon.
P.S. Anyone have any advice on speeding up recovery? I figure drnking a ton of milk and taking the vitamins will help, but does anyone else have any experience? This is the first time I ever went to the doctor for a broken bone (previous breaks were pretty minor) and he was impressed with my flexibility and ability to move, so I take that to mean recovery should go well. Take care folks.
Man tough break bro. I guess if you were going to break a bone better the collarbone then a leg. Regarding recovery make sure you consume an adequate diet with additional protein and minerals. I would think the most important thing is after the injury heals up getting some manipulation or active release to make sure everything is ok and there are no adhesions, limitations etc. so that you can return 100%.
Tough break bro! Sorry to hear about your accident. That hella sucks! But it could have been worse. So think positive. And yes, we tend to take our health for granted until something happens and so much is taken away. Crazy, huh? Well bro, here’s to a speedy recovery.
Vitamin c (not ascorbic acid, ascorbate form) 3+ grams/day in divided doses, large amounts of glutamine, and something to reduce inflammation. The best thing for this is high dose proteolytic enzymes i.e.protein digesting enzymes taken on an empty stomach. One such product is called wube mugos or wobe mugos (Do a search on it). If not, you could use ibuprofen but drink lots of water and do not take more than 2400 mg/day.
I broke my leg a few years ago, couldn’t have a walking cast because of the placement of the break. The cast was off and I was able to walk - mostly normally - in 4 weeks. Take lots of calcium and drink lots of water to flush excess out of your kidneys. and REST to let your body concentrate on healing itself. Good luck! keep us posted!
I broke my arm where it goes into the shoulder socket 3 years ago. The key to full recovery is to work on flexibility as soon as you can. I had a pulley and rope that I slung over a door and hauled my arm up behind my back. Once you get the flexibilty back, the strength comes back quickly. In fact, the arm I broke is now stronger than the one I didn’t.
Yo Demo! Broke my clavicle in '90. Nasty one, too. I was a triathlete at the time, so I had two of my sports (swimming and running) stymied immediately. I could still ride (on a stationary trainer), so I did that as much as I could. I’d cracked a rib also, so heavy breathing was an exercise in pain management as well. If I’m understanding the mechanism of action right, ipriflavone can help, too. I didn’t have it available to me at the time, so I can’t say directly how it affects bone healing, but it helps with bone density, so I’d think it would help with Ca uptake. Might be worth a shot. This might be a chance to do some concentrated calf training!
Thanks everyone. I plan on downing about 1/2 gallon of skim every day and pushing down as much cottage cheese as possible. I take a really good multi, as well as ZMA. Lots of fruits & veggies, too. And #1 priority: DEEP SLEEP. No more MD6 or T2 for a while, as that stuff is bound to interfere with the prescription meds (and I’m taking those as little as possible-talk about zombiefied!). Quick question for the T-Mag staffers: Will Methoxy-7 be beneficial during recovery? It logically sounds like it would, but what do you guys think (I’m referring specifically to bone repair, not soft tissue building, which is a no-brainer). Thanks again.
My bud broke his collar bone last year (in just one place though) and he had a screw put in it to hold it in place. He didn’t even have to keep it in a sling and he was back to normal in about a month.
Demo, truely sorry. I appreciate the remeinder about our sometimes fragile bodies. Thoughts like that pop into my head sometimes and I feel like I don’t have them enough.
As far as recovery goes, you are a smart mofo and I couldn’t offer anything that you don’t know. Just do me and everyone else a favor and take care of yourself.
Demo, from a Baltimore guy, hang in there - you’ll be fine. Just look at a guy on the Ravens. Pretty good player, Hall of Fame already guaranteed. Name’s Shannon Sharpe, broke his collarbone with Denver, but he’s made a good comeback and so will you. Also one of the best built and conditioned players in the league.
It’s day 5 of recovery. Yesterday, I finally had to take the day off of work, as the soreness and fatigue had caught up with me. I feel much better after a day of rest. You guys have been great with words of encouragement and advice. Basically, I’m turning this injury into my pet project, using what I know of nutrition and physiology to get back in the game ASAP. My non-training friends love to give me grief over my use of supplements and strange dietary habits, but they’re changing their tune as they see me ditch the sling and actually use my left arm a little so soon post-injury. The biggest problem I have now is the pain meds. While they do numb up the shoulder, they also KILL the libido (and in my case, that’s saying something!). It’s actually a good thing I’m single, 'cause most women would have packed up and left by now. Oh well, as soon as I can ditch the vicodin I’m sure I’ll be back to my old self again. In the meantime, I’ll just keep thinking about Michelle’s bid for the TESTOSTERONE leather jacket. Take care.
Demo, i feel your pain bro’! i broke my collarbone twice (the same one!). the doc. told me that if i broke it again, they would have to take it out, and i would have some f@cked up posture!! the last time i broke it was about 5 years ago, but i still feel it sometimes. make sure to take it real easy on the shoulder training when you finally go back, and get off the vicadin!! they didnt give me that shit and you cant function right on it. good luck!