Personal proof that surgery is good for severely displaced fractured clavicles and that MAT treatments will speed up recovery times. Observe how my range improved drastically after week 4, which was when I began my MAT treatments. Although my range didn’t go beyond 130 with the natural healing, I did gain back a decent amount of strength before going into surgery which in turn has really helped speed things along.
Having said that, weeks 6-8 of my post-op rehabilitation have been going really well. I’m rockin’ the physio, working out more, and normal everyday activities like getting dressed, tying hair and putting on seatbelts are getting a lot easier & less painful 🙂 Imagine if I had gotten the surgery right from the get go, then i’d be snowboarding by now! So here’s what’s been happening:
week 6
I went in for a follow up appointment with Dr. V. I was told to avoid lifting any heavy weights overhead with my left arm over the next 4 weeks and to work on increasing my range more towards the overhead movements…then “we can all party” – Clavicle Clash #2 anyone?
After seeing my athletic therapist Ian, I went from 110 degrees to being able to move my arm 160 degrees! Gotta love those Muscle Activation Techniques. I gained 50 degrees of ROM in that session alone. It’s like magic!
….and for the first time since the accident, I was able to put on my Lululemon workout tank tops again! — with no pain!
week 7
I’m up to 170 degress in movement, can reach my arm behind my back (keeping arm parallel to ground) and noticed greater stability & strength in the shoulder 🙂 which makes working out with a kettlebell on my right arm easier and less painful. Of course I’m still being very careful not to do too many quick sudden movements that would aggravate the spot. The shoulder numbness from the surgery has also gone down significantly and I don’t really have any pain on the fracture site aside from bit of irritation if I happen to touch the plated area. I’m hoping that will go away with time.
week 8
Lots of progress has happened and I’m very close to being able to move my arm a full 180 degrees!
I got the ok to began doing some light duty isometric resistance training on my back using a 5lb weight. This would help better stabilize the shoulder and the surrounding muscles.  This whole broken clavicle experience has been humbling has really made me appreciate being able to do the simple things.
I’ve noticed many small improvements with my workouts:
• cycling on the stationary trainer – I can now comfortably put both arms on the handlebar and even put a bit more weight on the affected side.
• improved stability & strength in the shoulder – I was able to add more weight and reps to my kettlebell workouts (ie: 100 – 20 or 35lb KB swings, squats, clean/presses, windmills)
That’s it for now. ’til next time…