Collarblog Part 3: To Cut, Or Not To Cut?

I don’t know if any of you are fans of The Knick. It’s a gritty, darkly detailed show centered around a fictional surgeon in 1900 New York City who comes up with then-innovative treatments while battling his cocaine and opium addictions. Highly recommend it.

However, I’m trying not to think about being chopped up by the shaky scalpel of Dr. Thackery before I go in for my checkup in an hour.

See, I have what’s called a Type 2b distal clavicle fracture. It’s a special kind of beast you’ve got to love when the article I just linked to begins with:

Fracture of distal end of the clavicle is an entity which always creates a doubt in the mind of orthopaedic surgeons.

Less-than-stellar grammar aside, further reading doesn’t put me at ease regarding my chances for a full and expedient recovery without surgery. According to these guys, I have a 30–45% non-union rate without going bionic.

From further reading and speaking to friends, pain and limited function can persist long ofter non-operative (aka “conservative,” aka “just wear this fucking sling for a while”) treatment. A gold standard doesn’t really exist when it comes to surgery, either.

And if I choose surgery, the options often come with complications:

Hook-plate fixation was associated with an 11-fold increased risk of major complications compared to intramedullary fixation and a 24-fold increased risk compared to suture anchoring.

Man, don’t you just jump at the chance of getting something called a “hook plate” bolted to your bones? I sure do! Maybe they can make one in carbon.

From my research, the “intramedullary fixation” and “distal radius plates” seem to be two of the best options to get me working again quickly with minimal complication. So I’ll ask about those if need be.

I’ll let you all know how it goes! Cheers.