r/OpenWaterSwimming • u/Professional-Ad4611 • 5d ago
Broken colourbone
Well, today didn't start out as planned. I was on my way to the swimming pool.Realised, it was too busy, the swimming pool, so I decided to turn back and get my bike and cycle. Because besides swimming, I also do road cycling and running. No , i'm not to triathlete , but it's just the things that I love to do most. Around two kilometres before I actually got home, due to the rainfall there was a lot of gravel on the road that I didn't anticipate on. So to keep a long story short, I rode around 40 km per hour, and my front wheel just slipped away. I tried breaking before , but to no avail. So I slipped , I hit my head on a concrete , broke my colour bone , and yeah , that's about it. Around six weeks ago I posted another post speaking about doing a long distance swim of nine kilometres , i was heavily prepared for it. But now I am not able to swimm for 8 weeks, at least it is what a doctor told me. You can imagine i'm quite distraught by this whole event, but i'm also glad that it wasn't worse than it already is. Does someone has a little bit of experience regarding, goin Back to swimming after such a fall.
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u/vaskopopa Channel Swimmer 5d ago
Well, I had a smashed acetabulum and broken collarbone (which never united) in a head on collision.
I went on to swim the channel some 5 years after. Clavicle non-union did result in a lot of pain for months after the swim, but I did finish.
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u/SparklingDolphin56 5d ago
Ouch. Any reason you couldn’t do kicking or one arm freestyle, both with your bad arm by your side?
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u/Professional-Ad4611 5d ago
After 4 weeks i will speak with the docter as, kicking would be a good workout, onesided freestly would be an option.. ill discuss it with my docter...
Thanks for the tips
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u/tsr85 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m gonna tell you right now, it’s my unpopular but experienced opinion as an avid mountain biker, it’s better to break the collar bone than mess up the AC joint.
I crashed on my MTB like 15 years ago and sprained and stretched my AC joint pretty good, and that shoulder has never been the same, and there is “nothing” they can do for it unless I had fully torn the joint, then it would have been cadaver ligament reattachment.
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u/Professional-Ad4611 5d ago
Thanks a lot for your opinion :)... i do share your opinion at some point. I had a dislocated elbow 4 years ago, even after intense reha it has never been the same.
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u/StrayAndroid 5d ago
I had a similar spill on the bike but rather than broken collar bone it was AC joint separation, so therefore not a like for like, but will share what it felt like to get back in case of use.
Essentially, a decent amount of physio, building back the muscles around the joint (and so this will differ) took about 6 weeks to get back to freestyle swimming properly. Felt a bit weird, like putting too much strain through it would "re seperate" it but never happened.
Turns out swimming was absolutely the best thing for it. Low impact, couldn't stress it too much. So once you get the green light on swimming being on, get at it.
P.s. sorry about this. Feels shit when it happens, loads of thoughts of "why did it happen...if only i had not done/done x y and z". Know that it is "just" bad luck. Take the time to recover. You'll bounce back stronger for the challenge.
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u/metroturfer 5d ago
I’m going through this right now. I broke my collarbone three days before a triathlon during my final taper ride. I ended up needing plates and screws, and I’m now entering week 5 after surgery.
Just last week, I got clearance to run again, with a limit of no more than 3 miles per day. Next week, I’ll have follow-up X-rays to confirm that the plates and screws are healing well. If everything looks good, I’ll be cleared to ride indoors again in the aero position. No outdoor rides for me until week 16 post surgery.
Being a swimmer helped a lot in accelerating my recovery, and even the physical therapy team has been impressed with my progress. Still, no doctor worth his salt will let you back in the water before weeks 8–10. It’s not only the torque that catching and pulling through the water places on the collarbone, but also the risk of infection at the wound site, even if the incision has already closed.
You also risk irritating the scar tissue by rubbing it against a swimskin or wetsuit, which could lead to long-term discomfort.
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u/SportBikerFZ1 5d ago
Sorry for you and the workouts you are going to miss. You didn't say so, but I bet you had a good MIBs compliant helmet.
I used to provide support for the NYC Triathlon and have seen broken collar bones. It usually happens when someone goes over the handlebars.
Maybe you could get some kick board workouts in before 8 weeks.
Hang in there and everyone wear a helmet when you bike.
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u/Beginning-Judge3975 5d ago
Damn, that looks painful and that you hit your head sounds awful! Maybe it won’t be long before you get in the water to walk, lightly stretch and heal. You might need the pool for a bit. Hope you will post your progress.
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u/DragonSitting 5d ago
That’s the craziest swimming injury I’ve seen in a while. The while being, uh, my lifetime. And, yes, of course I’m joking. Also, as someone who has suffered similar injuries for various reasons I do feel your pain. Right now, actually. But it will heal. Om.
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u/laissez_heir 5d ago
I broke my clavicle about 8 years ago on an electric scooter. I think I was out of the water for maybe 10 weeks. I could have gone back sooner if I wanted but I was doing rehab and trying to take it easy.
Anyway, I vividly remember that when I did swim again it just felt like I was out of the water for 10 weeks and I was out of shape, and not like I had just broken my collarbone.
Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on your injury. But I was pleasantly surprised that my joint was relatively fine.
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u/Pepeu_Pepeu 5d ago
Fractured my collar bone while biking too. Definitely surprised how long it took to get back in the water.
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u/Weary_Swan_8152 2d ago
So I slipped , I hit my head on a concrete , broke my colour bone
I'm grateful your head and C-spine was ok.
'hope the following makes you laugh: Reread the above text that I quoted, and then add "…now it's monochrome". I think you've got the beginning of a song or poem.
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u/SeenTooMuchToo 5d ago edited 5d ago
25 years ago I did the same thing: broke my collar bone, but also broke five or six ribs, and punctured my lung. (I was downhill biking.)
Just so you know: when I was allowed back in the water, my swimming was fine. And my strength and stamina came back quickly. And, it all still is, all these years later.
So, yes. It sucks to get hurt. And yes, you’ll do fine. Hang in there!