Much Progress - Four Weeks From Breaking Collarbone

What a difference a month makes! One month ago I broke my collarbone and two ribs in a mountain bike crash during a weekend mountain bike festival out near Harrisonburg, VA. That first week I felt as fragile as glass and did everything in slow motion. Now I go for periods of time when I forget that I'm injured -- at least until I try to do something like raise my hand over my head or push open a heavy door. Then my shoulder reminds me that it ain't fully cooked yet.


This week I went in for a follow-up x-ray of the clavicle. According to my orthopod, the x-ray looks "great." (?I) He says that the edges of the bones have smoothed over and are healing properly. I've attached the May 26 and June 27 x-rays for comparison -- can anyone see a difference? (The older one is on top).





Apparently, the bone healing process involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work that is not visible on x-rays until the 5th or 6th week when the newly-formed cartilage is replaced with "lamellar bone." Once the hard bone forms it will "remodel" over the course of many months and eventually the break will essentially be invisible. Pretty cool. One thing I've noted during the last four weeks is that the healing process requires a LOT of energy. I slept a lot more than usual and found that normal activities left me more tired.

I've been training diligently on the stationary trainer and hope to get back on the road next week. Mountain biking, and the jarring associated with it, will have to wait for at least two more weeks.

Ride on!