Broken collarbone

silvertiger97 said:Been more than 3 weeks now... Any idea when my doctor might finally give me the green light to move around? Right now I'm on strict bed rest to make sure nothing goes sideways...

Honestly, you should have already started sitting up and getting out of bed—though once you get your brace, everything will be much easier to manage. Just don't try bending anything yet; that comes later. But about that "no movement" rule—staying totally still can actually do more harm than good because of the risk of blood clots. Using a heavy cast is kind of an old-school approach; from what I've seen lately, most patients get fitted for a brace immediately and stay in it for about three months.

Lawrence Wells said:Honestly, you should have already started sitting up and getting out of bed—though once you get your brace, everything will be much easier to manage. Just don't try bending anything yet; that comes later. But about that "no movement" rule—staying totally still can actually do more harm than good because of the risk of blood clots. Using a heavy cast is kind of an old-school approach; from what I've seen lately, most patients get fitted for a brace immediately and stay in it for about three months.

I’m just taking it easy because my orthopedic surgeon told me to, just to make sure this clavicle heals up perfectly. As for the pain, I haven't felt a single thing so far. I can actually move around fine even with the cast on; I already went in for a follow-up and some X-rays at the hospital, which meant a bit of standing around and waiting. On the night of the accident, they let me head home, and then the next day I went to the MRI clinic where they confirmed the fracture and put the cast on me... Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm 17, and I should be getting my brace sometime this week.

Hey, checking in again. I finally got my plaster cast off and swapped it out for a torso brace, but honestly? Still haven't heard a single thing about when I can actually start moving around 😕... I asked the doctor if it was okay to get active, and he just gave me that classic line about how everything is clearly laid out in my medical report and then sent me on my way. But here’s the kicker—the report doesn't say anything at all except that the brace was fitted

Checking in after a month... I finally wrapped things up with my doctors, got my discharge papers, and now I’m just waiting to start physical therapy. Honestly? I feel amazing. No pain at all, no trouble getting around—everything feels totally back to normal. Huge thanks to everyone on here for all the advice and answers. Wishing you all nothing but the best!

Hi there,
I’ve ended up with a fractured lumbar vertebra—so now I’m stuck dealing with mandatory rest and wearing a brace whenever I need to walk.

I was wondering how long your recovery process actually took? Specifically, how long were you stuck in that brace? And when did you finally feel ready to get back into sports? Do you still deal with any lingering effects from the fracture?

#166
Laura Wilson3
Registered User

Joined data: Sep 2021.
Posts: 1
Compression fracture in my spine
Hi everyone, I’m 53 years old and, honestly, I used to be in great shape. Then things went downhill—I dealt with COVID, a severe herniated disc, surgery, and an ulcer. To top it all off, while driving back from a spa retreat, I ended up with a compression fracture at the T8 level of my spine. I tried taking some supplements—about 0.5 units of calcium, magnesium, and D3—hoping to speed up the healing process. I had blood work done and everything seemed fine, though my calcium was slightly elevated at 2.62. Two weeks later, after checking my thyroid levels, the calcium was still a bit high at 2.68. When I got an MRI, the doctor noted it looked like an older trauma. I’m a bit confused because I don't recall any falls in the last three years, and I hadn't felt any pain in that specific spot until I got home from the spa. A bone density scan showed my hips are normal, but my spine shows osteopenia with a T-score of -1.2, and my L1 vertebra is at -2.3. My question is, is it actually possible for my hips to be fine, while I have osteopenia in the lumbar region and osteoporosis in the thoracic area, especially since the fracture happened while I was just sitting down?

Laura Wilson3 said:#166
Laura Wilson3
Registered User

Joined data: Sep 2021.
Posts: 1
Compression fracture in my spine
Hi everyone, I’m 53 years old and, honestly, I used to be in great shape. Then things went downhill—I dealt with COVID, a severe herniated disc, surgery, and an ulcer. To top it all off, while driving back from a spa retreat, I ended up with a compression fracture at the T8 level of my spine. I tried taking some supplements—about 0.5 units of calcium, magnesium, and D3—hoping to speed up the healing process. I had blood work done and everything seemed fine, though my calcium was slightly elevated at 2.62. Two weeks later, after checking my thyroid levels, the calcium was still a bit high at 2.68. When I got an MRI, the doctor noted it looked like an older trauma. I’m a bit confused because I don't recall any falls in the last three years, and I hadn't felt any pain in that specific spot until I got home from the spa. A bone density scan showed my hips are normal, but my spine shows osteopenia with a T-score of -1.2, and my L1 vertebra is at -2.3. My question is, is it actually possible for my hips to be fine, while I have osteopenia in the lumbar region and osteoporosis in the thoracic area, especially since the fracture happened while I was just sitting down?

Hello,

Densitometry T-scores can vary between the lumbar region and the hip region. In this instance, there isn't a significant discrepancy because, according to the scan, both the lumbar and hip regions fall into the same category: osteopenia (a T-score between -1.0 and -2.5). However, even if the T-score is higher than -2.5 (meaning less negative), we can still discuss osteoporosis if an atraumatic spinal fracture occurs. There are many reasons why T-scores fluctuate between the hips and the lumbar spine, but such variation is quite common, provided the differences between regions don't jump across entirely different diagnostic categories (for example, a normal T-score in one area and a pathological one in another).

Nicholas Myers said:Hello,

Densitometry T-scores can vary between the lumbar region and the hip region. In this instance, there isn't a significant discrepancy because, according to the scan, both the lumbar and hip regions fall into the same category: osteopenia (a T-score between -1.0 and -2.5). However, even if the T-score is higher than -2.5 (meaning less negative), we can still discuss osteoporosis if an atraumatic spinal fracture occurs. There are many reasons why T-scores fluctuate between the hips and the lumbar spine, but such variation is quite common, provided the differences between regions don't jump across entirely different diagnostic categories (for example, a normal T-score in one area and a pathological one in another).

Hi, my hip T-score is -0.5, which is normal, but my lumbar T-score is -1.2, with my L1 score specifically sitting at -2.3. Since I previously had a fracture at the T8 level—which I first felt as a mild ache while driving, though it eventually worsened—and considering I had some rib pain in that same area about five months prior when moving a bed (though it wasn't the spine itself that hurt), I'm wondering if it's possible to have osteoporosis localized just in the thoracic region, where the densitometry doesn't provide a clear picture.
Based on blood work, my Vitamin D is 88, calcium is slightly elevated at 2.6, and my tumor markers, PSA, and PTH are all normal, though my wife's sexual hormone levels are elevated.

To my colleagues,

I have already addressed this point elsewhere:

Nicholas Myers said:Hello,

Densitometry T-scores can vary between the lumbar region and the hip region. In this instance, there isn't a significant discrepancy because, according to the scan, both the lumbar and hip regions fall into the same category: osteopenia (a T-score between -1.0 and -2.5). However, even if the T-score is higher than -2.5 (meaning less negative), we can still discuss osteoporosis if an atraumatic spinal fracture occurs. There are many reasons why T-scores fluctuate between the hips and the lumbar spine, but such variation is quite common, provided the differences between regions don't jump across entirely different diagnostic categories (for example, a normal T-score in one area and a pathological one in another).

So, the answer is yes.

Is it actually possible for a back injury, like a spinal fracture, to be linked to vision issues?
I mean, could that be why I'm having trouble seeing things lately?