# Broken/ Fractured Scapula (Shoulder Blade)????



## dannirre (20 November 2017)

Hi 5 weeks and 4 days ago i fell off a horse i broke 2 ribs which caused my lung to have a pneumothorax (punctured lung) but these have now been discharged thank god. My scapula has broken in half too. I just wondered how long these take to heal as im due to go back in a weeks time to see how my shoulder is doing but i just want to be able to ride again now it nearly being 6 weeks its getting boring. I know it needs to heal though before i ride so thats why im waiting. I can do most things normally i can use my right arm with the broken shoulder its fine i can lift my arm up above my head no pain . It never causes any pain really only now and again. I can obviously feel in my shoulder when i lay down that its broken/fractured. i can sleep on my shoulder on my ribs nothing hurts so hopefully its healing... But has anyone else expierenced this?


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## ycbm (20 November 2017)

Join the club    it's a rare break, they were all crowded round my x rays in a&e going 'ooh, look at that!'

Did you break both sides? I only broke one side of the bone and one rib and no punctured lung. I was told to use it as much as possible, so I did. I rode at about two weeks, as I remember, but only a quiet horse.  At my three week review, the consultant was stunned. I had a CT scan that showed everything was fixed at six weeks. 

You sound like you are doing really well if there is no real pain.


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## ILuvCowparsely (20 November 2017)

dannirre said:



			Hi 5 weeks and 4 days ago i fell off a horse i broke 2 ribs which caused my lung to have a pneumothorax (punctured lung) but these have now been discharged thank god. My scapula has broken in half too. I just wondered how long these take to heal as i&#8217;m due to go back in a weeks time to see how my shoulder is doing but i just want to be able to ride again now it nearly being 6 weeks it&#8217;s getting boring. I know it needs to heal though before i ride so that&#8217;s why i&#8217;m waiting. I can do most things normally i can use my right arm with the broken shoulder it&#8217;s fine i can lift my arm up above my head no pain . It never causes any pain really only now and again. I can obviously feel in my shoulder when i lay down that it&#8217;s broken/fractured. i can sleep on my shoulder on my ribs nothing hurts so hopefully it&#8217;s healing... But has anyone else expierenced this?
		
Click to expand...

I did mine in the 80's   when mare collided with a sign. I fractured the collar bone on the sign and the shoulder blade when hitting the deck.  It never healed right - collar bone  healed 1 inch above the original so I have a lump.    Everything on my left is lower and I have trouble with bras and  sleeveless tee shirts they all slide off.

Trainer used to say get your shoulders up and I say I cannot.  Hope yours heals better than mine did


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## dannirre (20 November 2017)

I broke one side&#9785;&#65039; everyone was amazed that i wasn&#8217;t in any pain ! I didn&#8217;t know that you are meant to use it as much as you can.. well i do anyway&#55357;&#56904; Hopefully when i go back next week i&#8217;ll see an improvement but thank you!!


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## ycbm (20 November 2017)

Here's mine. Have you got yours?


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## SEL (27 November 2017)

I have a very wonky collar bone and when I stand 'straight' I am actually twisted after a very minor fracture to mine about 18 years ago (horse slipped and came over on me). Like others I was advised to keep using it, but I didn't have broken ribs so it was probably a bit easier. The muscle damage was pretty bad and caused me more issues.

I was also advised to have physio which I ignored and wished I hadn't. I started visiting a physio about 12 months ago after hurting my back in another fall and it was actually my shoulder she was horrified at - so once you're well enough, please see a physio. 

I currently have a cracked rib after a kick and **** does it hurt!

No one offered me the x-rays to keep though - not fair! (could have compared with my ex-rugby playing father in law who has battered just about every bone in his body at somepoint)


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## OldFogie (27 December 2017)

Ah, the punctured lung makes you gasp a bit doesn't it? I discovered that when me and my well proportioned mare went through her stable door together after my cuff caught in her headcollar buckle - stupid boy! I'm just having acount up - 4 ribs (two either side, two incidents) collarbone (I can now do Richard III impressions quite well) left arm in two places, left wrist, left arm in two places and left leg two places - mostly separate incidents but only a few of them horsey - X rays of my feet look like repaired crazy paving from being trampled by cart horses back in the day when we still had'em! I'm getting on a bit now and have arthritis telling me where every injury I've ever had is - this year I had a high speed lump of wood fly off a machine and hit me in the knee cracking it neatly in two so I can tell you that breaks still hurt!

I'll add to SEL's advice and get some physio and don't limit it to the sessions - get an info sheet and fit in plenty of exercise in your normal day. Good luck.


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## Orangehorse (28 December 2017)

Gosh I can't compete with the above list, but I would certainly agree with having physio or similar.  I damaged my left shoulder 3 years ago by falling backwards off a step and landed on my elbow, which was OK but it damaged the tendon in my shoulder.  After many, many months it was a Bowen Therapy lady who got it back working correctly.

Nearly managed to do the same in December to my right shoulder, by falling backwards onto the trailer hitch, not as bad though.  When I went for Bowen she said she could see how out of alignment I was, yet I couldn't feel anything much.  So it definitely pays to go and see a therapist who can set things right that you might not even know are wrong.


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