Hello, last weekend my son was out and slipped and broke his collar bone on Saturday night. He had to go to Fracture Clinic on Monday morning where he was told he needed a pin in his shoulder.
On Tuesday he had an operation to pin shoulder. His arm is in a sling and he has been in bed for 2 days because its less painful not moving shoulder with pillows around him
My reason for writing this is we are due to go to Singapore on 21st of this month. He was not informed what he should be doing till he gets dressibg changed this Thursday.
Should he be exercising hand as i know it is a nerve thing.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Written by
flamenca1
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I thought it would be more helpful for you to read this link rather than me trping it all out!!
It doesn't cover flying though. If you are flying economy he may suffer some discomfort from sitting quite close to other travellers. If you can contact airline and explain they may well give you a window seat. It's a long way to Singapore and maybe try amd get him out of bed so not such a shock!!
I flew back from Sydney with a double fracture in my ankle. Cast was replaced with moon boot for flying. Cabin staff were wonderful
Hi Bananas5, thank you very much for your advice it had been a great help. I will contact airline as you say, thats as long as he is allowed to travel.
My advice would be to contact the hospital ward, the fracture clinic or the GP. They would rather you asked than assumed and made things worse.
That being said, when doctors don't give specific advice, it's usually because they expect you to get on with life as normal.
While they've obviously indicated that the shoulder shouldn't be swung around like a windmill, I'm not convinced bed rest is actually helping. Movement stimulates blood circulation to bring much-needed resources to an injury and it also stimulates the lymphatic system which plays an important role in reducing inflammation which is the largest source of pain in these situations. By removing the activity the shoulder would still do in a sling, you're likely slowing recovery and prolonging the pain. You also want to reduce inflammation so that the flight will be more pleasant. On top of that, immobilising a joint leads to muscle atrophy and joint instability which makes for a longer and more painful recovery.
My recommendation would be to get on top of pain management - you didn't mention any medications. If he wasn't prescribed anything, they're expecting you to use over the counter pain relief like a cycle of ibuprofen (always with food) and paracetamol. Pharmacists can always offer advice. Less pain reduces the incentive to protect the joint. Then you can remove some of the pillows and go for a short gentle walk. It gets everything moving without risking the surgeon's work. It might suck at the time but traveling will suck a lot less.
I'd maybe also contact the airports you're traveling through to see if they can offer you any assistance. It may also be worth looking into priority check-in, security and boarding queues and lounges if you have a layover.
Thank you Perrigrine, your advice makes total sense. Because he is being looked after whilst he is in bed is probably not helping.
I will advise he contacts surgery in the morning to ask advice from GP. I'm sure he will heed your advice too. He is not a child, he is 41.
I already have assistance for myself and i have reserved our seats. I may contact Emirates and ask to change our seats so he can rest his arm on pillows next to window.
sorry to hear this. My son had a metal plate and pins to repair his collarbone approx 2 minths ago We were told NO exercise for first 3 weeks & keep it REALLY still.
Its healing beautifully now & hes having physio - still no loadbearing and not allowed to return to sport for another 3 weeks due to risk of bumps or falls.
Re flying, he was due to fly 2 weeks post op & couldn't (but it was a stag weekend).
He flew 5 weeks post op and had a very restful much needed holiday & by this time he was much more comfortable. He ensured he asked the consultant questions to make sure he was 'allowed' and the airline so holiday insurance was valid - worth ringing your insurance company too as travelling soon after GA/operation. Best of luck.
Hi, HHH2017, thank you for your advice, he did ask at the hospital if he could fly and they said yes. He rang his insurance and they said ring after you have seen Physiotherapist on Thursday. So its still up in the air (wish I knew we were).
I always thought your couldn't fly for 6 weeks after after General Anesthetic. But who am I to know that.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Vitamin D for bone weakness
Slow recovery after rotator cuff repair 
Low Back pain, sciatica, knee pain, hip bone pain..
slow recovery from broken ankle 
