Shooting with a recently healed collarbone

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Slipnslide

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Ontario, Canada
So I completely broke my collarbone at the very beginning of June which required full surgery and a plate with 7 screws. Talked to the doctor two days ago for my final appointment and he said I'm clear to do anything and that its pretty well fully healed.

Has anybody been in a similar situation and can offer me some advice? Goose huntings open and duck opens soon and I tried going left handed last night, but can't really hit anything haha.

I tried the 22 a week ago which was fine but obviously thats not really comparable to a 12g.

I was thinking of wearing a life jacket or something similarly bulky to try it out but figured I would see if anyone else has any good advice.
 
Slipnslide said:
I asked and he said it should be fine, but I'm still a little nervous about trying the 12 gauge as it still gets sore when I work it after a couple of hours.
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Use a 20 ga. The doctor told my grandpa no more shooting because of his heart. So he stopped using his 30-06 and switched to 30-30 or something close to that. Then he pays he local kid to the heavy lifting if he gets a moose.
 
Had my shoulder replaced and it changed my whole world when it came to wing shooting. Your Dr said OK to go so you can probably expect that you will not be able to hit the ocean at this point. Start with a lighter ga and work up to your 12. There will probably be soreness but that is to be expected. Sharp pain followed by swelling means you better pay attention to what you were doing and not repeat it. Go SLOW, use an ice bag when finished your activity and that will promote proper healing. Shoulders take a long time to come around so be patient. My first season after the TSR I was missing birds standing still on the road with my 16 ga. Just a little frustrated as that was the final straw having just been about 0 for ten on the fly. Went out with a buddy and he ran the machine while I ran off about 75 rounds until I finally started hitting at my usual rate. Good luck.
 
Take it slow, shoot smaller calibres at first. Get a good recoil pad or something you can wear like the one linked above, when you start shooting your 12g start with reduced recoil loads and target load. Stretching your shoulder and neck prior to shooting as well as ice and heat pads after will help I'm sure, last week after sighting in my .303 and patterning my 12g with buck and slugs I had a good bruise and was fairly sore. Target load didn't bother me at all when shooting grouse.
 
I have broken my clavicle 7 times playing sports, however, always in the summer and not where I required screws or a plate. It does not fully heal 100% for about 6 to 8 months, yours may take longer. Get out and take a shot, I'll bet it will hurt. Wishing you the best of luck!
 
Gnome75 said:
Use a 20 ga. The doctor told my grandpa no more shooting because of his heart. So he stopped using his 30-06 and switched to 30-30 or something close to that. Then he pays he local kid to the heavy lifting if he gets a moose.
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Thats kind of my plan at the moment, I have an 870 express in 20 gauge so hopefully that works. It has the rubber style but pad on it as well.
 
Bland said:
Had my shoulder replaced and it changed my whole world when it came to wing shooting. Your Dr said OK to go so you can probably expect that you will not be able to hit the ocean at this point. Start with a lighter ga and work up to your 12. There will probably be soreness but that is to be expected. Sharp pain followed by swelling means you better pay attention to what you were doing and not repeat it. Go SLOW, use an ice bag when finished your activity and that will promote proper healing. Shoulders take a long time to come around so be patient. My first season after the TSR I was missing birds standing still on the road with my 16 ga. Just a little frustrated as that was the final straw having just been about 0 for ten on the fly. Went out with a buddy and he ran the machine while I ran off about 75 rounds until I finally started hitting at my usual rate. Good luck.
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Thanks for the the advice! I talked to him about shooting and based on his "your good to go" catch all response I'm a little apprehensive about trying it with the 12 gauge. Like I said in the previous post I'm going to run the 20 gauge and see how it works.
 
trebor2880 said:
Don't know how old you are, but take care of yourself now, or you will pay for it later, when artheritis sets in.
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24. A bunch of people have told me that. I'm concerned but other then taking care of it I would like to still like to get out for the bird hunt, deer hunt and possibly moose.

I guess I'll start practicing with my left hand.
 
Slipnslide said:
24. A bunch of people have told me that. I'm concerned but other then taking care of it I would like to still like to get out for the bird hunt, deer hunt and possibly moose.

I guess I'll start practicing with my left hand.
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I broke mine when I was 19 and even though I was careful, it still hurts at 34 when I carry heavy things, sleep on it wrong or its cold and wet out. Nothing major but enough to notice. When healing, I remember jarring movements or impacts being much more painful (pushing a door open with an outstretched arm) compared to gradual pressure like push-ups. Even when I felt healed, jarring movements still would hurt for quite a while. Although I don't think a 12ga would do any real harm to your collarbone, I wince thinking about how it would feel.
 
track said:
I have broken my clavicle 7 times playing sports, however, always in the summer and not where I required screws or a plate. It does not fully heal 100% for about 6 to 8 months, yours may take longer. Get out and take a shot, I'll bet it will hurt. Wishing you the best of luck!
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Actually, most injuries take about 2 years to fully heal. The most significant healing happens in the first few months, but your body will be removing scar tissue and stuff for a long time after. (this is why scars typically fade over time too)
 
You are young, take your time to recover and take baby steps as you will find out when you are older how important your shoulders are.
 
use a shooting shirt. I purchased a evoshield shirt after I had shoulder surgery and I wear it anytime I shoot. It helps spread the recoil from any rifle or shotgun. I usually shoot 3 or 4 rounds of trap or skeet with the shirt and I have no problems. I forgot it one day and after the first round it felt like my shoulder was going to fall apart. They are worth the investment and are comfortable to wear.
 
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