So, I’m out of surgery for my third time breaking my clavicle and I started reading about clavicles in general.
I learned that it takes only 7lbs of force to break the bone. Unbelievable!!
This is at its weakest point.
I used to say that the clavicle is such a shitty design and if we were to redo humans again, it needs to be a different design. Somebody said that the clavicle is the human derailleur. Couldn’t agree more!
We need clavicle Transmission now!
Edit:
I got caught on the excitement of the “fact” and after trying to find more data on it I came across with this explanation.
TLDR: Most likely not possible and the claim as is is incomplete.
In any case we do agree that it doesn’t take much to blow a clavicle and it’s common among us MTBers
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/337612/is-abruptly-applying-x-pounds-of-force-more-likely-break-a-bone-than-gradually-a#:~:text=The%20reference.com%20article%20states,measure%20of%20force%2C%20not%20pressure.
by chill-a-killer
14 Comments
Shoot, there should be a recall notice or something..!
I’ve broken both of mine.
0/10, do not recommend.
Some form of shock between the sternum and shoulder blade instead of a riged bone would be better. The human body needs to be upgraded to full-sus.
The human body is a shitty design. My wife rolled her ankle while hiking and broke her fibula, which required 5 screws and a plate to put back together.
I welcome the terminator body. I would rather be made of titanium.
It’s really more of a derailleur hangar than a derailleur. Idea being that it’s better to break the hangar than the frame. Likewise it’s better to break a clavicle than the arm, shoulder, ribs.
Still a pretty questionable failure threshold of you ask me .. but nobody did, so here we are. Lmao
Recovering with you. Had the surgery 3 weeks ago. Decided to break my scapula and a rib on the crash too. Not ideal.
if it only 7 pounds, how come it doesnt break when I push my fist down on it? I assume that my whole hand can push down more than 7 pounds
Broke my left clavicle 4 times in as many years. All before I picked up cycling to haha. Had a titanium plate screwed in and have had no problems the last 15-20 years.
If enough of us keep doing this in ~2 million years your wish may be granted.
I don’t know how they measure it but I just balanced a 20lb weight on my collarbone and nothing happened
That’s funny – I’ve heard the famous French chef, Jacques Pepin, talking about how a chicken’s anatomy would be nearly perfect for carving up EXCEPT for the freakin’ clavicle!
I’ve broken both of my clavicles. Be grateful your’s broke. It’s the body’s fuse and keeps you from breaking your neck, because that’s where all of the force would be applied if stood up to more pressure.
Yeah, that sounds like Facebook wisdom. I’m highly skeptical of that claim.
My buddy is a Orthopedic Surgeon…he tells me that the clavicle is generally designed to withstand the pressure of a human running and falling with outstretched arm. In other words your clavicle can withstand the limits of your body, how much you weigh, how fast you can run, how tall you are.
He then went on to explain that when riding, skiing, skating, etc… you are going faster than you can run, you are higher up than you are tall, and that this combines to easily exceed the threshold limits of your clavicle.
Likewise when playing football or other contact sports (baseball home plate collisions used to be bad) you are falling with the added weight/force of the person tackling you.
Anyhow…this seemed logical to me and has stuck with me.
I tuck and roll when I crash…and I am slow as fuck.
I have plates on both. Waiting on another surgery to get the latest one removed 🙁