Return to competition following clavicle fractures in professional road cyclists.

OBJECTIVES

Clavicle fractures are common injuries sustained by cyclists, but there is little evidence about return to competition times (RTCT) in elite cyclists. Our aim was to investigate this, and risk factors for delayed return.

METHOD

We identified elite cyclists who sustained clavicle fractures between 2015 and 2020. Freely available records were reviewed to validate data for RTCT. Secondary outcomes included return to outdoor cycling, management, time to surgery, cause of injury, other injuries, and ability to complete the event returned to.

RESULTS

Records were reviewed of 1449 cyclists, identifying 188 clavicle fractures. 44 were recurrent fractures and were excluded. Those with isolated clavicle fractures (111; 92 male, 19 female) had a mean RTCT of 56.7 days, compared with 74.9 for those with multiple injuries (33) (p = 0.048). Those with multiple injuries were excluded from secondary outcome measures. All those with isolated injuries returned to elite competition. 83% were managed surgically with an RTCT of 53.8d, with no significant difference to those managed non-operatively, 59.3d (p = 0.61). RTCT was significantly lower for injuries sustained January-July (46.5d) than August-December (95.8d, p = 0.00). The incidence during Grand Tours was 0.06/1000 h for males (95% C.I 0.03-0.09), and 0.11/1000h (95% C.I 0.00-0.26) for females.

CONCLUSION

This is the largest study evaluating return to sport in elite cyclists with clavicle fractures. Athletes with isolated clavicle fractures, able to return the same season, took an average 46.5 days to return to competition. Elite cyclists are at high risk of clavicle fractures and the majority are managed surgically. RTCT is longer than often expected by the media, and this data can help plan rehabilitation, and manage expectations in both professional and amateur cyclists.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V.