Delaware Back Pain & Sports Rehabilitation Centers

Clavicle Fracture - Broken Collar Bone

Back to Patient Education

Click the white PLAY button to start video.

 

Clavicle fractures are a common orthopedic injury, especially among infants and young children.  The clavicle, known as the collarbone, is a long bone located at the top of the chest.  A clavicle fracture most frequently results from trauma.  The majority of clavicle fractures can heal without surgery.  If surgery is necessary, the bone is secured with surgical hardware, such as plates and screws.

Read more about Clavicle Fracture - Broken Collar Bone

Introduction

Clavicle fractures are a common orthopedic injury, especially among infants and young children.  The clavicle, known as the collarbone, is a long bone located at the top of the chest.  A clavicle fracture most frequently results from trauma.  The majority of clavicle fractures can heal without surgery.  If surgery is necessary, the bone is secured with surgical hardware, such as plates and screws.
Back to top

Anatomy

The clavicle is a long bone located on the upper chest.  It is part of the shoulder joint.  The clavicle provides stability for arm movements.  The clavicle is not fully developed (ossified) until the late teens or early 20s.
Back to top

Causes

Trauma is the main cause of clavicle fracture.  A forceful impact to the shoulder area during a motor vehicle collision, a fall, or sports can break the clavicle.  Newborns can experience a fractured clavicle as the result of a difficult birth. 
Back to top

Symptoms

You may hear a snapping sound and feel immediate pain when the clavicle breaks.  The pain may increase and become sharp with movement.  Bruising and swelling are common.  If the bone has moved out of position, it may appear as a bump under the skin.  Your shoulder area may not look as upright as usual.  It may appear slumped forward and downward.
Back to top

Diagnosis

You should contact your doctor immediately or go to the emergency department if you suspect you have broken your clavicle.  Your doctor will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination.  X-rays are taken to see the location and extent of the fracture.
Back to top

Treatment

Clavicle fractures are most commonly treated with slings or a figure eight splint.  A sling supports the arm and positions the shoulder to allow the fracture to heal.  A figure eight splint wraps around the front of the shoulders and crosses in the back.  It helps to maintain shoulder posture while the bone heals.  Over-the-counter or prescription medications are used for pain relief. You may participate in rehabilitation therapy to help regain strength and motion following splinting or surgery.
Back to top

Surgery

The majority of clavicle fractures can be treated without surgery.  However, opinions about surgery are ever changing.  Recent research shows that many patients that were not treated with surgery have had persistent problems.  Your doctor will discuss the benefits of both procedures with you.
 
Surgery may be needed for fractures that fail to heal, broken bones that come through the skin, or broken bones that are a threat to nearby nerves, blood vessels, soft tissues, or joints.  The surgery involves aligning the bone in the proper position and securing it in place with surgical hardware, such as screws and plates.  The surgical hardware may or may not be removed after the bone has healed.
Back to top

Recovery

Recovery from clavicle fracture is individualized and somewhat influenced by the age of the person.  Children may heal in three weeks, and adults may take four to six weeks to heal.  People can generally return to their full activity level in about 12 weeks.

Back to top

Copyright ©  - iHealthSpot Interactive - www.iHealthSpot.com

This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.

The iHealthSpot patient education library was written collaboratively by the iHealthSpot editorial team which includes Senior Medical Authors Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard, OTD/OTR/L and Valerie K. Clark, and the following editorial advisors: Steve Meadows, MD, Ernie F. Soto, DDS, Ronald J. Glatzer, MD, Jonathan Rosenberg, MD, Christopher M. Nolte, MD, David Applebaum, MD, Jonathan M. Tarrash, MD, and Paula Soto, RN/BSN. This content complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. The library commenced development on September 1, 2005 with the latest update/addition on February 16, 2022. For information on iHealthSpot’s other services including medical website design, visit www.iHealthSpot.com.

Footer

Foulk Road
2006 Foulk Road, Suite B
Wilmington, DE 19810
Phone: (302) 529-8783
Fax: (302) 529-7470

Smyrna
29 N. East Street
Smyrna, DE 19977
Phone: (302) 389-2225
Fax: (302) 389-1003

Riverside
700 Lea Blvd., Suite 102
Wilmington, DE 19802
Phone: (302) 764-2615
Fax: (302) 762-4076

Dover
1006 College Road, Suite 201
Dover, DE 19904
Phone: (302) 730-8848
Fax: (302) 730-8846

Omega
87 Omega Drive, Building B
Newark, DE 19713
Phone: (302) 733-0980
Fax: (302) 733-7495

Milford Office (Air Park Plaza)
915 North DuPont Blvd, Suite 104
Milford, DE 19963
Phone: (302) 491-4487
Fax: (302) 491-4635

Glasgow
2600 Glasgow Avenue, Suite 210
Newark, DE 19702
Phone: (302) 832-8894
Fax: (302) 832-8897

iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com

Home | HIPAA Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement | Sitemap
Copyright © var dDate = new Date(); document.write(dDate.getFullYear()); Delaware Back Pain and Sports Rehabilitation Centers. All Rights Reserved.

Staffed by certified physiatrists, chiropractors, psychologists, and therapeutic rehabilitation specialists, we provide pain relief for many types of bone, joint, nerve conditions. Our interventional pain management specialists (PM&R) treat closed head injuries, stroke, concussion, whiplash, dizziness, headaches, sciatica, disc problems, back & neck pain, joint stiffness, sleep apnea, muscle spasm, fibromyalgia, arthritis, neuritis, bursitis, and more.  We also treat job related injuries and injury from auto accident, sports or a fall at home.  As experts in Pain Medicine, our doctors provide surgical and non-surgical solutions including trigger point injections, epidural injections, nerve block, spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal spinal pump implant, PRP therapy, Graston® technique, Prolotherapy and more.  Serving Wilmington, Newark, Middletown, Smyrna, and Dover, Delaware.