Your collarbone connects your arm to your body and can break if you fall or get hit on your shoulder. It can be very painful and make it hard to move your arm, but most people can heal on their own with a sling and rest.
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A clavicle fracture is a broken collarbone. It's a common injury, caused by trauma to the shoulder or direct impact to the clavicle.
Children are more likely than adults to break their collarbone, with fractures happening twice as often as in adults. Broken collarbones make up as much as 15% of all fractures in growing children. They make up about 5% of adult fractures.
The clavicle (or collarbone) provides your shoulder with stability and strength. It also protects nerves and blood vessels that run from the neck to the shoulder.
A broken collarbone (or clavicle fracture) occurs when you receive a direct blow to the:
You can also break your collarbone if you fall on the "tip" of an unprotected shoulder.
Athletes that tend to have a higher risk of getting a clavicle fracture include:
Children are at a higher risk of breaking their collarbone because their bones have lower density. The collarbone in particular hasn't hardened yet.
Children who are athletes in contact sports like football are even more likely to fracture their clavicle. Adults who play contact sports have a higher risk as well.
However, bicycle accidents, falls around the house, and automobile accidents are also to blame. Even babies are sometimes born with a fractured clavicle. It can happen as they are passing through the birth canal.
One complication of a clavicle fracture is a nonunion, which means the bones haven't healed. If the bone moves out of place before it can heal in the proper position, it's a malunion.
Both of these complications may require further treatment or even surgery. However, some people with these complications have little pain, and their range of motion isn't affected.
A clavicle fracture will often cause instant pain in the shoulder or collarbone.
Other broken collarbone symptoms include:
Because it affects your ability to move your arm, most people know right away that something is wrong. It's important to seek treatment immediately so that a doctor can assess your break and help the bone to heal correctly.
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and what you were doing when the pain started. It's helpful for them to know if it was a fall, a hit, an accident, or some other activity.
Then they will look for signs of a fracture on the clavicle (or collarbone). There is usually a bump or lump. They'll gently press on the area of the suspected break, which usually causes pain.
Your doctor will also check your:
Your doctor will likely order an x-ray to confirm a broken collarbone diagnosis and see the injury's severity.
If multiple bones have broken, your doctor may do a CT scan to get a better look at the fractures. This is a series of x-rays that can create a 3D image of your bones.
If you break your collarbone while playing sports, you want to immobilize the shoulder first and seek treatment from a doctor.
Broken collarbone treatments include:
Broken collarbone recovery time depends on the injury's severity but usually heals on its own in about four to six weeks.
While your broken collarbone heals, you:
When the bone heals, you will need to:
If you have a severe clavicle fracture, your doctor may suggest broken collarbone surgery.
You'll need to remain in a sling for about six weeks after clavicle fracture surgery and begin physical therapy exercises right afterward.
It may take three months or more following clavicle fracture surgery to regain your full strength and return to activity.
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