All You Need To Know About Clavicle Fractures
Your clavicle, or “collarbone”, plays an important role in the positioning and function of your arm. It is the main connection of your shoulder girdle to the rest of your body. Because of the collarbone’s length and vulnerable location lying just under the skin of the shoulder, it is often at risk for injury. Clavicle fractures are some of the most common fractures treated by orthopaedic doctors. Of note, the clavicle is the last bone in the body to stop growing – often at up to 25 years of age. As a result of this prolonged growth, the clavicle has excellent healing potential, and most clavicle fractures can be treated non-operatively by simply allowing the bones to mend. However, there are some types of clavicle fractures that are best treated surgically. The clavicle is critical in providing length and contour to the shoulder which allows muscles around the shoulder girdle to function effectively. Fractures that cause significant shortening or mal-alignment of the clavicle can cause weakness in the shoulder or risk of “nonunion” or incomplete healing of the fracture leading to chronic pain.
Risk Factors for Clavicle Fractures
- Falls – either directly on the shoulder or onto an outstretched hand attempting to “break the fall.”
- Direct blow – any forceful blow to the clavicle (i.e. – falling object, lacrosse stick) can cause a fracture due to the little muscle or soft tissue protection to the bone.
- Osteoporosis, or low bone quality
Symptoms of Clavicle Fractures
- Difficulty moving one or both arms. It may be impossible to raise the arm at all and attempts may cause a grinding or crackling noise.
- There may be some pain emanating from the site of the break, even without moving.
- A swollen bump above the site of the break. May be visible beneath skin.
- Swelling and bruising of the clavicle.
- A sagging or hanging shoulder.
Treatment of Clavicle Fractures
- A clavicle fracture is treated differently dependent upon how severe the break is and where it is broken. The clavicle most often breaks cleanly in the middle. This type of fracture usually heals within 6-8 weeks and is treated by:
- Sling to immobilize and support the arm during healing.
- Pain medication to reduce any pain the person is experiencing.
- Ice to limit swelling and help with the pain.
- Physical therapy after healing or towards the end of healing to help regain full motion and strengthen surrounding muscles.
- Surgery is reserved for patients with significant separation of the bone ends, shortening of the bone due to overlap of the fracture ends, and fractures creating multiple pieces. These types of injuries are at risk to heal in positions that limit full shoulder function, or are at risk of not healing which causes significant pain with attempts at using the arm.
- If you have sustained a clavicle injury, it is best to seek consultation with a orthopaedic specialist to review the nature of the injury and determine the best course of treatment in order to maximize your outcome from this very common injury.
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled across this during my hunt for something concerning this.|
Thank you, I have just been looking for information about this subject for a long time and yours is the greatest I have found out till now. But, what concerning the bottom line? Are you positive about the source?
Hi there. I discovered your blog by the use of Google even as searching for a similar subject, your web site got here up. It seems good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
You have made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.|
Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all people you actually recognise what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Please also talk over with my site =). We could have a link exchange contract among us!
I have been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be a lot more useful than ever before.
Great work! This is the type of information that are supposed to be shared around the web. Disgrace on Google for no longer positioning this submit higher! Come on over and visit my web site . Thanks =)
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I’m quite sure I’ll learn lots of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thank you, I¡¦ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your website?
Keep working ,great job!
Link exchange is nothing else however it is only placing the other person’s website link on your page at suitable place and other person will also do same for you.|
Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
This piece of writing is really a good one it helps new the web visitors, who are wishing for blogging.|
Hello there. I discovered your website by the use of Google whilst searching for a related matter, your website got here up. It looks good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Hi my family member! I wish to say that this post is awesome, great written and come with approximately all significant infos. I’d like to look more posts like this .|
What’s up, the whole thing is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s in fact excellent, keep up writing.|
Hello! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you|
I think the admin of this website is truly working hard for his website, because here every information is quality based stuff.|
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about %meta_keyword%. Regards|
It’s an remarkable piece of writing designed for all the web visitors; they will get benefit from it I am sure.|