Clavicle is a long endoskeletal bone found in the ventro-anterior extremities and it supports the shoulder. Clavicle or collarbone connects the (axial) sternum and upper extremities and lies horizontally along with the ribcage.
Usually, when the bones are occasionally damaged, breakage takes place in the middle. In some cases, there is a tendency wherein the broken area of the collarbone is near to where it is attached. This kind of injury is called clavicle fracture. Clavicle fracture is commonly caused by a direct blow on the shoulder. A newly born child may have clavicle fracture that happened during the delivery through the birth canal.
Extreme pain, caused by the symptoms, will be felt if you happened to have this kind of fracture. If unaware, here are some enumerated symptoms that you can refer to have knowledge that you have clavicle fracture:
The 9 Symptoms of a Broken Collarbone
1. When continuous shoulder movement happens to cause increasing pain;
2. Enlargement of the bulge of the collarbone;
3. When you try to limit shoulder movement because of the pain;
4. Bruising of the skin
5. When you are hearing cracking sounds whenever you attempt to reposition your shoulder.
6. Stiffness
7. Tenderness of the collarbone.
8. Bleeding might occur because it is possible for the cracked part to harm the neighboring tissues.
9. Deformity in the structure of the collarbone.
If you are experiencing many of these sensations, you might also expect that you have broken clavicle. Most of the time, this kind of fracture has quite a low possibility of death. If the ends of the broken part of the bone did not reallocate and is still lined up properly, it is actually curable even without surgical operation. Nonsurgical treatment methods are utilized for medicating this kind of clavicle fracture such as wearing an arm sling to keep your arms supported and stay in proper position as it heals. Taking some pain reliever medicines such as acetaminophen will aid in reducing pain while the fracture heals.
By the time your fracture healed, physical therapy is done to exercise and flex those arm muscles to prevent weakness and stiffness. However, it is still important to have follow-up checkups with your doctor until the fracture completely heals. The verification of the treated injury is about to come and the doctor will take an x-ray of the bone for confirmation.
However, if this fracture becomes severe, surgical operation must be done to fix your collarbone. Severe cases like displacement of the bone might compel you to undergo surgery. Undergoing surgery takes lots of processes and methods. The displaced bone will be re-aligned into its normal position and it will be screwed for fixation.
Another material used for holding the break in proper position is pins. Analogous to physical therapy, rehabilitation in the form of exercise will help strengthen your shoulders and improve shoulder movements. Your doctor will recommend a physical therapist for you. Wait for the doctor to tell you that your fracture is healed and your bone is stable enough to go back to your regular activities in life.
