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Broken Collarbone

Broken Collarbone Overview

The clavicle is a bone on either side of your chest. Commonly referred to as the collarbone, it connects your sternum or breastbone to your shoulder.

Doctors use the terms fracture and broken bone to mean the same thing. Most people think of a fracture as being a broken bone where the ends still line up; whereas, a true break occurs when the 2 ends do not line up. Even if doctors use different terms to describe this condition, if you are told you have a fracture, it means you have a broken bone.

Broken Collarbone Causes

The most common cause of clavicle fractures is some kind of trauma. This can involve falling down, being hit on the shoulder, or being in an automobile accident.

Some people can break their clavicle without any trauma. These people usually have weak bones either from a genetic cause (they were born with it) or from an acquired cause (such as osteoporosis or cancer).

Newborns
- Occasionally during delivery of an otherwise healthy baby, the forces involved in trying to deliver the baby from the mother can break the collarbone. This is the most common bone broken during delivery. This is usually detected in the hospital, and the baby recovers well.
- Even more rarely, a physician may have to break the infant's collarbone in order to deliver the baby safely. This only occurs when a process known as shoulder dystocia develops. There are many other techniques available to overcome this, so it is rarely practiced today.
Children and adolescents
- The collarbone is the most commonly broken bone in childhood. These breaks are usually the result of falling directly on the shoulder or on an outstretched arm during play or sports. They can occasionally be the result of a direct blow to the collarbone, such as during tackling in football (without pads), or being crosschecked during hockey or lacrosse.
Adults and the elderly
- Broken collarbones in adults can occur from the same sports activities that cause similar injuries in children but are usually associated with automobile accidents.

Broken Collarbone Symptoms

A broken collarbone most often causes immediate pain in the area of the break.

Some people report hearing a snapping sound.
Most people tend to hold their arm close to their body and support it with their other hand. Despite the pain, some people, particularly younger athletes, can have a surprising range of motion of their arms following a broken collarbone.
The shoulder of the affected side is usually slumped downward and forward due to gravity.
If the clavicle is gently touched along its length, pain is usually greatest at one point, locating the break. Often a crunching feeling is noted over the break, known as crepitus.
The skin over the break often bulges outward and can be discolored a reddish-purple, indicating an early bruise.