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May 24, 2013
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Broken Collarbone (cont.)

Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Broken Collarbone Medical Treatment and Recovery Time

  • The vast majority of collarbone fractures can be treated with a simple sling. Sometimes a swath is wrapped around the sling to hold it to the body. Occasionally a figure-of-eight splint is used. This wraps around both shoulders and the neck to hold the shoulders back and up. Either method is appropriate treatment for the broken collarbone. Patients will be instructed to wear the sling at all times until there is no further pain with movement. This is usually 2 to 4 weeks for children and 4 to 8 weeks for adults. Commercially available slings can also be used.
  • Patients will also be instructed to avoid the potential for further trauma during this time.
  • Some patients may take over-the-counter pain medicine, but others might require a prescription pain medicine.
  • Follow up with a doctor until the patient is pain free; a few patients may require some rehabilitation.
  • Clavicle fractures will heal properly with standard treatment. But, rarely, people may have problems with fractures near the shoulder end of the clavicle. These people are often referred to an orthopedic surgeon within 2 to 3 days after breaking their collarbone. Some may require surgery.

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Broken Collarbone - Treatment

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

What was the treatment for your broken collarbone?

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Broken Collarbone - Recovery Time

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

How long did it take for your broken collarbone to heal?

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Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Fracture, Clavicle »

Clavicular fractures are common injuries that account for approximately 5% of all fractures seen in the ED.

Read More on Medscape Reference »


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