How to Heal from a Broken Collar Bone
See a doctor as soon as you can., Get an arm sling or support., Take pain pills short-term.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: See a doctor as soon as you can.
If you experience significant trauma from a fall or car accident and feel severe pain — especially in conjunction with a cracking sound — then head to the nearest hospital or walk-in clinic for medical assessment.
A broken collarbone causes intense pain near the shoulder and top part of the chest, and disables most upper arm movements, especially those involving arm raising and reaching.
Other signs and symptoms include bruising, swelling, and/or bulging over the fracture site, a grinding noise and pain with arm movements and sometimes numbness and/or tingling in the hand.X-rays, bone scans and MRI are tools that physicians use to help diagnose the location and severity of fractures — small hairline fractures of the collarbone may not show up on x-ray until the inflammation calms down (up to a week or so).
If your broken collarbone is considered complicated — there are many fragments, the overlaying skin is penetrated and/or the pieces are grossly misaligned — then surgery will be needed.
Only five to 10% of clavicle fractures require surgery.Collarbones usually break directly in the middle, and much less commonly where they attach at the breast bone or shoulder blades. -
Step 2: Get an arm sling or support.
Broken collarbones are not casted because of their anatomical position — it's impossible to immobilize the bone or general area with a plaster cast.
Instead, a simple arm sling or "figure-of-eight" wrap or splint is usually used for support and comfort immediately after a collarbone break.A figure-of-eight splint wraps around both shoulders and the base of the neck to help support the injured side and keep it positioned up and back.
Sometimes a larger swath is wrapped around the sling to hold it closer to the torso.
You'll need to wear the sling or support at all times until there is no further pain with movement — usually takes two to four weeks for kids and four to eight weeks for adults.You'll receive an arm sling or support if you go to the hospital or emergency walk-in clinic, although they're also available at most pharmacies and medical supply stores.
Slings come in all sizes, including ones appropriate for small children, as the collarbone is the most commonly broken bone in kids — usually the result of falling onto an outstretched arm., Your doctor will likely recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin as a short-term solution to help you deal with the pain and inflammation related to your broken collarbone.Alternatively, you may be given painkillers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), or prescribed opioids (like Vicodin).
Keep in mind that these medications can be hard on your stomach, kidneys and liver, so it's best not to use them continuously for much more than a couple of weeks.
Opioids can be addictive, so use them exactly as your doctor prescribes.
Kids younger than 18 years should never take or be given aspirin, as it’s associated with life-threatening Reye’s syndrome.
For more serious fractures that generate severe pain, your doctor may give you a prescription for more powerful drugs while at the hospital, such as morphine-like opiates, but be aware that they can be habit forming and lead to addiction if abused. -
Step 3: Take pain pills short-term.
Detailed Guide
If you experience significant trauma from a fall or car accident and feel severe pain — especially in conjunction with a cracking sound — then head to the nearest hospital or walk-in clinic for medical assessment.
A broken collarbone causes intense pain near the shoulder and top part of the chest, and disables most upper arm movements, especially those involving arm raising and reaching.
Other signs and symptoms include bruising, swelling, and/or bulging over the fracture site, a grinding noise and pain with arm movements and sometimes numbness and/or tingling in the hand.X-rays, bone scans and MRI are tools that physicians use to help diagnose the location and severity of fractures — small hairline fractures of the collarbone may not show up on x-ray until the inflammation calms down (up to a week or so).
If your broken collarbone is considered complicated — there are many fragments, the overlaying skin is penetrated and/or the pieces are grossly misaligned — then surgery will be needed.
Only five to 10% of clavicle fractures require surgery.Collarbones usually break directly in the middle, and much less commonly where they attach at the breast bone or shoulder blades.
Broken collarbones are not casted because of their anatomical position — it's impossible to immobilize the bone or general area with a plaster cast.
Instead, a simple arm sling or "figure-of-eight" wrap or splint is usually used for support and comfort immediately after a collarbone break.A figure-of-eight splint wraps around both shoulders and the base of the neck to help support the injured side and keep it positioned up and back.
Sometimes a larger swath is wrapped around the sling to hold it closer to the torso.
You'll need to wear the sling or support at all times until there is no further pain with movement — usually takes two to four weeks for kids and four to eight weeks for adults.You'll receive an arm sling or support if you go to the hospital or emergency walk-in clinic, although they're also available at most pharmacies and medical supply stores.
Slings come in all sizes, including ones appropriate for small children, as the collarbone is the most commonly broken bone in kids — usually the result of falling onto an outstretched arm., Your doctor will likely recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin as a short-term solution to help you deal with the pain and inflammation related to your broken collarbone.Alternatively, you may be given painkillers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), or prescribed opioids (like Vicodin).
Keep in mind that these medications can be hard on your stomach, kidneys and liver, so it's best not to use them continuously for much more than a couple of weeks.
Opioids can be addictive, so use them exactly as your doctor prescribes.
Kids younger than 18 years should never take or be given aspirin, as it’s associated with life-threatening Reye’s syndrome.
For more serious fractures that generate severe pain, your doctor may give you a prescription for more powerful drugs while at the hospital, such as morphine-like opiates, but be aware that they can be habit forming and lead to addiction if abused.
About the Author
Jason Thompson
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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