The clavicle, or collar bone, is located on either side of the front of your shoulder, just above your chest. The clavicle connects your shoulder blades to your sternum and assists in stabilization of your arms. Breaking your collar bone can be a painful and debilitating injury. Depending on the severity of the break, you may not be able to return to normal activity for about 12 to 14 weeks. To ensure proper healing and a safe return to sport activity such as football, you must safely progress through the four stages of recovery.
First Stage of Recovery
Step 1
Immobilize the area immediately after you break your collar bone and see a doctor. The doctor may reset the bone and place your arm in a sling. The sling will hold your shoulder up while immobilizing your arm. You may be required to wear the sling for up to eight weeks. In the first two weeks after injury, you must keep the shoulder immobilized. You should also control swelling with ice packs and anti-inflammatory medications throughout the day.
Step 2
Allocate about eight weeks for your collar bone to be more than halfway healed. At this stage, you are still unable to place any resistance on your shoulder, but you should be able to move your arm more. Your doctor may prescribe range-of-motion physical therapy. The goal of physical therapy in this stage is to increase your range of motion while decreasing pain and swelling. Your physical therapist may employ passive or active range of motion. In passive range of motion, your physical therapist will physically move your joint without any effort from you. In active range of motion, you will physically move your joint through its range of motion.
Step 3
Complete a wide variety of active range of motion exercises successfully and you may be ready to begin resistance training exercises. This involves using a weight machine, resistance band, or free weights to rebuild muscle around your collar bone. After a couple of months of immobilization, the muscles around your collar bone will begin to atrophy. This means that your muscles will not only lose flexibility, but power and strength, as well. By rebuilding muscle tissue that has atrophied, you are one step closer to returning to normal physical activity.
Step 4
Regain normal function in the shoulder after about 12 to 14 weeks from the initial injury. Even though the bone has fully healed, it is important to continue to do both the range of motion physical therapy exercises and the resistance training exercises to maintain strength and flexibility in the muscles surrounding the clavicle. Once you have regained complete range of motion and full strength in the muscles, your recovery is complete.
References
- "Therapeutic Exercise: Foundations and Techniques (5th edition)"; Carolyn Kisner and Lynn Colby; 2007
- "Essentials Of Athletic Training"; Daniel D. Arnheim and William E. Prentice; 2002
