Your collarbone, otherwise known as your clavice, is a stabilizing bone in your skeleton that is a critical aspect of your shoulder girdle. Suffering a fracture to this part of your body can be very painful and debilitating and can often require surgical intervention to set the bone for proper healing. Your doctor will also prescribe a physical therapy treatment plan to help strengthen your shoulder muscles and regain any lost range of motion, or ROM, within your shoulder joint.
Definition
A broken clavicle or collarbone is a common injury, especially in children and highly-active adults according to the Mayo Clinic. As the website suggests, "your collarbone (clavicle) connects the upper part of your breastbone (sternum) to your shoulder blade (scapula)." This injury is often the result of blunt trauma to the shoulder as a result of playing high-contact sports or other strenuous physical activity. Symptoms of a broken clavicle include loss of function in the affected shoulder and a great deal of pain surrounding the shoulder and neck area.
Early Therapy
The initial weeks of clavicle injury rehabilitation will focus mostly on helping you regain lost ROM within the shoulder joint, pain management and minor muscle strengthening exercises, according to the University of British Columbia. Exercises can include pulley stretches, squeezing an object like a tennis ball and other isometric shoudler exercises completed under the supervision of your therapist. Your therapist will also implement manual mobilizations to help stretch the area of your injury to prevent stiffness in your shoulder.
Mid-Week Therapy
As your therapy continues to progress and your clavicle continues to heal, your exercises will focus more on rotational movement to allow for even greater ROM within the shoulder capsule. Resistance may also be added to your exercises at this point, provided your comfort level and shoulder strength are at a level to support this light addition of weight. By roughly week eight of therapy, you will be able to flex your shoulder up to 90 degrees without pain.
Later Therapy
As your shoulder strength further increases, heavier weights or resistance will be incorporated into your regimen. Your therapist will recommend an increase of exercise intensity and frequency, which will help your shoulder return to its healthy, full-functioning pre-injury state. Your therapist will also prescribe a home workout regimen to continue strengthening this arm after therapy discharge.
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