A fall or hit to your clavicle or collarbone can cause a fracture or break. Signs and symptoms include pain, swelling and deformity to your bone. Treatment includes rest, ice and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS. Rehabilitation exercises help you regain normal range of motion and strength in your shoulder, chest and back muscles. Consult you physical therapist for further guidance.
Clavicle Fracture
Your collarbone is located between your shoulder and sternum or chest bone, connecting your arm to your ribcage. A direct hit to your collarbone or falling may result in a fracture, which is a crack or break in your bone. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, most breaks occur in the middle of your collarbone. In severe cases, when your bone is fractured in multiple places or part of your bone is displaced, your physician may recommend surgery before rehabilitation.
Initial Treatment
Rest, ice and elevate your clavicle, shoulder and arm to reduce pain and swelling. Your physician may recommend wearing a sling or figure-of-eight bandage to prevent painful movements of your arm and shoulder and to proper healing. Take NSAIDS to further reduce swelling and pain. Once pain subsides, you may begin physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises to regain flexibility and strength of your shoulder and arm.
Range of Motion
Range-of-motion exercises for your elbow and wrist include flexion and extension to prevent stiffness caused by the lack of use. To prevent discomfort, your physical therapist will move your shoulder through the pain-free range of motion. As you regain flexibility in your shoulder, you may perform exercises like the pendulum and wand exercises. The pendulum exercise is performed standing with your uninjured arm and hand on a table. While leaning on your uninjured arm, hang your injured arm down and slowly move it in small circles. Wand exercises are performed while holding a pole with both hands. With the assistance of your uninjured arm, move your affected shoulder through movements like flexion, extension and internal and external rotation.
Strength and Stability
Strength exercises include shoulder flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and internal and external rotation with the resistance of light dumbbells or resistance bands. Strength exercises may be performed in a seated, standing or lying position. Increase your resistance slowly or as directed by your physical therapist. Stability exercises are performed using a body blade or exercise ball. With the body blade, you hold and shake it in small movements while stabilizing your shoulder. You can also perform pushups to improve your shoulder stability.
Return to Play
Functional exercises help prepare you specifically for your everyday activities and sports. Some examples include throwing a baseball, swinging a tennis racket and reaching for items on a top shelf. You may return to normal activities and sports when your clavicle has healed and you regain full function of your shoulder. Rehabilitation and healing normally takes between eight and 12 weeks, according to a 2010 article in the "Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology."
References
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Clavicle Fracture; January 2011
- "Clinical Sciencel"; Functional Outcomes of Conservatively Treated Clavicle Fractures; Mohd Yazid Bajuri; 2011
- "Deutsches Ärzteblatt International"; Midclavicular Fracture: Not Just a Trivial Injury; Gereon Schiffer, et al.; 2010
- "Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology"; Nonoperative Treatment of Closed Displaced Midshaft Clavicle Fractures; Cesare Faldini; 2010
- Summit Medical Group; Broken Collarbone Rehabilitation Exercises; Tammy White, MS, P.T., et al.
- "Physical Therapy"; Physical Therapist Examination, Evaluation, and Intervention Following the Surgical Reconstruction of a Grade III Acromioclavicular Joint Separation; Lisa B. Culp, et al.; 2006
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