After the surgery
Sometimes a conservative therapy of the collarbone fracture is not sufficient, so that a surgical treatment of the fracture is aimed at. Surgical treatment is performed if the clavicle is severely displaced, if it is an open fracture, if vessels and nerves are injured or if the conservative immobilization has caused the clavicle to grow together crookedly. During the operation, the fragments are fixed with the help of nails and plates.
Afterwards, physiotherapy should be performed to rebuild the muscles and restore full movement of the affected shoulder. Additional treatment with a backpack bandage is not necessary. The strain on the affected arm by lifting or carrying heavy objects should be avoided for about 6 – 8 weeks, depending on the results of the x-ray control, which must be carried out during the course of the treatment. The plates and nails used for fixation can be removed once the fracture has healed completely.
The collarbone fracture in the child
A collarbone fracture, known in medical terminology as clavicle fracture, is an injury that occurs particularly frequently in children and adolescents. With a proportion of approximately 85%, clavicle fracture is the most common fracture in children up to 10 years of age. In most cases, it occurs in children as a result of a fall on the shoulder, an outstretched arm or as a direct consequence of a difficult birth.
The treatment of clavicle fractures in children is usually conservative, so that surgical treatment can be avoided. The principle of conservative therapy includes immobilising the broken collarbone with the help of an arm sling or, even better, with a so-called rucksack bandage. This is a bandage that is placed around both shoulders and tightened on the back.
The pull that the bandage causes causes the shoulders to be pulled backwards. This straightens the broken collarbone and allows it to grow together again as straight as possible. The conservative treatment with the help of the rucksack bandage usually takes 10 – 14 days for children. After that, physiotherapy should be performed to restore full shoulder mobility. In children, the hernia is completely healed after about 3 weeks.
