Treatment Options for Collarbone Injury

Most often occurring during high contact sports, a clavicle fracture can be very painful and may make it difficult for an athlete to move his or her arm. If you notice one of your athletes exhibiting the following symptoms, he or she may have suffered a collarbone injury:

Sagging shoulder
Inability to lift the arm
Grinding sensation when attempting to lift the arm
Deformity or bump along the collarbone at point of break
Bruising, swelling, and tenderness over the collarbone

If one of your athletes is experiencing these symptoms, he or she should be removed from play immediately. During a visit with one of the sports medicine doctors at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics, a doctor can work with your athlete to determine the best treatment method for the injury.

“Broken collarbones are sometimes able to heal without surgery,” explains Dr. Thomas W. Thomas, fracture care specialist at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics. “For collarbone injuries in which the broken ends of the bones have not shifted out of place and are still lined up correctly, there are several nonsurgical treatment methods we can use.”

Nonsurgical treatment methods include using an arm sling, pain medications, and physical therapy. If your athlete’s bones have shifted significantly out of place, surgery may be necessary. During surgical collarbone repair, a doctor can align the bones exactly, holding them in the proper position for healing.

If one of your athletes experiences a collarbone injury, contact the doctors at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics right away. Call (559) 257-4107 to schedule an appointment.