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Clavicle fracture
A clavicle fracture is a bone fracture in the clavicle, or collarbone. Additional recommended knowledge
FrequencyClavicle fractures involve approximately 5% of all fractures seen in hospital emergency admissions. It is most commonly fractured between the proximal 2/3 and distal 1/3 of its length. Children and infants are particularly prone to it. Clavicle fractures can be present in the newborn period, especially following a difficult delivery.
HistoryHippocrates, 4th century BC:
The management of skeletal injuries in ancient Egypt – Collar bone:
Symptoms
Treatment
Treatment usually involves resting the affected extremity and supporting the arm with the use of a sling, supported over the opposite shoulder. In older practice, a figure-8 brace was used, designed to provide immobilisation of the fracture to facilitate healing, but more recent clinical studies have shown that the outcomes of this method were not measurably different from simple sling support, and due to the movement difficulties caused to the patient, this method has mostly lapsed. Current practice is generally to provide a sling, and pain relief, and to allow the bone to heal itself, monitoring progress with X-rays every week or few weeks. Surgery is rarely used, only if it is an open fracture. More than 90% of clavicle fractures are successful healed by non operative treatment. The surgery is indicated in the following conditions. 1.The impending of the fracture site penetrating the skin. 2.The fracture of clavicle with associated to nerve and vessel injuries. 3.The symptomatic or painful nonunion and 4.Fracture of at the end of the clavicle which injuries to the ligament of acromioclavicular joint. A discontinuity in the bone shape often results from such a fracture. In rare cases (2-5%) surgery may be required when skin is broken or if the fracture is extremely displaced (disunion). Surgical procedure will often call for a plate to be affixed along the bone on either side of the fracture and screwed into the clavicle. In some cases the plate may be removed after healing. Surgical intervention in the region of the clavicle is avoided if possible, due to various important structures beneath. For adults, healing time – four to six weeks – is longer than for children – three weeks. After two to three months the clavicle begins to strengthen back to normal, to gain its former full strength after half a year. |
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Clavicle_fracture". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |